Jottings - Slice of life - 318 ( Grace, passion, eloquence, and integrity - The legacy of Sushma Swaraj)

Jottings - Slice of life - 318 ( Grace, passion, eloquence, and integrity - The legacy of Sushma Swaraj)
Integrity is a misconstrued word in public life, especially in the political world. An elected representative of the people has to balance several different personas, only very few manage to keep their heads consistently above water and present an honest face, and not lose the basic thread of morality, honesty, decency and a firm anchoring in the convictions which got them to the position they are in. Because it needs extraordinary strength of character and courage to defy opposing tendencies that not many statesmen and women retire with the same grace they enter politics during the heady spring of their youth. There is a sense of inevitability about the fact that political lives are meant to get scarred, maligned, and misunderstood over the course of time, and that very few can come out at the other end unscathed with their respect and dignity intact.
Sushma Swaraj was an exception to this rule. In the annals of Indian politics, there have been exceptional female leaders who have served the country in different capacities - some in the glaring light of national pedestal, others quietly in the backrooms of the nation creating and building a greater India. But none epitomized the spirit of that elan vital ( as Bergson defined the spirit of life) more than that of Sushma Swaraj. From her early days as Supreme court lawyer to the socialistic leanings of the early seventies to witnessing the calamity of Emergency imposed in 1975 to her subsequent alignment with the BJP and meteoric rise within the ranks of the highly male-dominated party - what stands out about Sushma swaraj is her unvacillating commitment to her well thought vision of what India as ancient civilization should be and become in an emerging world order. No matter what political honors came her way, and no matter what the ideological thrust of the party she belonged to, Sushma held her own integrity amidst conflicting views, and lent her unique voice, intellectual and emotional resonance to the cause at hand.
Sushma Swaraj hails from Haryana, one of the most inequitable states in the country in terms of gender. It was her education that transformed the young girl into fiery idealist she later became. For all those who believe in cosmetic changes to bring about parity among the sexes in developing countries, Sushma's story is a stark example of how only responsible education can instill the necessary confidence and vitality to break free from social shackles. It was during her college days, that Sushma mastered the art of oratory. For three consecutive years, she unanimously won the state-sponsored competition in oratory. No one who has heard Sushma speak in parliament, public forums or cultural activities will deny there was magic in her oratory. The undiluted dialect, the tonal quality of pronunciation, the stream-like quality of her presentation, razor-sharp logic, and her ability to defuse a charged moment in the forum with spontaneous wit and humor - proved one of her greatest strengths in all the offices she held. She was never short of words, and what she spoke was always worth listening to. As a Sanskrit scholar, she was deeply attached and interested in revitalizing and popularizing the ancient language of India. When she was awarded the Global Award of Excellence in the name of Swami Chandrasekhara Saraswati, the great sage of Kanchi, Sushma graciously gave away her prize cheque to the south Indian association, During her acceptance speech, she said " It is not enough if citations are read in Sanskrit, but every computer engineer must speak Sanskrit, and every Sanskrit scholar should be a computer engineer" . This was her cosmopolitan vision for modern India - the best blend of the orient and the occident.
In 1999, as Information & broadcasting minister, she was instrumental in declaring the Movie production business as an industry, opening doors to borrow from the market on equal terms as other industries. It was great foresight on her part. Without that influx of money, the Indian film industry would have languished and wouldn't have kept up with the rising productions costs. In every ministerial position, Sushma held, she was able to dispassionately observe and bring in fresh insights to existing issues, and look at newer initiatives with an eye of a modernist. She wasn't bogged down by party manifestos. Though in spirit and soul she was never apart from the RSS ( an affiliation she developed at a young age) she was always able to achieve the separation of ideological commitments from national prerogatives and expediencies. That is what integrity is all about.
However, it was her last five years in office as the external affairs minister that will remain etched in the hearts of Indians forever. With the Prime minister keen on envisioning and implementing his own vision on how foreign policy should be shaped, Sushma Swaraj settled down to perform a more important, but extremely vital role of ensuring that the people of India, anywhere in the world, wouldn't feel orphaned under any circumstances. The MEA ( Ministry of External affairs) usually considered forbidden territory and not very public-friendly, opened up during her tenure. That this ministry could possess and exercise such moral and maternal power, that any Indian in distress could tweet to the Minister and get a positive response, that a high ranked government official living behind closed doors and armed security can be reached with few keystrokes - was a revelation that the world hadn't seen before. Sushma was sixty-two when Modi gave her the external affairs ministry. She was at that stage of her life when all political ambitions were appeased, and her innate humanitarianism ( which came naturally to her) and maternal instincts took center stage. While Modi was busy forging new pathways in international relationships, Sushma quietly upheld the dignity, purpose, and mission of the ministry. If all else is forgotten, history cannot afford to forget her unconditional support to a Pakistani family to bring their daughter Rohaan Siddiqui, a toddler, for Medical treatment into India. Nothing else mattered to Sushma, only the recovery and good health of the child. Her response to the tear-filled father's gratitude was " Rohaan - keep smiling". No amount of political diplomacy can match the quality of this simple gesture. From the troubled middle-eastern countries, innumerable Indians stuck in no man's land, or not paid adequately have appealed to Sushma directly without any interference from the bureaucracy, and received timely help. Men and women stranded in international airports without passports or identity have received phone calls from the External affairs minister, and within hours put back on a plane to India. Such caring interventions, deep humanity cannot be forced or indoctrinated. It has to be a part of one's genetic build. Sushma Swaraj had a twitter following of 8.69 million followers. A huge number for a person not in the show business. All those nine million people looked upon her as a living embodiment of India itself, a personification of the country in flesh and blood, and their place of safe refuge in times of need. For anyone holding public office, no praise can equal such unconditional love and respect from their citizens.
It was clear to all of us that Sushma was ailing for the last couple of years. Her visits to AIMS were becoming more frequent. Therefore, when she excused herself from the second term, it did not come as a surprise. She had done her work, and it was time to seek rest. Her death did take us by surprise, as death always does. Personally, I would have loved to see Sushma Swaraj as the President of India someday. Like Kalam, she possessed all those qualities that are valuable for that prestigious office. A few more years of mortality, it might have happened. The party would have nominated her, and she would have unanimously won the vote. But that is not to be. She now rests eternally with the country she so dearly loved and served.
In Shakespeares immortal lines
"When beggars die, there are no comets seen;
The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes"
If not the heavens, the people of India cutting across religions, castes and political parties definitely rose in unison and blazed forth their grief in tears on the passing away of their beloved daughter, mother, and an extraordinary human being. A fitting farewell to one of India's greatest leaders of the independent era.
God bless...
yours in mortality,
Bala


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