What are the qualifications desirable for a ‘leader’ in India today ?

1. Ambition.
2. Connections.
3. Ability to control and manipulate people.

That about sums it up.

What were the qualities desirable for a leader in India in the past ?

1. Sound understanding of dharma and commitment to uphold it.
2. Righteous action.
3. Dedication to welfare of society.

Kings who exemplified this behaviour are Sri Rama, Raja Harishchandra among many others. Both of them gave up their kingdom and family to uphold dharma.
Raja Harishchandra gave up his freedom when occasion demanded it and proposed to give away to people all benefits due to his virtues.
King Shibi gave his body to save the life of a bird that sought his protection.

Such were the qualities indians saw in their leaders during the past.

A leader embodies the people. The leader’s characteristics transforms to pick up the aspirations and characteristics of the people.
If that does not happen the person is separated from leader position.

As the aspirations of the people change, the character of a leader also mirrors it. Else he/she is made to give way for another who does it better.

The values of indian leaders today reflect the values of indian people today.

The sycophancy, the subservience to other than dharma, the greed, the aggrandizing drive, lack of ethics and values, cunning behaviour, all seen in indian leaders today merely reflects that of the indian people today.

The moral slide of indian people that created the present situation has been gradual, over millennia.

To reverse it or to correct it is not going to be easy or fast.
It requires changing of the momentum of millenia. A task for the strong of heart and wise of mind. It is a task for the kshetriya, under the guidance of brahmana. A task for the moral and spiritual descendents of Raja Harischandra and Sri Rama.
But it is the irresistible call of the hour, of the earth and it resonates with every awake indian.

The personality projected in public sphere, of a person, is shaped on results purported to have been achieved by that person or the organisation that person leads.
Such results are the derivatives of actions and events associated with by that person or that organisation.
Such actions and events are in turn caused by inner motivations.
Inner motivations, are shaped by two factors-
1. Self-initiative or self-generated thoughts
and
2. Ideas imbibed during upbringing, from exposure to wider world, due to influence from other personalities, through various mediums such as books, movies etc., and conclusions drawn from past experience.

Correct understanding of the nature of the above forces that mould the motivations of the current leader-personalities- achieved by examining the motivations that precipitated the particular actions which produced the results that shaped their public face -reveal the motivations and values prevalent among the general public.

Such understanding enable initiation of steps to create positive influence on the public, that will generate motivations to sustain dharma and contribute to preserving life on earth.

The public under such positive influence will themselves be their leaders to uphold dharma and act selflessly for society.

Today in India one person decides who will be the Prime Minister of India, the President of India, Chief Election Commissioner, various Chief Ministers, Governors, Senior Bureacrats. She even influences who will be the Chief Justice and Chairpersons of various commissions.

As a result, virtually every person holding any influential post in India defers to this person.

What are her qualifications that justifies such sweeping powers ?

Being the widow of a former prime minister who came to hold that post because he was the only remaining son of a former prime minister.

Is that a qualification enough ?
What about the need for past experience in administering a large organisation or a region or state ? What about sound understanding of dharma, of spirituality that characterize bhAratiya samskriti ? Of vision for the future of India and the world ?

Are such qualities not essential in an indian leader ?

Approaching it from a different angle,- why is it necessary for the most powerful person of india to have administrative experience, when s/he has well trained and experienced administrators and civil servants under her to run the country. S/he need only facilitate such administration without indulging in corruption or nepotism that is detrimental to the country. So far the present incumbent seems to be doing alright in that regard, or so it appears.

The question is, is that enough ?

Is that all that indians need to expect of their leader ? to desist from corruption ? to allow civil servants to do their duty, that is laid down, without undue interference ?
Is that all indians need expect from a leader ?

There may be something more.

That something is- to instill dharmic values in society, to awaken the still sleeping people to dharma, to consolidate a future which will enable sustenance of life on earth- which is possible only by nurturing dharma, to help give direction to india and the world at large, not towards selfish aggrandisement, but towards long term sustenance, reinstate the principles of india such as lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu and vasudaiva kutumbakam in their real sense.

This is what is required of an indian leader, and of indians themselves.

The present indian leader could learn to do that. But chances are, then s/he may not remain the leader for long unless the people’s aspirations justify such change.
So, a long lasting solution is that such change happen from the people.

When the people start to live the indian culture, the leaders will change to adopt indian values or new leaders will arise embodying such values.

Instilling sense of dharma among the people is possible by evaluating the influences that shape their current attitudes and removing the harmful influences.

Influencing people to mould their attitudes have been an age old practice of organised religions and their commercial progeny- capitalism and communism. These structures developed well reasearched techniques to influence the minds of people to further their vested interests. Such influences shape the motivations of people and thereby, their actions, their achievements and their personalities. It is a self perpetuating system that has been gaining momentum through millennia. Unfortunately such influences have had a negative effect on Nature and on human psyche. While Nature and all its living beings are being exploited relentlessly to satisfy the aggrandizing needs of such humans, the people themselves have been losing moral values, humane feelings and their sense of spirituality. This deleterious sequence has wrecked havoc on environment, climate, resulted in extinction of many species of plants, animals and birds and is fast making the planet uninhabitable.

Change of the prevailing negative influences is essential for long term sustenance of life on earth.

Positive change of motivations of the people can be achieved through the two factors that influence them- self-generated thoughts and imbibed ideas.
Shaping of the latter is achieved through control of mediums such as newspapers, magazines, television, books, academe, movies, social discourse, public spaces and organisations such as political parties, governmental institutions, NGOs and religious organisations.

Almost every such avenue is presently under the total control of vested interests seeking self-aggrandisement, including even many religious organisations.

The other factor that shapes motivations of people- self-initiative or self-generated thoughts, is also subtly influenced by thoughts from others. This influence is, however, intangible to source because of the interconnectedness of all thoughts in human consciousness. The thoughts of the people of the past, who may be physically long gone, are alive and along with that of the people living now influences the thoughts that currently take shape, in an intuitionary manner. Each thought by every person is thus a continuation of similar thoughts of many others before him as well as of his contemporaries and in turn contributes to the continual shaping of human consciousness.

The effect of such influence permeates physical space and objects. This is the concept of kshEtra.

bhArata kshEtra is permeated by the spiritual thoughts of the millions of spiritually realised persons who travelled this land in the past and the many who do so now. This khsEtra therefore inspires spirituality in the consciousness of people.

The deterioration of dharmic consciousness visible among the people of India today is the result of centuries of violation of sanctity of bhArata kshEtra by marauding invaders- a result of the decline of kshetriya consciousness among indian people brought about by considerations of commercial nature over dharmic sustenance, that has had a self-perpetuating effect.

Exerting positive influence through the mediums of communication, through social organisations and other institutions to bring about positive change in societal motivations can be augmented by contributing to universal consciousness through thoughts and protecting the sanctity of kshEtra.

When indians begin to hear the vedas within them, like their anscestors did, then each person will lead the society and the world towards dharma, towards sustenance of rta.

That is when bhArata kshEtra will have leaders commensurate with its nourishing values.

It is such leaders that India and the world needs for long term sustenance of life on earth.