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From Satayagraha Gandhi’s non-violent protests to Satyayuga: Time to thank Mahatma Gandhi and create the new leaders of tomorrow

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India is on the Cusp of becoming the next Super-Power, both Economically and Militarily! But the constant in-fighting and riots need to stop!

The British left India after being decimated by Germany and feared Indian troops! Yes, we are led to believe it’s all from peaceful protests from MK Gandhi, but that’s not the complete story! India’s military was an equal element in achieving independence!

What if all the protests, riots, in the news daily, is part of a certain political family’s propaganda to control India, via Gandhi’s “Satyagraha” that has been weaponized for political gains.

Let’s thank Gandhi but, since his Satyagraha is being misused, now let’s make protests virtual in social media, and electronic with voting, TV ratings and virtual attendance, with Opinion Pieces, like here, electronic polling, to online surveys, and let’s eliminate all violent protests, or all physical protests for that matter! This is 2022!

We know from our history books MK Gandhi’s contributions regarding “peaceful protests” and satyagraha (“devotion to truth”), a technique for “redressing wrongs through inviting, rather than inflicting, suffering, for resisting adversaries without rancour and fighting them without violence,” according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, ironically an encyclopedia with British roots, as evidenced in it’s name.

But is this the real reason the British left India? What if they were decimated by Germany in World War II and they feared the Indian National Army, a military organization made up of Indian prisoners of war released from Japanese custody and led by the famous nationalist Subhas Chandra Bose? What if they would have left India with or without MK Gandhi’s peaceful protests?

According to the UK’s Independent, in their article from Nov. 2016, entitled: “The forgotten violence that helped India break free from colonial rule,” they stated: “Following the end of the war, the trial of INA prisoners provided a serious problem for colonial legitimacy and helped to stoke the mass nationalism that forced Britain to withdraw in 1947. So while it is the memory of Gandhi and non-violence that is now marked by British politicians when they visit India, the other side to the story is very real, and should not be forgotten.

As we now know, the Gandhi movie itself was a piece of propaganda, as described in the Opinion piece by Opindia, in the article entitled:”Did you know: I&B Ministry under former PM Indira Gandhi had provided $10 million to make the film ‘Gandhi’,” where it has been found that then PM Indira Gandhi provided the first $10 million from the NFDC, to Richard Attenborough for making the film ‘Gandhi’ in 1980, and as we have seen in the news, India under PM Indira Gandhi and her family have had a dislike for India’s military, and a strange admiration for protests.

If this is the real reason, to make Gandhi’s name, his protests, his influence over India, the center of all power, then what if a certain political family that adopted his name, is mis-using his “Satyagraha” protests for political gains! What if they are behind propagandas, and violent protests!

We see it in the news!

Riots in the Streets and Trains from Gujarat to the rest of the country!

Result: Media Manipulation by the Congress Party in the Centre, against then CM Modi!

Alleged corruption in the National Herald scam, implicating the Congress Party leaders, and the political family in question!

Result: Satyagraha protest by the Congress Party against the BJP Leaders in the Centre.

Debates of Hijab in Schools in the past few months, Hindu Symbols found in Mosques last month, Farm Laws last year, Agnipath last couple of days, etc.

Result: Satyagraha protest by the Congress Party against the BJP Leaders in the Centre.

Is this really effective? Is this really non-violent? Deaths have occurred from stone-pelting, and a major news anchor was caught lying about a death in the Farmer’s Protest, as it seemed contrived to create issues, amplify it in the media, and have a certain political party benefit. Isn’t this all contrived, and now effectively exposed as such!

What if all physical protests be banned as these are Viral Super Spreader Events? And can lead to violence!

What if we empower and encourage only virtual protests? Anyone can be a YouTube, WhatsApp, Koo, or Twitter celebrity nowadays.

A smartphone is all that’s needed and having been an early CTO of one of the world’s first Video, VoIP and WiFi smartphones, I may have a personal say in this! LOL!

The Solution!

The new Political Elites should be Empowered and Encouraged, to become the leaders of tomorrow!

The Power of Social Media to Drive Change!

According to Harvard University’s Joshua Kertzer’s report in the “Annual Review of Political Science Experiments and Surveys on Political Elites,” politicians are getting lots of feedback from mostly on-line and electronic forms.

Source: Annual Review of Political Science Experiments and Surveys on Political Elites, Harvard University.

The differences from political “elites” and “non-elites” is mostly minor with aspects of similar influences from Political blogs, Twitter, and Phone solicitation, with the main difference being “elites” respond to emails while non-elites respond to online surveys. In all cases, protest marches are not part of the equation!

Where are protest marches? Does an in-person interview count as a protest march? The answer = No!

We must acknowledge that in 2022, the political elites are very important to understanding how our democracy functions, so understanding ways to improve their decisions should lead us to understand how to improve the policymaking process more generally.

A new 20th Century Solution! The Power of Projection and Persuasion (PPP):

Social Media, with collaborative aspects of online surveys, video streaming, unified communications tying voice, video, email, texts, all have become the new platform with Vision, and Passion, that is Informational, and/or Activities-based!

  • A new platform is needed to rapidly and effectively deploy and sustain teams with vision and actions in and from multiple dimensions to respond to crises, to contribute to the betterment of society, and to enhance mankind.
  • The approach described here, which I call the Power of Projection and Persuasion (PPP) for short, which is also the acronym of Public-Private Partnerships, and that is also encouraged here, can be used by leaders of the future to translate their instincts or insight or decision-making acumen into action. It’s the way they can collaboratively project their will in the world, persuading others to believe, to join, to act. But those are challenges for all of us, not for leaders only.

And so the Power of Projection and Persuasion are for the leaders of the future who may be Youtube sensations, Facebook leaders, activists at various events, leaders of charitable organizations, and people in everyday lives.

The new Social Leaders!

Leadership competencies include:

Actions Oriented – full of energy, not fearful of acting on minimal planning

Business/Government Acumen – knows how government and businesses work, knows policies, trends, and is aware of strategies and tactics in the world or region

Voter Focus – has effective relationships with voters, and gains their respect and trust

Decision Quality – makes good decisions based on analysis, wisdom, experience, intuition, and judgment

Nurturing/Developing Direct Reports/Others – is a people builder

Ethics and Values – practices what he/she preaches

Visioning/Strategy – leaders need to point the way and develop compelling plans

Hiring/Staffing – has a nose for talent

Judgement – a great differentiator – it seems you either have it or you don’t

Passion/Optimism –exudes positive energy

Informing – is timely with information

Integrity and Trust – keeps confidences, is direct and truthful

Listening – attentive, and has patience to hear people out

Courage – is not afraid to take negative actions when needed

Accountability – accepts and creates a culture of accountability

Motivational – creates a climate where people want to work their best

Organizing – arranges information and files in a useful manner, can orchestrate multiple activities

Peer Relationships – has effective relationships with peers, and can find common ground

Perseverance – seldom gives up

Priority Setting – creates focus

Problem Solving – can solve complex problems using rigorous logic

Drive for Results – bottom-line oriented

Building Effective Teams – creates strong morale, and spirit in his/her team

Intuitive – has vision, beyond today

How to Become the Leader!

Put yourself in the role of the leader, and sense the intuition you feel. Let’s thank MK Gandhi, but now in 2022, let’s move on!

How would you like to solve societal needs as the new Leader? Let’s Go!

Thanks…

Akshay Sharma (Author’s Bio): Akshay Sharma is a Computer Engineer, tech analyst, ex-Gartner, having authored 280+ research notes, on emerging technologies like Cybersecurity, 5G, and IoT. He has worked for Canada’s Dept of Defense, advised and deployed solutions with DISA: Defense Information Security Agency, at Nortel and Siemens, and advised various 3-letter agencies in the US. A frequent speaker at tech events, he is often quoted in leading institutions like CNN, Wall St. Journal, and CIO.com. He is a former CTO of one of the first video/WiFi smartphone firms and an entrepreneur in the tech sector, having worked for firms that are now part of leading firms like Intel, IBM, Nokia, and Ericsson.  He advised the UK’s Ofcom, the US’s Dept. of Homeland Security, and was quoted in the Wall Street Journal banning Huawei in 2012, and stated in the Huffington Post, the Chinese hacking of Nortel is a “wakeup call”. Sharma contributed to the Flight Control protocol ARINC 629 Databus used in commercial avionics and military fighter jets for “fly-by-wire” systems, including the newer Boeing 777X. Additionally he is a Cybersecurity analyst, and CTO for Kovair.com with clients like the World Bank, India’s DRDO and US Defense sector clients.

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