REACHING OUT – LEADER AND THE ART OF ROUSING THE PEOPLE

It was once again so demoralizing to listen to the dull and drab;( well meaning though) utterances of our dear Prime Minister in yet again Independence day speech. It was such a sorry sight to watch him labor his way with simple Hindustani words as he read out the Independence day speech to the nation on 15 Aug 2009 . Among the many commonalities between Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh is their lack of communication skill which is indeed the most predominant and visible to the ever expectant public. Both are poor public speakers and have to be fed with words; at least in Hindustani.

What probably makes their task even more difficult is that they do not seem to be writing their speeches. For if one writes talking/ delivering becomes easy and more convincing. It adds conviction to the speech. Even if the quality of voice and style may be moderate. It is on such instances that the concept of philosopher- king advocated by Plato comes to mind. Plato had argued that a leader should be a thinker too; only then could be his reach be long and lasting.

Nehru; was perhaps the only leader who would qualify to be the King – philosopher. His writings and speeches inspire the people world over even today. He had an original view on every subject which mattered the nation and which carries meaning to this day. He too started slowly and initially was a shy speaker; but because he could think and feel he could convey. It is such a pathetic sight to watch the planted leaders!

The problem of Manmohan Singh is that being a Professor of Economics enables him to fluently comment in English; but effective he is not for he is not known to be a thinker;a warm hearted person who could feel for the people

What is expected on an Independence day is a rousing speech.We do not remember when we last witnessed it? Atalji did inspire us initially but later was struggling with poor health. VP Singh did deliver an effective solitary performance but all that was drained down by his ill intent. Mrs Gandhi did motivate the masses for she could speak their language and feel for them.

The bottom line remains that a political leader has to be an effective speaker. And for that he is to be an original thinker who should have sufficient ‘warmth ‘ to convey his thinking so that it reaches their heart.

Our leaders should know the difference between addressing a press conference and addressing their Nation.

CAUSE AND COMMITMENT

CAUSE AND COMMITMENT– RIGHT TO EDUCATION BILL


As a young student in the University it was inspiring and assuring to read of the initiatives and improvements taken by the then communist regime in Soviet Union in the areas of health and education thereby uplifting the standards of deprived and downtrodden. The advancement made by that generation in numerous discipline, results in Olympics showed the success of the policy. However; much water has flown down the Ganga and Volga since the breakup , disintegration and re-emergence of that society but the benchmark was set and the results are still relished as the human resource created under the Marxist regime is still wooed by all emerging economies , including India and China .Nowhere else such parity was achieved in such a short time.

Against the above backdrop ; it is indeed heartening to witness the enactment of Right to education bill which has made compulsory for the state to provide free education to children upto class viii . However; between the conception and creation falls the shadow. And; therefore the challenge of our budding democracy would be to reduce the long shadow . Do we have enough schools ? Teachers ? Will we be able to achieve the teacher student ratio of 1:35 in our country when the same is a challenge in the best of colleges in the nation ? What about funds ? And measures to monitor and extract accountability. Will it meet the same fate as that of land reforms ?

To provide free education till the age of 14 is enshrined in our Directive principles of state policy, and has taken about 58 years to convert policy into Law. How much time will we take to convert this cause into creation? I have serious apprehensions and am deeply cynical of the standard mechanisms to implement and control Govt
Plans as without ideology and commitment such directives remain half served. What made the Soviet policies work was the commitment and zeal of the cadre of the communist party . The various Universities , schools and colleges which are run by the Christian minority institutions excel and are sought by the majority because they have commitment . There are schools such as Shisu mandirs and Arya vidya Mandir run by the Hindu cultural organizations which are maintaining high standards despite being defamed of their extreme views on Nation and society; but their educational achievement cannot be ignored as it is backed by sincere commitment.

I wish Congress under Rahul motivates its cadre to such level wherein they immerse themselves toward execution of the policies without worry of self promotion and rewards. But that is highly unlikely; the dependence on private sector is living in illusions for they can just create islands of excellence such as Reliance International college ; but we need some one to create an Ocean of excellence.

Till then we continue to live on hope.

REVIEW -- LOVE AAJKAL

REVIEW -- LOVE AAJKAL



Much awaited film it was; specially after the barren period of stand off between producers and Multiplex owners and the disappointing ‘ Kambhakt Ishq ‘ ( Kambhakt Film ! ).

The film surprised me. Saif surprised me and Imtiaj Ali’s credentials as durable film maker were established .He was in control of his craft. The strength of the film are three—screenplay, dialogues and Saif’s performance . In posters and promos to me Saif appeared jaded and probably a little over the hill for a young love story . He proved me wrong.

Not a novel story but presentation and narrative clinch the issue. It is story of how two young Indians fall in love but part ways for the sake of their career as they refuse to commit long distance love . How a sagacious Sardarji ( Rishi Kapoor ) helps them to meet again by narrating his love story set in remote Punjab.

Apart from basic theme of having loved , lost and recovered the film does tickle our sub conscious to rekindle the faded emotions of devotion and sacrifice. It is indeed so reassuring to see an effective director in control . The shallow and superficial craft of Karan Johar and his ilk is exposed after witnessing a truly talented filmmaker like Imtiaz.

I felt the movie losing grip in the initial stage; when the interaction between Saif and Padukone and flowering of their relationship is shown. It appeared a little jerky and casual ; but gradually after the titles are completed the movie warms up to delight. I also thought the ending a little stretched by about ten minutes . Saif’s American journey very well portrayed though could have been reduced.

The hallmark of the film is its ‘restrain ‘ . It is presumed and in some instances mandatory for love stories to go overboard . , however ‘Love Aajkal’ is well measured and moves step by step to its destiny. It will haunt many; for some time.