Wednesday, November 05, 2008

In search of our own Obama

India woke up to Obama's victory today. He has created history by becoming the first black president of USA. At a personal level, I am felling happy, though not exactly sure why.

What is significant in this case is not just the victory, but the way he mobilized people. Whether he's good for America, and the World, is to be seen in coming years, but what he has done is given people hope. Hope that he will get USA out of the troubled times. Hope that he will resurrect them out of the financial mess. Hope that he will change the way the world sees America. I don't recall any one leader in my lifetime generating so much of craze.

Photo Courtesy: Rediff

This news also makes me wonder if and when will we see an Obama in India. No doubt, this country desperately needs one. Politics in India has reached such low levels that it has stop mattering to the general public. In the last two decades, no party has got a clear majority. No leader after Rajiv Gandhi has had public's trust.

If one calls the current political situation bleak, the future is not bright either. We seem to be going downhill. People are dying on daily basis but nobody seem to be bothered. As if there were not enough differences already, even more are being created by the day and nobody seem to care. I am almost sure that the upcoming elections will go the same way as past so many with no strong government even this time.

We must find our own Obama. Maybe, it'll take us some more years. Till we find one, let's cheer for Americans for what they have. Someday, we'll have our own. Hope is a big thing!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good thought!

Rajiv was such a galvanizing influence on India, an element of change.

I think, in India, right now, political scene was dominated mostly by uneducated and less-educated who do not appreciate history and science and concept of democracy as much. Things are changing and more and more well-educated people who have achieved things outside of politics should take to politics.

In a way, that is what happened with Rajiv, and he opened the the
doors to educated crowd like PVNarasimha Rao, Manmohan and Chidambaram.

If any of the young business leaders develop ambition in becoming the prime minister, then the youth may take to politics too.