Soumya Unplugged

The sensationalism of the two buzz phrases “Indian Team Wins The World Cup” and “Anna Hazare’s Anti Corruption Anti Government Campaign”  have saturated our ears and eyes for the last one month and I wouldn’t like to bore you on that like our famous Barkha Dutt does with her shrewd remarks or our Navjot Singh Sidhu boxing with his one liners. Whether you hated it or you loved it, you just couldn’t help from getting engrossed in them. So, on a lighter note , taking the same aura but a completely different direction, I would like to share my views on what Manmohan Singhji must learn from Mr. Mahendra Singh Dhoni from the leadership angle.

Its all about effective leadership and leading from the front, something which our PM has never been able to. Dhoni saw trouble, knew he would be questioned badly for it, hence took responsibility and promoted himself up the order. On the contrary, when have we seen our PM stand up and speak for himself ?

A good leader is respected and lauded by the greats. Sachin Tendulkar, legend of the legends, said Dhoni is the best captain he has ever played under. In political context, I have serious doubts whether our Mr. Pranab Mukharjee would ever give such a statement!

Another very important attribute is that whoever you are you need to be frank because truth cannot be hidden for long. Just observe the frankness with which Dhoni addresses a press conference or an after-match talk, accepting mistakes gracefully and expressing intent to sort the mess. When the mess of the 2G scam was under his carpet, did he ever say: Look, it happened  under me and I shall take full responsibility of sorting it out?

I can go on and on with  such comparisons, but to put it in a nutshell, Dhoni plays with a straight bat. Simple. Straightforward.Cool. He treats every player with the same respect, every game with the same importance. He knows what will work for him and knows when to take that little calculated risk. He knows his mind and speaks it. He does not over-react to situations but handles them with grace. He knows when to push ahead and when to back off. He knows when and whom to give credit to.

I might be accused of comparing a sport like cricket to something as serious as running the nation but somehow I still feel the principles are the same. Problems exist everywhere-only the granularity or the magnanimity changes.

With all respect to Shri Manmohan Singhji, I really think he is a good man. But then, if he keeps his eyes, ears and heart open , its not late to start reversing the damage done to a bruised nation. Team India has shown what its capable of doing on the field and the other Team India can score similarly globally. Common, Mr Manmohan Singh!Go for it! If nothing works, just get Dhoni into your cabinet. For our sake, atleast!