Leaders with Imagination....

'Leader' is a very attractive and powerful adjective that most people would like to associate with, but is there any thing significant about it or is it just a mystified 'superfluous' position merely taking the limelight? This in fact is a very odd aspect to ponder over. On the face of it, it may seem like a trivial question with an obvious answer! However, this isn't a plain query, there is a huge undercurrent which actually defines a leader and at a certain level it subtly defines many aspects of our society as well. No matter how much I try to convince myself that it is the masses that actually drive this world and not mere bunch of elites called as leaders, more I find contradictions in my thoughts. In fact a peep in to the history points out how leaders have been inevitable, like the masses, to the progress of man kind. The general aura of these elites have united people for causes, which might be alien to them as individuals. Leaders mobilize and synergize the energy of the masses towards a direction visualized by them. This phenomena is not alien to the current realities, it is in fact more evident today by its absence and more often by its perverted presence in the dynamics of the society.

A leader is not defined by the position which demarcates him/ her as a leader, it is the process of the making of the leader which defines him/ her. They may be inevitable circumstances or opted choices, but the factors that mould the leaders will always be a companion for life. They build up the decision process in the minds which rarely can be shattered. Any thing contrary to these factors will only entangle until it scuttles all possible growth.

Leaders are not extra ordinary individuals who are infallible, but what makes a good leader is his ability to invoke his best at the right time. Most of the images that we perceive of the leaders is usually an inflated personality almost like a powerful imagination transmitted to the minds of the masses. This is not a negative aspect as it becomes a necessary tool to energize and move masses. Especially when in times of trouble an powerful image of a leader becomes a motivating force that can inspire millions. The 'belief' that Obama has been able to inspire in the minds of the recession haunted Americans is a classical example. With an almost unaltered political institutional setup, unchangeable capitalistic economics, a foreign policy which cannot be altered at will and a world which is sceptical of a hegemonic super power, Obama has been able to give hope to a number of Americans. 'Hope' is the key word, in fact it is the first and foremost word in the dictionary of a leader. It is a panacea for an economic upsurge as it creates a positive psyche, which is of paramount importance in economics.

Obama is a one among of the many leaders who have have an inspiring aura about them and yet have a positive dimension in their outlook. We usually remember people like Gandhi, Martin Luther, Nehru & Mandela when we hear the word 'leader' but we tend to forget that the same word encompasses people like Mussolini, Hitler, Edi Amin and a number of perverted fascists as well! They are also inspiring, but to what end is a question that will leave us perplexed. It isn't to be forgotten that even the present day demagogues are also leaders for their followers. In fact it is these bunch of leaders who usually have infallible images portrayed about them.

What differentiates leaders is their own imagination and fore thought. Power to unite masses as one group, who believe in shared destinies is a very important role of a leader and this is exactly where most leaders falter. The fascists and demagogues try uniting masses (usually against some other group) based on some trivial similarities like caste, race, religion, region, tribe and so on. The real objective of these leaders is 'power' and what ever symbolizes it. The individual destinies of their followers will only be curbed and sacrificed in their run for power. Power is a critical factor in the road of progress but if vested in the hands of unimaginative leaders it can only create a stagnant society with rotten ideas.

The real problem of present day India is the lack of what is called 'Imaginative leadership'. The national movement gave enough opportunities for some positive personalities to occupy the center stage and they did not miss the opportunity to inspire the masses in the right direction. The groupings were usually based on realities that change the lives of the ordinary. However the conditions have changed, most realities of those days have become irrelevant today. With the realities even the quality of leaders has faded.

It is true that there is no progress without division in world of limited resources, but these divisions should be rational and inspired with a holistic approach. It is also imminent to know that no division is permanent, there has to be regrouping with elapse of time and this dynamics has to be consistent to the cause of common good.

What has plagued the Indian leaders is their inability to break the shackles of the past and move out of easy & lazy methods. The classical power of division by caste and religion was probably a very imaginative way of creating common good in a very primitive society, but using the same system, which is now corrupted by irrational relations, shows the dearth of imagination amongst the leaders of today. The present leaders have given up the freedom to imagine, right from the beginning of their march towards power. The first relationship they acquire today is based on trivial factors like caste, religion, region etc and from then on they are permanently married to their past with no power to divert without loosing what they have gained. They start appealing through myths and irrational emotions, which they can hardly control. They gain power but with no control. Its like the what Satyam's tainted founder called ' riding on a tiger with out knowing how to get off without being eaten by it'!

If there is any solution for this problem then it can only be in an incentive form than a Gandhian idealistic method. Despite of its appeal it is difficult to sustain Gandhian methods with consistency. However if only materialistic incentives can inspire leaders then one can never restrain him /her from mounting the tiger! The power to influence the future comprehensively can be the only agreeable incentive that can be bestowed to push individuals to access leadership imaginatively. This is easier said than done but a general conceptualization of leadership in the society in benevolent ways, can drive individuals to more innovative paths of attaining leadership.