General

What we need today is not intimacy with our political leaders, with their share of scams, mudslinging, dishonesty, and indecency in high places, but a revival of dignity and veneration. How do we achieve this "balance?" Through Mahatma Gandhi!

Mahatma Gandhi is our only reminder at a time of monumental change, when we have managed to perplex ourselves with the most trivial, or elementary.

Earnestness, it's rightly said, is the font of authority, or authenticity, where auto means "self," your original instrument; and, entea, or "tool," connotes communication. Which explains why your credibility as a speaker, or leader in any field of activity, is directly correlated to the extent to which the audience perceives your genuineness. In other words, your greatest effectiveness comes from being yourself, because who you are communicates more than what you say.

A classical paradigm would bring home this "canon" best. A journalist once asked Mahadev Desai, Mahatma Gandhi's personal secretary, to be "let in" on the "secret chemistry" of the Mahatma's ability to hold audiences -- in "hypnotic" enchantment -- for hours sans script, or notes. Desai responded: "What Gandhi thinks, what he feels, what he says, and what he does, are all the same. He does not need notes."

This is precisely the power of inner alignment, or authenticity -- the very idea we set in motion, at the outset of this tribute to Gandhi.

However, it all seems to be a paradox in the times we now live in -- a case of straightforward raison d'être. Gandhi has virtually become a non-entity, albeit his face -- thanks to official iconography -- remains familiar. And, while the man and his monumental deeds have since long faded into oblivion, Gandhi's once-hallowed "Father of the Nation" title sounds superfluous and droll.

What's more, the most honoured man in history, to cull Albert Einstein's most famous aphorism -- "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth" -- has proved prophetic. Almost. Gandhi is a forgotten man. He's, at the moment, confined to school textbooks and wallets -- not our hearts.

Conversely, there's also another cog -- the visage of those who care for values, although they are a minority. For them, Gandhi remains a colossal figure -- larger, and taller, than Mt Everest, notwithstanding the fact that many of their own progeny, so to speak, have lost sight of his greatness. A posture that is symptomatic of what ails India, or the world, today -- and, in particular, our inability to recognise true character and leadership.

Gandhi was, doubtless, an inspirational leader. To use a cliché, he was a great human being. Guiding his conduct was a virtual obsession with reputation. He always thought that failure in a worthy enterprise could be forgiven, but dishonour was an inexpugnable blot, a shame. He often said, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." Which also explains why Gandhi often felt that moral and effective leadership, for all time, comes down to trust. He observed that immoral leaders always fail not because of themselves, but because their followers feel disrespected. For the same reason, he added, amoral contingency leaders fail just as well.

All things considered, Gandhi was the putative head of a family, the national family. He took enormous interest in every person he came across in daily life. Today, the problem is not so much with Gandhi, or Gandhian thought. The folly is directly connected with the very concept of kinfolk, and the role traditionally attributed to fathers within the household unit: the family. Therein lies a negation, because modern thinkers regard the family as a prop for patriarchy, a metaphor for oppression, and denial of freedom. This, indeed, is the very reason for the palpable barrier that now exists between our entente of Gandhian ideals and the man himself -- the greatest breach between us and him.

Gandhi often pointed out that there's more to life than increasing its speed. Yet, most of us with uptight goals and ambitions rush forward in a tizzy, fuelling our momentum with self-imposed stress. This stress is a cycle of rapidity, and hard to break. Just think. How well do we all know the import of Gandhi's timeless assertion, in the difficult times we now live in, but do very little to curtail our stressful fixations!

Gandhi, like all great leaders, was a great communicator. His natural communication style powerfully harmonised with his vision, message, and circumstances. Only a few leaders can master the level of inspiring rhetoric found in great leaders. More so, when we all know that a leader's communication task goes far beyond creating an understanding of that vision, values and courage, in a way that compels individuals, and citizens, to claim them enthusiastically as their own.

When India won freedom, Gandhi so voluntarily gave up "power" -- like a good father who understands that his children must live their own lives. He had, of course, laboured hard for India's independence. However, in so doing, he created a tenet that could survive and propel only if he turned it on, and turned it loose. By "giving" up, Gandhi thrust upon us the responsibility for shaping our own future. Recall Jawaharlal Nehru's famous "Tryst with Destiny" speech, and you will know the import of India's novel, monumental struggle for freedom.

It is time we find the Gandhi in ourselves: a Gandhi who aims to inspire and respect, and thereby restore him to his hallowed place in the hearts of every world citizen. A tall order, agreed: maybe, a goal beyond reach, if one takes into account the political degeneration that has set in and encrusted itself into the very roots of our polity, and beyond.

What we need today is not intimacy with our political leaders, with their share of scams, mudslinging, dishonesty, and indecency in high places, but a revival of dignity and veneration. How do we achieve that "balance?" Simple. Difficult. Through Gandhi! He is our only reminder at a time of monumental change, when we have managed to perplex ourselves with even the most elementary matters.

Nehru rightly said, "Mahatma Gandhi had instilled courage and manhood in his people, and discipline and endurance and the power of joyful sacrifice for a cause, and, with all his humility, pride." That's not all. We have got to restore Gandhi to his true, proper status, come what may, and also contribute in a modest way, which would be more than good enough -- to advance the cause of moral and political renewal. A renaissance of sorts -- not just for one's own good, but also the world's good.

Is this asking for too much, and for making the impossible possible?