Recently while in Singapore and having a drink at the club with my friend a Major in the British army, an interesting conversation cropped up. He asked me " tell me, Captain, why do the Indian leaders wear Dhoti or pajama all the time?". He went on to say that the great warriors of the Hindus like Chandragupta, Raja Jai Singh, Porus never wore such dresses. He concluded that these dresses do not inspire the masses. I replied this is Indian national dress, but even when I said these words I realized the major had a point.A look at most of the leaders' show
that they think that by wearing such dresses, they can prove that they are with the masses, but then historically this leadership has left India way behind China and which is aspiring for global dominance. On the other hand, we are unable to even sort out Pakistan.I was reminded of our defense Minister inspecting a Guard of honor in a kurta and chappals. A Guard of honor is a precise military drill and one can see how the American and Chinese leaders inspect a Guard. So the Major has a point. I have been wondering whether we had a dynamic leader who could have led India into the
sunrise?My mind immediately turned to Subhas Chandra Bose. he exuded dynamism and not pessimism. One has just to see on youtube his meeting with the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, to realize that this man was a cut above others. His wartime photographs with the Indian army and general Tojo, reveal him as a born leader. Its a pity he passed away and the Congress under Nehru made all attempts to erase his memory from the history books.
Thankfully, Lord Attle's book on his life is available and the man who piloted the Indian Independence Bill in the British parliament has gone on record that Gandhi had NO ROLE in the British decision to leave India. He goes on to add that the INA and Subhas Bose were the ONLY factors that convinced us to leave India.
Bose is an example, a fiery one. Whether he was a fascist or not is meaningless, but the fact is, he had qualities of leadership. Indian's must try and emulate him.
