The 13th President of India

‘                                       The 13^th president of India

The countdown has begun for the nomination of the 13^th President of India. 13 is not a taboo number for Indians as it signifies the ushering in of a change of guard in family affairs after a 12 day period of loss and mourning. India that has in the last few years witnessed unprecedented moral and ethical demise needs a new dynamic leader at the helm of affairs. It is anybody’s guess if there will be a consensus among political parties for the new Indian President cutting across all ideological (or even whimsical) barriers. Quite a few names are being circulated by different political groups (and by the omniscient Media) just to test the waters before the nomination is announced unanimously or for a contest.

But amidst all the buzz going in the Capital, it is unfortunate that no one talks about what qualities are required to be the President of India. The names that are in circulation are limited to half a dozen known political figures - which begs the question about our political chicanery in terms of minority, caste, religion, gender and de facto domicile(from North or South or East or West of India). With the exception of Pranab Mukherjee, all the other names in circulation have been suggested on the basis of some or other discrimination as cited above. Then there is a voice rooting for an ‘apolitical’ person to be the head of state of the sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic Republic of India.  The meaning of ‘apolitical’ is to remain politically neutral. It sounds good in theory, but how can a President remain neutral  and bereft of political ideology (left, right or centre) when  all of the authority vested in the President is in practice exercised by the Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister  (although Article 53 of the Constitution states that the President can exercise his powers directly)? Can the government function if the president and the party in power are at loggerheads on every issue that requires the President’s assent?  The term ‘apolitical’ has the underpinning of political ignorance and falsity. The President must have political awareness and conviction, but in the discharge of his Presidential duties, he has to remain politically correct and unbiased and function in the largest interest of the people. This brings us to the question about what qualities are needed by the President to hold such a position of trust and leadership. 

This is best answered by the four ‘outsiders’ whose names have been floated (by the media, I suppose) and who will ultimately end up as outsiders to the Rashtrapathi Bhavan. These four-Gopala Krishna Gandhi, Ratan Tata, Narayanmurthy and Sreedharan- have established themselves in their respective fields as outstanding individuals and are driven by a passion for service without compromising on ethical and moral principles.

Gopal Krishna Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi on the paternal side and Rajaji on the maternal side has impeccable credentials as a connoisseur of art, literature and culture. He is a distinguished Padma awardee who has donned different hats as a diplomat, a prolific author, an administrator and Governor with consummate ease and finesse. His statement about the stalemate on Lokpal Bill “The passage of the Bill should not be seen as a victory or defeat for any particular party. Parliamentarians should treat this as an opportunity to serve the nation” is a proof of his faith in and commitment to Parliamentary ideals. It is an endorsement of the supremacy of the Parliament, of the responsibility of the Parliamentarians to fine tune the Bill and the need for political consensus on such a vital issue.

Ratan Tata, a name synonymous with ‘the people’s car’ has committed himself to the aspirations of the common man. The proof of his reaching out to the aam admi is the Nano car that “encapsulates the dream of millions of Indians groping for a shot at urban prosperity"^.  Among the many awards that Ratan Tata has received are the Padma Vibhushan, KBE, First award for Responsible Capitalism and the Global Indian Award instituted by NASSCOM for Global Leadership. Educated at Cornell University, he has shown qualities of leadership, business and legal acumen, imagination, honesty and courage and above all compassion.

Narayanmurthy, an engineer and industrialist founded the Infosys, which has become the foundation for the huge success in IT services outsourcing from India. He is one of the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of modern India, known for his ethical management of corporate business.  Among the many laurels he has been bestowed with is his sharing the dais of Asian heroes with Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Dalai Lama who have brought about revolutionary changes in Asian history. He has demonstrated how “leadership is all about courage to dream big” and how to translate that dream into reality. 

Sreedharan , the Metro Man of India personifies commitment, integrity, resolve and responsibility to the society.  His work on various rail projects including the Delhi metro and the Konkan railways stand testimony to his belief that completing projects on time is social responsibility and seeing that public money is spent judiciously is moral responsibility. The four cardinal principles of work culture he has displayed all through his life — punctuality, integrity, professional commitment, social and moral responsibility are qualities of the highest form of leadership.

All the four, distinguished in scholarship, education, empathy and integrity have demonstrated a radically distinctive talent for leadership to bring in a transformation in the personal and professional ethics of all those who worked with them. They have firm faith in the potential of Indian men and women to be the Long Striders.  

Can we expect our politicians to leave aside their personal and party prejudices to look for a President who has faith in our people, in our Parliament, empathy and compassion, honesty and integrity, courage of conviction founded upon social and moral responsibility?  Can they seek a person of erudition and wisdom to bring back a humane society full of moral and intellectual concern for fellow beings?  Indian Republic today needs an active President who will lead the Parliamentarians to replace their present trend of packaging humanity into politics by packaging politics into humanity.

If the ruling party nominates a person of such excellence, it will gain back its credibility and confidence that was manifest in 2009 when it was voted back to power.