Bye bye baby!

Today is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's last day in office as the current electoral process winds down to its final countdown, and I wonder how many of us have really valued this quiet and unassuming gentleman who has been the architect of progress for our nation. I was appalled at the smear campaign of his adversaries that branded him a weak prime minister! For me the dignity that Mr. Singh has brought to this position of leadership, provides us a lesson in social and political conduct that has been completely absent from the Indian political scenario for far too long. Rowdiness and crudity have become the norms associated with political power in the recent past, and Indian parliamentarians could well take a leaf out of this stoic man's book, to learn the true meaning of serving one's nation selflessly. Let us not forget that Adolf Hitler was considered great orator, so placing undue emphasis on the oratory skills of Mr. Singh as being a criteria to judge his political leadership, is rather absurd and so typically skewered of the BJP.

There are many instances that have exemplified the wisdom of this Prime Minister, and where I have felt comforted that he truly understands the requirements of a life of public service. He has never flinched to don the mantel of the job; to be a role model of ethics and principles. However for me it is often in the smallest and least profound gestures where the truth of a person can be best seen and judged, and perhaps the memory that I will hold forever as an emblem of this great man is of him standing in line to cast his vote like every other citizen, without the halla-bulla and fanfare that most other leaders seek out for themselves in such instances. I believe in this frozen moment is etched a complete profile of the philosophy of this visionary, and history will be obliged to hold him amongst one of the greatest leaders of state this nation has ever had.

I am powerless to know whether my vote for his party will keep him in power or not, but I am rooting for him all the way! He may not have the flamboyance to be a poster boy that's trendy or give sound bites that make good copy as bumper stickers, but then what I want is a leader for my country and not a toy-boy with no substance. Mr. Manmohan Singh, you sir make most other men pale in comparison as a man of substance. I hope you come back to power because you truly are a leader.