Leadership is an enigma.

History has witnessed so many facets of leadership that it sometimes baffles human imagination. We have our Gandhis, Mandelas, Maos, Churchills and Roosevelts, and then we have Mussolini, Hitler and Genghis Khan. What then is leadership all about? Is it inspiring and leading peacefully or does it mean wreaking havoc and leaving a trail of innocent carcasses? Since history is all about objectivity, it leaves the verdict to our ‘collective conscience’ and ‘analytical prowess.’

Humanity has been blessed with leaders who claimed to bring Divine Message for our salvation and eternal bliss. We refer to them as Prophets. They preached oneness of God, explained the infinite attributes of Divine Self, inspired human beings to delve deep into the mysteries of creation, and gave meaning to our ephemeral existence. Philosophers, sages, scientists and reformers, throughout human history, have brooded, reflected, explored and promulgated the wisdom behind these eternal principles, and seldom has been the outcome short of hope and promise.

Leadership is all about noble and pristine intentions. Ends justify means. But then how do we account for those savages masquerading as lions in wolves’ attire. One finds some plausible answers in world literature.

T.S.Eliot’s ‘Waste Land’ mourns the soulless modern times. Hemingway’s ‘The Sun Also Rises’ indicts post world war frigidity.

One feels that all history is leading humanity to a higher consciousness, an elevated state of being capable of harnessing the true potential of ‘nature’ and ‘self’. That seems to be the ultimate design of creation. All warrior kings, ruthless dictators and demagogues in democratic garb, are ‘antithetical paradigms’ in this grand creative design. But they are all leading us to a synthesis, the very thesis of making the best of ourselves and the world around us. So in each epoch everyone who left his imprints on history, whether tainted or soiled, or celestial and divine, has contributed to the march of human thought process.

Our present is but building upon our past experiences and furnishing in us a resolve to build a vibrant tomorrow. Today ‘ground realities’ around us defy this logic. With all this hatred, economic exploitation, neo colonialism and resource wars, the world seems to be heading towards a disaster, a failure of the ‘grand cosmic design’.

Is there any ray of hope then? ‘Back to Basics’ is the mantra.

Literature is a reflection of reality. We live as men in world, and scattered as characters in literature. Whether it is Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Lear, Macbeth, or Hamlet, all these are prototypes of worldly kings, princes, statesmen, dictators, and leaders.

That brings us yet again to the same puzzling query!

Sir Winston Spencer Churchill once remarked that it was not him but the people of Britain who won the Second World War. That he was someone destined to ‘roar’ on their behalf. So humble and yet so right. This was Churchill- a true visionary and a leader par excellence.

Take the example of Roosevelt- a half crippled man- steering United States of America through economic depression and the Second World War, with triumph.

About the same time Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Quaid of South Asian Muslims, was waging a legal and constitutional battle of independent nationhood for his coreligionists. Little is known of him in the West. Professor Stanley Wolpert remarks in his book ‘Jinnah of Pakistan’: ‘Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Mohammed Ali Jinnah did all three.’

True leadership is nothing but leading by example, in thought, vision, and action. The private and public character of an individual determines sustained following.

The ‘founding fathers’ of United States of America drafted a written Constitution that proclaimed in its preamble: ‘We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.’

The vision behind these noble sentiments still inspires us as a clarion call for a free world.

Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and others poured their heart, soul and intellect to draft a blessed future for their nation. Abraham Lincoln stood firm for these principles when America faced its gravest domestic challenge in the civil war between the industrial bourgeoisie north and agriculture based landed aristocracy of the south. Martin Luther King Jr. protested for the same rights in the latter half of the 20th century. The true realization of the vision may still be distant but all these leaders contributed their best to make it happen in their times.

Leadership is thus the art of weighing options and possibilities and forging ahead with ‘rugged determination’ and ‘unflinching optimism.’ Leadership is serving people, not ruling them. It is about inspiring masses towards higher ideals.

‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’, the slogan of French Revolution, got muddled in the hands of bigots and orators. Chairman Mao of China was once asked about the effects of ‘French Revolution’. He replied that it was ‘too early to say something’. This may sound intriguing. However, it reflects upon the sagacity of the ‘old comrade’. Perhaps he wanted to say that revolutions are not merely meant to attain aims, they provide stimulus to chart our way through stormy seas.

Peace, prosperity and social welfare are noble ends. Society strives to attain these. Yet, till human race survives, this ongoing quest for a ‘better world’ would continue. Humanity might never fully realize these ends; still these are worth striving for. Visionary leadership makes its adherents follow these stepping stones and leave the world a more comfortable place to live for succeeding generations.

If leaders fail to stamp significant imprints on the sand of time they may be lacking somewhere. If their followers do not adhere to their policies and philosophy, there may be some loose ends. Who is to blame? An absolute answer is hard to find. Life is a continuum. It flows incessantly. Men come and go. The only lasting virtue is memory of those who acted beyond narrow, parochial concerns. They are our shared legacy.

We are not garbage, waiting to be recycled by nature into some useful form of fuel, again to be consumed, yet again to be recycled. We are the choicest of creation. We are meant to lead. We are designed and programmed to excel. Divine creation is waiting for our response, a human and humane response that takes us forward. We are in this journey together- all of us. And we can come out of the dark, murky woods together. All we desire is peace, within and without.

Rudyard Kipling offers a panacea for our thirsty souls: