I was watching NDTV’s Indian (s) of the year (2007) programme and just could not agree on PM Manmohan Singh being chosen as Indian Leader of the year. I do not have anything against the PM. He is an extremely nice person, very honest with ‘turbans of integrity’ & ‘beards’ of values. But being an extremely nice person and PM does not make one a good leader, does it? Leadership is not a position. It goes beyond being nice, modest, meek, humble or good in economics.  It consists of galvanizing a billion country people into achieving realistic targets & goals. It involves putting forth a lucid vision & mission and effectively marketing and transmitting it to your people so that they make it their dream and carry themselves and the Country forward and upward.  It is discovering the destiny of your Country. It means holding to your convictions and standing-up to what you as a Leader believe in. There are many ways one communicates this – great oratory, simple speech with clarity of thought & expression, living by example etc. Where does the PM fit here? Does the PM know what his destiny is? Or India’s destiny, for that matter?

Gandhi was a great leader of his time. He draped (rather stripped down) himself in the common man’s minimum clothes to identify with the people and galvanize them in to achieving freedom for the Country. He set up the ‘cross-hairs’ and the people only had to consistently aim to achieve freedom (at Midnight).

In the same NDTV function Southern Superstar ‘Shivaji’  Rajinikant was awarded the entertainer Indian of the year. When asked whether he would enter politics he replied: ‘ I surely will if it is my destiny’ but presently my destiny  is that I be an Actor”. I was reminded of Paulo Cohelo’s ‘The Alchemist’ where he says: “ Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is” he further adds:  “ And when you want something all the Universe conspires in helping you achieve it”. My Indian leader of the year will be one who can make every Indian want his Country to be the most developed progressive democracy in the world and before that, to discover what India is capable of as a Country!