Nearly 179 years back, on 2nd Feb 1835 Lord Macaulay while addressing the British parliament said that during his travels across the length and bredth of the country he did not find a single beggar in this country and that the people were of high moral values. From that day, we have indeed come a long way. The moral fabric of ancient India was torpedoed with the materialistic onslaught of the western civilisation and as a result, a corrupt, impoverished, malnourished and illiterate nation beckoned at us and has been left crying for change and salvation.

Here is a nation which boasts of half the population below the age of 35 and is described as aspirational India. A nation blessed with natural resources like iron ores of Orissa and coal fields of Jharkand.A nation where the mighty Ganga and Brahmaputra flow in the north and Godavari & Krishna in the south. States like Punjab & Andhra underwrite the granaries of the nation. Yet we are witness to the starvation and desperation of large sections of the society.

While the suffering masses look to the India of tomorrow and wish to see India occupying it’s rightful place in the comity of world nations, we are exposed to the unseemly spectacle of leaders trying to divide the nation on the grounds of religion, caste and region. The rulers of the day cannot enforce probity in public life and scam a day is the order of the day. Weak and indecisive leadership brought the governance to a standstill and gave birth to a derisive concept called policy paralysis.

In this dark hour India yearns for leadership which can relieve it from this misery. The first and foremost quality of this leader shall be personal integrity and proven probity in public life. A decisive and an inspiring leadership who can bring out the best from the team and at the same time check the nefarious designs of the vested interests with a firm hand. A leadership which understands the needs of a young and vibrant nation and can empathise with their aspirations. A leadership which has the appeal of the masses across the nation and can command and co-opt vast majority of them in the nation building. A leadership which can understand the strengths of our society and that can come up with policies and programmes to harness these strengths. A leadership which can usher in a second green revolution by taking up innovative scientific techniques and inter linking of rivers across the nation.A leadership which can steer the nation clear of divisive politics of yester years based on religion, caste and region. A leadership which can create jobs and prosperity for all sections of society. A leadership which can turn this nation into a manufacturing hub of the world and lay the strong foundation for industrialised India. A leadership which can check inflation and protect growth of the economy.

The whole nation is waiting with bated breath for the emergence of such a leader from the ruins of current polity. Come this may, the million dollar question is – WILL IT HAPPEN?? Will India move forward? We will all find out soon enough.