Indians, as I write about them, defines a very small sub-group of a populous nation. Definitely urban, university educated, upper middle class and mostly born in the 1980s. The last feature is important as it defines us as being a generation of Indians who do not carry the scars of Partition, of wars, of the Emergency, of the horrors of caste, sectarian and religious violence of the late eighties and early nineties. (Kargil and Gujarat seem anomalies to us that we hope are not repeated in our lifetimes.) The factor that has really left a scar on many of us is the complete absence of inspiring leadership ever since we can recall conversations and reports about our country and its contemporary politics.
A unifying voice, a leader ready to stand by countrymen first and party later, a thinker any one of us (as defined above) would like to sit down with and pick their way of planning and processing if I may put it down literally. Our generation has tragically not seen any policymaker and political leader rise to such standards. Over the last decade we feel enthused to unleash the creative energy within us in every other field besides political affairs.
‘I cannot even imagine which party I would vote for next year.’ – A pertinent conundrum at every gathering. Over the last three years I know some who have asked bureaucrats, academics and business leaders – ‘What advice would you give to a young Indian wishing to run for elections, become a political leader?’ After smiles of pity at our naivety, the answer has shockingly been– ‘Why?’
Not only do we have a situation in the world’s largest democracy that a large section of its educated youth has not seen a single political leader they can trust, we also have a situation where considering a run for political office, big or small, is laughed upon.
So will one person already part of the state’s policy making apparatus step up and show us that we must not despair? Can we have an honest, rational, unifying leader? And can we seriously consider joining their line of work?
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Hey!
ReplyDeleteWhat you write makes sense, and these are questions we all have in our minds, so it's a good start to point them out. But I'd like to see more conjecture, or perhaps some more new ideas. like what you think will happen, where is the future taking us? I think many of us read blogs to find answers to the very questions you have raised.