In praise of an inquisitive mind

Rahul Gandhi will be the fifth person from the Nehru-Gandhi family whom I have known from close quarters. The iconic Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was my mentor and political guru; Indiraji invited me to be in her Cabinet for ten years; Rajiv Gandhi, whom I had known ever since he was a young boy asked me to go as Ambassador to the United States; with Soniaji, of course, I have worked for 20 years, and now Rahul Gandhi has taken over the leadership of the world’s oldest political party – Indian National Congress — which I joined exactly half a century ago.

I have affection for Rahul Gandhi who is a very fine and talented young man. He drops in to see me occasionally, and our conversation is about philosophy and religion rather than politics. He has a sharp and enquiring mind, and often asks surprisingly insightful questions. For example, one day he asked me why was it that Lord Vishnu holds on to his weapons, while Lord Shiva does not need any such support and sits in constant meditation.

The question was thought provoking and I came up with the comment that Shiva does not require any weapon because his power is all interiorised. Then another day he asked me what was the significance of Shiva’s upraised palm which also happens to be the symbol of the Congress party. I explained that this was the well-known Abhaya Mudra meaning ‘fear not’ which is common to Vishnu as well as the Buddha. We also discussed the question of why Buddhism does not believe in the Atman and if so who or what is it that gets reincarnated.

I mention these simply to point out that with his enquiring mind, youthful enthusiasm and dedication to the future of India, he will surely grow into an outstanding leader. His performance in the recent Gujarat elections, regardless of the outcome, has been amazing. The energy with which he threw himself tirelessly into the campaign, the maturity of his speeches and tweets, and his political sagacity in creating a wide-spectrum coalition of political forces has been widely welcomed, not only in the party but throughout the country. These qualities will serve him well in the challenging task that lie ahead of strengthening the party from the grass roots upwards so that it once again becomes an effective instrument in what Jawaharlal Nehru used to call “the exciting adventure of building a new India”. His special appeal among the young and upcoming generations will be a positive factor in this process.

On the occasion of assumption of office by Shri Rahul Gandhi as Congress president, I would like, through the pages of the National Herald, founded by his ancestor Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, to convey to him and to the entire party my warm greetings and felicitations.