The
most inspiring Leaders and their impact
[PART- 1]
Not the cry,
but the flight of a wild duck leads the flock to fly and follow.
This
quote defines the idea of a true leader to a great extent. There are many
people who choose to not to walk on the path drawn by others and carve their own
way. Such are the people who make their own destiny and are not the mere
puppets of their fate. These are the great souls who are remembered as Leaders.
But,
in this golden league too, I have come to believe, that there are three categories.
One is the set of those, whose outcry is so loud, that it tells the whole world
that a change is to be seen and they are determined to bring it. Another set is
of those who say and do things quietly, prepare a task force and wait to roar
‘yalgaar’! Third set is of those who wait patiently and never want to attack.
Their fight is not for revenge. It is about a vision. It is about bringing an
idea into existence and sketching it on the very face of the world so that it
can be remembered.
It
would be quite demeaning to say that which of these categories has the most
inspiring examples, because each of these sets has their own tales of inspiring
leadership.
The
times that we live in have seen many revolutions and thus, many
revolutionaries. Anna Hazare’s movement was one of the closest quests for
changes in my life time. I have seen the movement, met the people who were
involved in it, and also have had wished to become a part of it in some way.
May be it was not for the cause primarily but, for the whole glamor that came
with it. May be it was for the ‘feel good factor’, which comes by being a part
of any big movement.
The
fragmented stories of great leaders and their struggle for grand causes have
made the youth think that, it must have been glamorous to be heroic. The distance
from history and literature has made us literate but, not educated
holistically. Thus, we pick up half torn excerpts from the past and try and
portray them in our lives. This is why I would not use my limited knowledge to
judge the youth’s take on leadership and rather stick to my own.
The
task of bottoming down to the most inspiring leader has been the most
challenging aspect of this assignment. The fact that writing this composition
would not be as difficult as choosing the protagonist was very aptly deduced
earlier. Thus, I wandered through my memory to find
that one personality which has impacted me the most. Now the criterion of this
‘impact’ could be several. This is because there is not a tale but a series of
incidents and decisions that make these personalities, an inspiring leader. So,
I collected a fragment of each of these tales and a personality from all the
times that fascinate me.
The Greatest Mythological Leader:
Krishna
Our
idea of leadership develops from our very childhood. We all have, at least once,
idealized a ‘Hero’ in that phase. We saw that ideal figure as the biggest source
of inspiration and tried to even imitate it to see how it feels like to be to
be him. I was narrated about one such hero when I was little. It was an epic. Even
today I am ensnared by the epic of Mahabharata.
And
the leading figure which has inspired me time and again is no other but Lord
Krishna. For me he has been the epitome of leadership. He has been the pivot of
all the changes that turned the fate of many people, of many empires and their
kings. He is often called a mythological character, and is believed to exist in
times that are different from now. But, I can relate the scenario of this epic
with the issues of every house hold now. Every case of corruption and injustice
can be co-related to the reasons why this war took place. I believe him to be
the very first leader who led hundreds and thousands of lives with his wit,
cleverness, patience, charm and righteousness.
He
supported the Pandavas for he believed they were wronged. He was bound by the
relations but he knew where he belonged and where he wanted to lead people. The
most ancient arts of persuasion, motivation, coaching and leading an army were
all exhibited by him. He also knew how to change the rules when the game
demands.
He
led Arjuna not only in the battle but, also coached him for a better life. This
was one of his most beautiful qualities. He wanted to change people from the
roots, empower them with the ability to make better decisions. His words of
wisdom and the way he won the hearts of people were the two qualities which a
leader must have. His gift of gab and ability to exemplify all his saying made
him the true winner and a populist.
Men do less
than they ought, unless they do all they can.
His
most inspiring words are known to be those which turned the decision of Arjuna,
when he had lost his morale completely and the battle too, in his mind. The way
he motivated him to raise weapons against his own relatives in the Bhagwat
Gita, was only what a true leader could do.
Inside
his heart he always knew that the Kauravas were not being fair to the Pandavas,
yet he gave a fair turn to all his cousins to use his power for the final war.
When both Duryodhana and Arjuna asked him to help for the war, he gave them a chance
to choose one between his army and himself. Also, he promised to never pick up
a weapon himself while the war. He agreed to give Duryodhana whatever he asked
for, to help him in the war. Thus, he gave his whole army to him and then went
on to become Arjun’s Saarthi. But, it was his cleverness and skill to analyse
the strength and weakness of each person on the opposition, which made Pandavas
win the war.
If
we take away the super natural aspects and few legends from this epic then he
could be a role model for any style of leadership in any time or era.
