Leadership : Defining Moments

The Indian Parliament had a very important debate last week. The survival of the government was in question. The built up had usual suspense, controversies, charges of horse-trading, mud-slinging etc. In fact, the session itself had huge drama with some MPs bringing cash in the parliament and alleging foul play. Well, we were not surprised 🙂

However, a few things stood out. We are all pleasantly surprised to see that there were some good discussions. Indian democracy is not dead. 

An important surprise was rise of few individuals. One of the heroes of the session was Omar Abdullah. Omar Abdullah’s speech has changed the entire nation’s perception of him. It has put him in limelight as a leader to watch for. In his home state of Jammu & Kashmir, he is a hero. 

Omar Abdullah said that it was an instinctive speech. He spoke from his heart. He touched upon controversial topics like Amarnath Issue, Gujarat Riots etc. He supported the trust vote. I am not commenting on the content of his speech. I am showcasing his leadership moment. 

Omar’s start to the speech was exemplary. His managed to get the attention of all. It helped that his tone and style were different. 

People loved his comment of the common enemies of poor. He struck a chord with the people at large. He knew that his audience was beyond the parliament house. He knew that India is a young nation with its  youth having access to Nokia, Facebook and TouTube. 

Of course, he spoke of his political choices and hit back at his opponents. But he did it very cleverly. 

His speech was short and to the point. No preaching. 

He made a mark for himself on that day and was one of the important heroes of the session and recent politics. 

But the Hero No. 1 is somebody else. Any guesses?