Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a.k.a Mahatama Gandhi, Bapu, Father of the nation, India. The tale to his path to leadership and his deeds and words, has been written numerous time by many people. People ranging from great philosophers, leaders and crores of children have written volumes about him be it biographies, novel, blogs and offcourse the 'My great leader' essays in school. So am I writing anything different ???? the answer would be nah...he is too great and I am too amateur to do so. So different questions, why am I writing it..?? well, haven't really written anything for long and it was his b'day today, October 2'nd and also I happen to saw a movie today named Inglorious Bastards, which has something to do with fuhrer or more commonly known as Hitler. The movie was a shit, according to me, for your viewpoint, go see the damn movie. At the end of the movie I was wondering something else, what makes a leader great, the thought process took me to Bapu and then narrowed down to the question why was he considered so great... ??
All his sermons, deeds, visions missions put together I was convinced for only one thing as to why he was great. He was great according to me because, for the reasons or cause showed by him, people were ready to bear with any adversity for a prolonged time. I choose my words cautiously, cause it would be very easy to write that people were ready to die for him. But that was not the case entirely, there have been many leaders for whom people are ready to give up there lives, even Osama bin laden would account to be a great leader then, why not, he gives his people a cause and thousands of mujhaiddin kill themselves(and innocent people surrounding them). Mahatma had that conviction, cause and charisma that enable people to surrender themselves to him, like a true devotee surrenders to god. Bapu said give up your made in xyz stuff and people made bonfires of British clothes, Bapu said endure pain and people broke their heads without even lifting a finger to the person causing the pain. Many leaders give you a reason and you are convinced and march and die for him, it all happens within a speech and lasts for days months and year to come but the struggles ends as soon as the euphoria goes, smart leader makes full effort to build that euphoria and then makes best of the time when people are in that influence because once the tide is over, the ocean is calm again. But for Mahatma people were ready to suffer, endure and change themselves for lifetime, and that whats so great about him. I mean is it so easy to give up your everything, your loved ones, your cherished possessions, even your own life , that too for a societal cause..?? I mean Aasharam bapu makes u give up stuff, ravishankar from art of living makes u do so, but, here you give up your personal stuff to earn something personal again, peace of mind, moksha, whatever. Mahatma made a saint out of every Indian for a common cause, Independence. People can be made to kill or get killed easily, every now and then we have witnessed leaders like fuhrer, Laden, etc to do so successfully, you just have to find a point where they can be made to be felt cheated and urge them to be revengeful, bammm, you have a, kill or get killed recruit in your cadre. The road Bapu taught meant that you get cheated humiliated, beaten, tortured, even killed for a common cause and, you don't react back, you just protest and wait for the action. Come what may you never react. That, I feel is the most hardest thing you can make a human do, act against your natural instincts. Leader were born, made, dropped, conjured, they came, they conquered, they did it, they failed, but Mahatma was unparalleled, he also is alleged to have make mistake, why won't he, he wasn't god at the end of the day, but the path he showed, what he made people do was simply amazing. A leader in all aspects, really great. My homage to Mahatma Gandhi.
Thanks for your patient reading
Tinu..
