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.