Rahul Gandhi ... A walk? ... Hero's journey ??
I have an interesting relationship with Rahul Gandhi. Beyond the obvious fact that I am called "Rahul" by my family, I have made every available attempt to distance myself from MY namesake, the current heir of the Gandhi family.
My initial opinion about him was so colored and he was everything I DID NOT WANT TO BE .?I identity myself as right of center?in my political views and ideology, and Rahul Gandhi was an embodiment of views I DID NOT STAND FOR.
However, recently I learned about Rahul Gandhi's attempt to do a "Bharat Jodo Yatra"(Unite India March). Per wiki,
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, is orchestrating the movement by mobilizing the?party cadre?and general public into?walking by foot?from?Kanyakumari, the southern tip of the?peninsula, to the union territory of?Jammu and Kashmir, spanning 3,570?kilometres?over 150 days
First off, I was surprised about the very little interest/mileage, social media is giving him. No matter what, we should NEVER fall into, echo chambers, were opposing voices are never heard. Second, I applaud him for his earnest attempt to make an effort, to make the effort to travel on foot to different corners of the country. I DO NOT agree with his ideals or polices. But, with this act, HE HAS MY RESPECT!
If we continue to crack jokes on him, pappu this, pappu that… Remember, the joke is on us!
Let us not make the same mistake that Grand Old Party of India is making. He's making an effort. Do I think this is the beginning of a left wing revival ? May be, maybe not? But do you know what's more important than my subjective answer to that question, is this plain and simple fact..
Rahul Gandhi now has an ideal and he is now working to realize his vision!
I might be naive and idealistic here, but I would like to believe,?Rahul Gandhi has started his journey towards bringing India back to the Glory days.?I have that in bold because this is my fundamental belief, which made me write this blog post.
Although, the common destination for both Left and the Right, is India, back to her Glory days.
I’m worried !
I worried because, I fear my country will take a different route to reach my preferred destination. In all the years since, the current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, came to power, I have never once paid any serious capital to Rahul Gandhi as a leader, much less the poster boy of Left wing India. I was convinced that Rahul Gandhi would be his worst enemy and best advocate of Modi, BJP and right wing ideologies that have swept and captivated India in the last decade.
Not anymore!
Now, I feel I need to do everything I can within the realms of law & morality, to not let him succeed. Now I feel, I can't take Rahul Gandhi or the INC for granted anymore. That said,
I am excited to meet a competent leader on the battle field. I am rubbing my palms in excitement in taking the challenge head-on. In a weird way,
I want him to succeed and fail at the same time.
I want him to succeed in revamping the INC and spreading the benefits of left wing ideals. I want a large part of India to follow and idolize him. I want more and more Indians to pick up left wing ideologies. Why? Because… India wins!! India wins with a strong and robust Left wing. Yet, at the same time…
India wins with a strong and robust Right Wing! In both these cases, India wins or at least has a much higher chance of success.
However…
India WINS only with a strong and robust Left and Right wing Indians
For a democracy to be efficient, both the Left and the Right need to be strong and robust, to enforce checks and offer the counter balance.
A balance is at harmony only when identical weights are at either scale.
— Siva Sundaresan ;)
So it is imperative!!! It is imperative that Rahul Gandhi succeeds! As a right-leaning Indian, I want the poster boy Indian Left Wing to succeed! Isn't that maddening?
I want him to succeed because, that's the ONLY way all of this makes sense! Then, India can "move" forward. Move, isn't that a funny word? One of the most loaded word in the English language!
Because had it not been for our primal desire to "move", we would have never grown a spine!
—Siva Sundaresan ;)
Now this is true, both biologically and factually. That aside, the "desire to move" is what made Humans who we are. Had we NOT moved, we would have never left the cocoons of our genesis, to become what we are today! Now let that sink in!
We would NEVER have existed, had it not been for our desire to MOVE.
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What does this goofy opinion of mine, which is debatable at best, borderline delusional. not a single bit factual, makes me write my?
on Rahul Gandhi!
Rahul Gandhi , who in my books was
Why then, did I choose to write on Rahul Gandhi of all people?
Because, that is the only way India WINS!
India is one of the very few countries who can claim herself as the?founder of Democracy?She needs a strong political Left, a strong counter-balance, to the right-leaning political wave which is taking over the county at such a fervent pace.
A strong Left is necessary to add the necessary breaks on the progress machine that is "moving" India at a rapid pace!
We have to empower the enemy for the fight to be fair!
—Siva Sundaresan ;)
For the prize at the end of this is, India! India, which is back to her original self, as the true center of cradle and civilization for human kind!
So, here's what I plan to do. I plan to listen! I plan to listen more and then some more .I need to make a conscious effort to listen to the opposing view!
I CANNOT stress enough about the importance of listening to the opposing view. It is only then we can examine the other point of view and more importantly, discuss and debate, agree to disagree.
Any concerned Indian, should make an effort to listen to any opposing views! Only then, the promise land is reached with a chorum! The goal is NOT to win over the opposing view! The goal is to convince the folks with the opposing view , make them realize the merit in our way and help them pull their weight in our direction, direction of progress..?
Indian Democracy is built on the foundational idea of CHOICE.
We cannot even for a brief moment, put ourselves in the shoes of citizens of dictatorial, propaganda spreading, terrorism-favoring neighbors of ours!
No one knows the value of "choice", more than the oppressed.
—Siva Sundaresan ;)
As Indians, we shouldn't forget , the luxury we enjoy as free and democratic citizens of the?LARGEST democracy in the world.?We should exercise our roles and responsibilities by researching thoroughly the manifesto and qualifications of future office bearers/leaders when they contest in democratic elections of the Indian Republic.
It's time we take our responsibilities, seriously!
I sincerely feel that the #Bharat #Jodo #Yatra is the start of something HUGE. I hope it is the start of the Indian National Congress (INC) getting its affairs in order.?
This may sound #prophetic.. But mark my words, this will be looked back as an important #historical #event \ ! This is the start of #India launching herself back into the #international realm to take back her rightful place as the pinnacle of human civilization!
With regards to Rahul Gandhi, I can't help but notice he his at the start of his very own?Joseph Campbell's?Hero's journey, possibly?
Afterall … Pappu CAN walk Saala ;)
I wish you success Rahul Gandhi!
For in your success, lies mine,
And.. In our success lies the future of India
Exciting times ahead, indeed...
—Siva Sundaresan