75 years YOUNG!!!
The notice was put up a couple of days back and I could swear that there could not have been anybody who was not looking forward to the lecture by one of India's outstanding statesmen and former Chief Election Commissioner - Mr. T.N. Seshan. I rushed to the temple after cricket practice and sped on my ailing cycle back from the temple to the IC & SR building here at IIT Madras - a healthy two kilometres. People were entering the hall fast and it was overflowing in no time. There were more than twenty minutes to the start of the lecture and my crazy mind had started thinking of all kinds of bullshit. Thankfully, Mr. Seshan put an end to it by entering, punctual and gleeful as ever and very much unlike politicians - a magnanimous presence I felt! Students who had managed to squeeze in their butts into the meagre spaces available on the aisles between the rows of seats struggled to make way for the guest. The hall was filled to atleast thrice its capacity and the airconditioner was having a tough time. So was the audience.
Seshan started and one could have heard a pin drop. His lecture was studded with the sudden eruption of the gathering's laughter and I promise everyone had an overdose of it. But through all the hilarity could be seen the man's knowledge par excellence. He recited India's history right from the era B.C to the emergence of 'independent' India in about fifteen minutes with the dates of occurrence. The recitation also included the birth and spread of diverse religions in India. I watched him with my mouth wide open as I had studied about all that he talked for five long years in school and miserably failed to remember even one date properly during the exams(read previous post, "The sleeper wakes up at last!" to know my experiences with social science). He smoothly passed over to the state of Indian politics at present and dwelt upon it at length. The crux of what he told I shall try to convey.
"Indian politics a few years before independence, had one sole purpose - achieving independence! It consisted of statesmen who, otherwise, could have led a life of luxury and taken other avenues to make a living. But they came into politics only to see to it that you and I could boast of being independent. Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Lala Lajpat Rai, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Gandhi and many others sacrificed their personal interests in front of the nation's and that is exactly why we should if I dare say, remember them with respect today. This effect stayed for a while after independence and that was spent in framing the constitution and other noble causes."
On the current state of politics, he had a few distressing points to say. Most of it was hinted at how politics has become a profession, a bread-winner for many in it as politics, at present, is being played under the pretext of bringing about development. Anyone could talk of development. He rightly stated that development, in comparison to freedom, as a purpose, was far less glamorous and less sexy.
He wound up telling that his generation had failed in its mission and beckoned the youth to take up the task that lay ahead. Yes, youth! He called for youth that could stand by Dharma, a generation consisting of people that could voice out its opinion against corruption, a team that could differentiate right from wrong and not do wrong when threatened to do so.
Anyone who reads this might think delivering charismatic discourses on such topics is one of the congenital traits of politicians. Frankly, I would have thought so, on a similar reading. But this time, the person who spoke was not just any speaker who had come over to deliver priceless advice, but a paradigm statesman, whose candor was explicit in his regime as Chief Election Commissioner. Absolutely anything on earth could be seen with an eye of apprehension, but a man with guilt in his heart could not have spoken like Mr. Seshan did.
Seshan started and one could have heard a pin drop. His lecture was studded with the sudden eruption of the gathering's laughter and I promise everyone had an overdose of it. But through all the hilarity could be seen the man's knowledge par excellence. He recited India's history right from the era B.C to the emergence of 'independent' India in about fifteen minutes with the dates of occurrence. The recitation also included the birth and spread of diverse religions in India. I watched him with my mouth wide open as I had studied about all that he talked for five long years in school and miserably failed to remember even one date properly during the exams(read previous post, "The sleeper wakes up at last!" to know my experiences with social science). He smoothly passed over to the state of Indian politics at present and dwelt upon it at length. The crux of what he told I shall try to convey.
"Indian politics a few years before independence, had one sole purpose - achieving independence! It consisted of statesmen who, otherwise, could have led a life of luxury and taken other avenues to make a living. But they came into politics only to see to it that you and I could boast of being independent. Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Lala Lajpat Rai, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Gandhi and many others sacrificed their personal interests in front of the nation's and that is exactly why we should if I dare say, remember them with respect today. This effect stayed for a while after independence and that was spent in framing the constitution and other noble causes."
On the current state of politics, he had a few distressing points to say. Most of it was hinted at how politics has become a profession, a bread-winner for many in it as politics, at present, is being played under the pretext of bringing about development. Anyone could talk of development. He rightly stated that development, in comparison to freedom, as a purpose, was far less glamorous and less sexy.
He wound up telling that his generation had failed in its mission and beckoned the youth to take up the task that lay ahead. Yes, youth! He called for youth that could stand by Dharma, a generation consisting of people that could voice out its opinion against corruption, a team that could differentiate right from wrong and not do wrong when threatened to do so.
Anyone who reads this might think delivering charismatic discourses on such topics is one of the congenital traits of politicians. Frankly, I would have thought so, on a similar reading. But this time, the person who spoke was not just any speaker who had come over to deliver priceless advice, but a paradigm statesman, whose candor was explicit in his regime as Chief Election Commissioner. Absolutely anything on earth could be seen with an eye of apprehension, but a man with guilt in his heart could not have spoken like Mr. Seshan did.
The queries session probably lasted as long as the lecture that preceded it and when the organizers decided to call it a day, there were still people in the audience who had not found answers to their questions as they could not put their questions across. Had they entertained all the questions, I would have been blogging one night later. Truly, the insight he provided into the current scenario of Indian politics is nonpareil. There were questions on the nuclear deal and the Sethusamudram project and his answers opened schools of thought.
It took me some time to realize that it was two hours since I had entered the hall and the resounding standing ovation that Mr. Seshan received (we had nothing better to give) brought me back to firm footing. A superannuated person standing on stage and talking for more a couple of hours about issues that current politicians would fear even hinting at was just too unbelievable for me. His knowledge of politics, history, physics, environmental science, Sanskrit, etc. was too much to fill into my small begging bag. Maybe he had more, but I am happy at what I was blessed with at the end of the day. What more could I say???
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