Summer Cuckoo..... Seasonal flower...... Chocolate boy....... Or deserving scion......?? - A Nation awaits..... the Commonwealth Games 2010

Strong sustainable dynasties, be it regal, corporate, or political, are created not just by keeping the bloodlines unbroken but by producing progeny that are energetic, enterprising, aspiring and deserving. While ambition and treachery may have won some the high office, a good number of the scions would have achieved their goals not by being just the first born but by deserving what they desired.... How does an aging patriarch (or matriarch) find the most deserving among the many choices he or she may have ? How to be the best disinterested judge of potential among the many that share equally all the love that this person have to give? People in power have relied on their own powers of judgement, the wisdom of peers and advisers, and importantly the will of the masses, i.e., the ruled! The last aspect is oftentimes the tipping factor in a complex process of decision-making. And people's will or hearts are won not by genes but by deeds..... not necessarily great ones but the right ones at the opportune moment. The words of the Pharaoh, Seti I in the classic, "The Ten Commandments" ring prophetic indeed. "Who would take by treachery what could be one's own through deeds like these?". His ingenious reply when Rameses alleges Moses's hidden aspirations for the throne. Let's peer back into history. It was June of 1980 when the "anointed crown prince" of India, Mr. Sanjay Gandhi was suddenly killed in an accident. The Matriarch had to quickly look to her only other available choice - her elder son... A son happy to be away from the limelight, seemingly uninterested in the complex world of politics with a potential handicap of a "phoren" wife and no reputation of any kind. Slowly but surely, this young man was convinced of the burden of legacy and the duties that come with being born into a family with a larger than life tradition. He was given a respectful position in the party, given his youth but he did nothing much in the days that followed of any great significance. And then came his calling..... His mother, the shrewd politician and a great statesperson in her own right, offered him an opportunity of a lifetime! To oversee, prepare and conduct the imminent Asian Games of 1982 in New Delhi. And it was the Nation's honour at stake in front of the World. What a job he did - with passion, with poise, with a firm but guiding hand on the rudder, carrying a chaotic country and people through the painstaking process of planning and execution, a skill that does not come naturally to this 800 million-strong country of very creative, intelligent people but lacking in discipline and structure. The Games were a grand success and the country had found a deserving prince. The Queen would not die heirless, after all!! Some 3 decades later we see the same sad scenario as a Nation struggles having taken on a massive responsibility of hosting an International Sports event. A successful campaign could transform its image from a poor Third World country to that of a fast and emerging economic power, that will soon take its place among the leading Nations. What a spectacular opportunity for a person trying to win over a billion-plus people and look the truly deserving scion in their critical eyes? Who would not stand up from his 'bed of gold' and lead when opportunity awakens with a golden platter? Why would someone waste such a chance and go about traversing the country-side garnering a few million votes for a state-level election of low stakes when hearts and minds can perennially be won by great deeds that are there for the taking? If there is one name in this Nation that can garner all energies, cut through bureaucratic impediments, neutralise all power-centres and break up special interest groups, it is his. And what a disappointing loss when a Nation is stood up and left waiting..... This Nation awaits a leader but destiny seems to have other ideas. Is it the Nation's destiny we speak of? While the head may accept whatever is on offer, the heart awaits, what appears, a worthier sibling......