Our journey started
together eleven years ago in Khartoum. I have been associated with Sudan Vision
ever since, both as a reader and as a freelance contributor.
Sudan Vision has
always given space to the Indian community in Sudan.
This also reflects the
space that Sudanese people have for Indians in their minds and heart. The
emotions are reciprocal.
Historians have traced
indications of direct contact between India and the Kingdom of Kush - Napata
and Meroe (750 BC to 300 AD). Today there are about 2000 persons in the Indian
community spread all over Sudan. The first Indian trader from this community
arrived in Suakin in 1856. The first Sudanese Parliamentary elections in 1953
were conducted by Sukumar Sen, India’s Chief Election Commissioner (the
Sudanese Election Commission, formed in 1957, drew heavily on Indian election
literature and laws).
In April 1955 there
was a Sudanese delegation at Bandung (Indonesia) to attend the Conference of
Africa and Asia. Since Sudan was still not independent and did not have a
national flag yet, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wrote out
Sudan on his white handkerchief and created a flag for Sudan.
My Sudanese friends keep
telling me that India has made its mark as a major player in global economy, as
a nuclear power nation with technological advancements in the IT software and
pharmaceutical sectors. Hindi films are very popular and have made its presence
felt in the salons of almost every household. Above all, the most respected
Indian personality in Sudan is Mahatma Gandhi.
When it comes to
leadership studies the only Indian name that stands out internationally is
Mahatma Gandhi. In a recent global survey of CEOs, Mahatma Gandhi figures among
the top three most admired leaders in the world. There has been enormous
research and studies done on the Leadership style of the ‘Great Soul’ and books
written on him as CEO. He is considered a supremely practical leader for change.
Mahatma Gandhi is
named the Father of the Nation because he stimulated and enabled the re-birth
of India. This he could achieve by mastering the elements of leadership and
institutional management.
Researchers hold
Mahatma Gandhi as the Indian model of ‘Servant Leadership’ in relation to his
qualities of service, self-sacrificial love, spirituality, integrity,
simplicity, emphasizing follower needs and modeling.
Some studies show that
Gandhiji had ‘Situational Leadership’ style. This means he had adjusted his style to
fit the development level of the followers he influenced. When Gandhiji was in South Africa, he launched
his protests in a suit and a tie. When he came back to India, he thought of home-made
Khadi and launched non-violent protests on a greater
scale.
As Indians abroad,
foreigners identify us as people from the land of Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi has
inspired many International leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson
Mandela, Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi , Philippine leader Benigno Aquino Jr., Dalai Lama, Lech Wałęsa and Stephen Biko. Former US Vice-
President and environmentalist Al Gore has acknowledged Gandhiji’s influence on
him. Beatle John Lennon had said that Mahatma Gandhi influenced his music with
his practice of non-violence.
It is interesting that the President of the
most powerful nation Barack Obama is inspired by our Father of the Nation. He
said, “Throughout my life, I have always looked to Mahatma Gandhi as an
inspiration, because he embodies the kind of transformational change that can be made when ordinary
people come together to do extraordinary things”.
Albert Einstein wrote
Gandhi is a role model for the generations to come.
Mahatma Gandhi had
stopped over in Port Sudan in 1935 on his way to England. If Gandhi was still
alive and had landed in Khartoum, his message would have been “I cannot teach
you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to bow
your heads before any one even at the cost of your life”.
