Confucius (551–470 BCE)

Confucius (551–470 BCE)

Baoyan Cheng

Chinese philosopher

Confucius is more important than any other single person in China's five-thousand-year history. Similar to Christ for Christianity, Buddha for Buddhism, and Muhammad for Islam, Confucius is the symbol of a great cultural tradition—Confucianism—that still exerts great influence on the lives and the social ethics of a large population, mainly in East Asia. As a scholar, philosopher, teacher, academic leader, and government minister, Confucius was naturally concerned with leadership and deliberated about it deeply. His thoughts on leadership constitute an important part of his doctrine; they laid a theoretical foundation for the establishment and development of China's political system and the management of social life for more than two thousand years. The significance of Confucius's thoughts has not diminished with time, and a close reading of them has much to offer today's study of leadership.

The Life of Confucius
The word Confucius is the Latin rendering of the Chinese term Kong Fuzi, meaning Master Kong. Confucius's name in Chinese is Kong Qiu; following the style of Chinese names, Kong is the family name and Qiu is the personal name. Confucius lived during an era of Chinese history called the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BCE). During this time, although China was in name ruled by the court of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 BCE), the power of government had actually fallen into the hands of the hundred or so feudal lords, each of whom controlled his own state. Confucius was born in the state of Lu which is in Shandong Province in today's China; while his ancestors supposedly had aristocratic roots in the state of Song, when Confucius was born, his family had lost much of its fortune as well as its social status. His father died when Confucius was only three, and Confucius started his learning with his mother. (There was no formal schooling at that time; youngsters were usually taught by private tutors if their families could afford it.) From childhood, Confucius had an insatiable desire to learn everything, a desire that lasted throughout his life, whether in his early years, when he had to make a living playing musical instruments in a band and working as the manager of a warehouse, or in his later years when he was commonly recognized as an academic authority. Mostly through self-education, though he always sought good teachers, Confucius mastered the six arts that were required for a fully educated person—ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and arithmetic.

All these skills and his special interests and knowledge in poetry and history made him a wellknown scholar at a young age, and he started teaching in his thirties. He set up a school that was open to all people regardless of their social class; historians consider it to be the first school in Chinese history. With a style similar to that of Socrates, Confucius taught his students through storytelling and conversation, often debating with them. It is said that he had three thousand students, some of whom later were also regarded as sages in the established Confucian tradition.

Confucius was not only a scholar and teacher, however; he was determined to participate in politics and to put his ideas into action. He dreamed of seeing a world in which a justified social order was established and people's consciences were awakened and fully cultivated. Such a social order would mean the realization of li (righteous social order) and ren (love for humanity), the two most essential values in Confucius's doctrine.

In his forties and fifties, Confucius held several government posts in his home state of Lu, including magistrate and minister of justice. Unfortunately, his service in the Lu government did not provide him with the opportunity to carry out the political ideas he advocated; although the King of Lu admired Confucius's scholarship, he was not really interested in his political advocacies. Confucius then left Lu and, accompanied by a group of loyal students, started a twelve-year journey, attempting to find a feudal state where his ideas would be not only heard but also practiced. But there was no place in China, then mired in wars and conspiracies, for Confucius to fulfill his visions. After experiencing many disappointments, frustrations, and even great dangers, Confucius returned to his hometown of Qufu in his late sixties and died there several years later. In the last years of his life, Confucius concentrated on writing and editing books on history, philosophy, ritual, poetry, and music. Some of his works have been lost, but most have remained as classics of Chinese culture.

Confucius's Thoughts on Leadership
While it is a complex system, Confucius's doctrine can be understood basically as a philosophy of life and a social ethic, both based in ren. Confucius believed that human nature endowed human beings with ren, but that each individual needs to cultivate it. Ren is the essence of humanity and thus the foundation for any individual's self-development, and for any just social order, or li. Li, a key principle for Confucius, literally means “ritual” but also refers in a more general sense to order and justice. “The realization of ren is to conquer oneself and reestablish li” (Analects 12:1): This fundamental relationship between individuals and society is profoundly reflected in Confucius's thoughts on leadership.

Becoming a Junzi
Confucius tried in many different ways to get involved in local and state leadership; he also encouraged his students to do so, and some did become leaders on different levels. One of his purposes in running his school was to train potential leaders to carry out his political ideas. Whether one was destined to be a leader or not, Confucius emphasized that one should cultivate oneself to be a junzi, or noble man. Like Plato's philosopher-king, only a junzi can be a leader in an ideal society. Yet, whereas a philosopher can only be decided, according to Plato, by a “divine dispensation,” any human being can become a junzi. This difference characterizes the humanistic nature of Confucius's doctrine.

According to Confucius, being a junzi required certain virtues. First was ren, the love for mankind. That love is specific and practical for Confucius. Since the people one loves most dearly are one's parents, xiao, or filial piety, is the core of ren. Next to xiao is ti, one's care and feelings for siblings; then yi, friendship. Thus, ren is presented in ever wider circles from family to community, state, and eventually the whole world. To strengthen the belief in ren and enhance its practice in life, a junzi should also have the virtues of cheng, honesty to oneself and to others; of zhong, loyalty to community and society; of zhi, intelligence and rationality; of xin, credibility and reliability; of lian, cleanness in service; and of chi, the sense of shame. These qualities having been acquired, a junzi is “one whom riches and honors cannot taint, poverty and lowly station cannot shift, majesty and power cannot bend” (Menzi 3B2). So said Mencius (372–289 BCE), the second-most prominent figure in the Confucian tradition.

Further Requirements for Leadership
Confucius believed that a leader, in addition to needing to be a junzi, needed to fulfill other requirements as well. Above all, leadership requires commitment to and responsibility for others and in a broader sense for the world. A leader must have the persistence to maintain that commitment no matter how difficult. As Zeng Shen, one of Confucius's favorite students, put it, “A leader must be resolute and steadfast, for his burden is heavy and his road is long. To practice the virtue of benevolence in the world is his burden, is that not heavy? Only with death does his journey come to an end, is that not long?” (Analects 8:7). Leadership also requires comprehensive education, since Confucius implied that only the learned are to rule. On the other hand, a leader “does not have to be an expert of specific skills” (Analects 2:12) but must acquire fundamental knowledge. A leader should be a diligent person. Confucius took himself as an example: “Wherever people live, there are honest and trustworthy people like me; yet they may not be as diligent as I am in learning” (Analects 5:28). Hence, a leader would “never feel bored in study, and never get tired of teaching others” (Analects 7:2). Another basic quality is modesty, for a good leader should always try to learn from others. “Wherever there are three people,” said Confucius, “there must be one who can be my teacher” (Analects 7:22). A good leader can also “work with people who have different ideas” (Analects 13:23); a leader “does not recommend a man on account of what he says, neither does he dismiss what is said on account of the speaker” (Analects 15:23). Along with modesty comes selfcriticism: “When you meet a man of virtue, turn your thoughts to becoming his equal; when you meet a man without virtue, look within and examine your own self” (Analects 4:17). Zeng Shen was put forward as a good example for engaging in introspection three times a day.

All these requirements for a leader illustrate Confucius's axiomatic belief that although law and rules, rewards and punishment are necessary for order and formality in any community and society, government and leadership can be built only upon ren, love for humankind, because the underlying function of any society and organization is to promote it. To govern is not only to regulate people's behavior, but more importantly, to guide their minds. The art of leadership, accordingly, requires first a virtuous leader. To lead others, one must be morally a good example for others. “To govern is to be upright. Who dares not to be upright if the leader is upright?” (Analects 12:17). To urge people to work hard, “the leader should work hard first” (Analects 13:1). “If the leader acts in an upright way, the people will obey him without being ordered to; if the leader does not act uprightly, the people will not obey him even after repeated injunctions” (Analects 13:6). “Why should a leader have any difficulty in administering if he himself is upright? How could a leader correct others if he himself is not upright?” (Analects 3:13). When a state minister asked Confucius how he could make people respect and be loyal to their superiors and inspire each other in service, Confucius replied, “Be upright in their presence, and they will hold you in respect; be filial and benevolent, and they will be loyal to you; use the righteous and instruct the unqualified, and they will inspire each other in service” (Analects 2:20).

The Confucian Golden Rule
The art of leadership requires respecting and understanding people. “You do not have to worry that others do not know you well; you may worry that you do not know others well” (Analects 1:16). And respecting and understanding lead to forgiving and encouraging. When Zeng Shen was asked by his fellow students what was the real key that he had learned from Confucius, he answered, “Nothing but honesty and forbearance!” (Analects 4:15). Understanding and forgiving, nevertheless, are not the means in leadership, but the display of ren. The golden rule of Confucius is “Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you!” (Analects 15:23). Logically, the other side of the rule also holds: “A man of humanity, wishing to establish himself, also establishes others, and wishing to enlarge himself, also enlarges others” (Analects 16:28).

A poetic passage in Analects, the most revered work of Confucius, expounds vividly Confucius's general view on leadership and serves as fitting concluding words here (Analects, 2:1): “A leader who rules society on a moral basis would be supported by the people, just as the Polar Star is encircled by all the other stars.”

Baoyan Cheng 10.4135/9781412952392.n61 Further Reading Confucius. (1994). Lun Yu[Analects of Confucius] (Lai Bo, & Xia Yuhe, Trans.). Beijing, China: Sinolingua. Chen, J. (1990). Confucius as a teacher: Philosophy of Confucius with special reference to its educational implications. Beijing, China: Foreign Languages Press. Dawson, R. S. (1982). Confucius. New York: Hill and Wang. De Bary, W. T. (1989). Confucius as a noble man. Singapore: Institute of East Asian Philosophies. Do-Dinh, P. (1969). Confucius and Chinese humanism (C. L. Markmann, Trans.). New York: Funk & Wagnalls. Fingarette, H. (1998). Confucius: The secular as sacred. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press. Kaizuka, S. (2002). Confucius: His life and thought (G. Bownas, Trans.). Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. Mencius (372-289 BCE). (1998). Mencius. Translated by David Hinton. Washington, DC: Counterpoint. Smith, D. H. (1973). Confucius. New York: Scribner's. Szuma, C. (1979). Confucius. In Yang Hsien-yi and G. Yang (Trans.), Selections from records of the historian (Shi Ji) (pp. 1–46). Beijing, China: Foreign Languages Press. Tu, W-M. (1989). Confucianism in a historical perspective. Singapore: Institute of East Asian Philosophies.

Photo : A highly idealized portrait of Confucius, dating to about 1650. Historical Picture Archive/Corbis.

Source: Encyclopedia of Leadership George R. Goethals & Georgia J. Sorenson & James MacGregor Burns

Buddha (c. 463–c. 383 BCE)

Buddha (c. 463–c. 383 BCE)

Leo D. Lefebure

Religious leader and founder of the Buddhist tradition

The term Buddha refers to a fully awakened and enlightened being. According to the Buddhist tradition, there have been many such beings, but the term most commonly refers to Siddhartha Gautama, an influential religious leader in ancient Nepal and India. He was born into the ruling and military class, but at about the age of twenty-nine, he left his comfortable palace life on a religious quest to find a way out of suffering. After six years of searching, learning, and meditating, he was transformed by an experience of enlightenment and then spent about forty-five years teaching, advising laypeople, and forming monastic communities in northern India and Nepal. The Buddhist tradition reveres him as the great teacher of wisdom and compassion, the discoverer of the true nature of existence and the way to overcome suffering; in some Buddhist perspectives he is venerated as the manifestation of ultimate reality itself. The entire human community can recognize that Siddhartha Gautama, who became Shakyamuni Buddha, is one of the most influential religious leaders in all of history, the founder of a tradition that has influenced cultures across south, central, and east Asia for centuries and that is practiced by millions of people throughout the world today.

To distinguish him from other Buddhas, Buddhists refer to Siddhartha Gautama after his enlightenment as Shakyamuni Buddha. His personal name, Siddhartha, means “goal attained.” Gautama (spelled “Gotama” in the Pali language of ancient India) was the name of his family; Shakya was the name of his clan. “Muni” literally means “the one who keeps silent” and commonly refers to a sage. Thus Shakyamuni is the sage of the Shakya clan. His father, Suddhodana, is often called a king by the later Buddhist tradition, but he may have been the elected head of a clan.

Like Socrates, Jesus, and Muhammad, Shakyamuni Buddha left behind no writings of his own. The earliest written accounts of his life and teaching come from the Buddhist scriptures written in Pali, composed long after his death, and contain legendary elements, and so it is difficult to be certain of the exact details of his historical life; indeed, even the dates of his life are in dispute. Most American, European, and Indian scholars have traditionally dated his birth about 566 BCE and his death about 486 BCE; Theravada Buddhists in Sri Lanka and southeast Asia place his birth in 624 and his death in 544 BCE; however, many recent Japanese and Western scholars believe his dates were later, variously from 448 to 368 BCE, or from 463 to 383 BCE. This article will examine his life and teaching as remembered and revered by the later Buddhist tradition.

The Early Life of Siddhartha Gautama
The traditional narrative of the life of Shakyamuni Buddha hinges on a choice between two forms of leadership. As soon as Siddhartha was born, a religious seer named Asita came to see the child and proclaimed to his father, Suddhodana, that the newborn boy would become a very important leader. According to the later Buddhist tradition, however, it was not clear if he would be a great religious teacher or a mighty political and military ruler. Eager to have a powerful heir who would extend the might of the kingdom, Suddhodana resolved to shelter the young Siddhartha from any awareness of suffering, fearing that such knowledge could prompt him to a religious quest. The prince reportedly grew up surrounded by worldly pleasures, unaware of illness, old age, or death. The later Buddhist tradition would see the conditions of his youth as representative of a widespread problem: Humans often block out awareness of suffering because it is unpleasant. For Siddhartha and his followers, this restriction of consciousness is the first and most formidable obstacle to genuine leadership.

When he was sixteen or seventeen, Siddhartha married a beautiful woman, Yasodhara, who bore a son, Rahula. After this, according to the Buddhist tradition, Siddhartha made four trips outside the palace during which, despite his father's best efforts, he encountered in succession an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and a holy man. Puzzled by each of these encounters, he asked his charioteer about old age, sickness, and death and learned that these are part of the human condition and come to all human beings. These discoveries prodded him to ponder the transience and fragility of existence and the inevitability of suffering. The fourth encounter with an ascetic holy man taught him that an alternative lifestyle was possible and challenged him to undertake a religious search to resolve the problem of the unsatisfactory character of existence.

After much internal reflection, Siddhartha informed his father and wife that he would leave them to find an end to suffering. They entreated him to stay and perform the duties of his class as a political and military leader, but he insisted on pursuing his goal. He left the palace, cut his hair, and went to study with renowned Hindu religious masters, first with Arada Kalama and later with Udraka Ramaputra. He learned as much as they could teach him about meditation and wisdom, but he was frustrated that they did not teach how to attain full freedom from suffering. He joined a group of ascetics and undertook extreme fasts, but he eventually decided this was not the way to genuine liberation. Instead, he pursued a middle way, neither the luxury of the palace nor extreme asceticism.

Abandoning other teachers, he sat under a tree, determined to stay there until he reached his goal. Mara, a supernatural spirit who rules over the world of suffering and tempts human beings, reportedly came and tried to frighten him into abandoning his quest, but Siddhartha remained firm and sat unmoved. As Mara continued his efforts but only became more frustrated, Siddhartha put his hand on the earth, calling the spirit of the earth as a witness that his resolve was unshaken and his resistance to temptation was firm. This began the process of his enlightenment. That night Siddhartha became a Buddha, sitting through the night, remembering his past lives, and understanding for the first time the cause of suffering and the path of liberation.

The Noble Eightfold Path
This is the Middle Path which the Perfect One discovered and expounded, which gives rise to vision and knowledge, which leads to peace, wisdom, enlightenment, and nirvana—the Noble Eightfold Path:

1. Right Understanding: of suffering, of its origin, of its cessation, of the way leading to the cessation of suffering.
2. Right Intention: of renunciation, free from craving; of good will, free from aversion; of compassion, free from cruelty.
3. Right Speech: abstaining from false speech, abstaining from malicious speech, abstaining from harsh speech, abstaining from useless speech.
4. Right Action: abstaining from taking life, abstaining from stealing, abstaining from sexual misconduct.
5. Right Livelihood: giving up wrong livelihood, one earns one's living by a right form of livelihood.
6. Right effort: to prevent unarisen unwholesome evil states of mind from arising by making effort, stirring up energy and exerting mind.
7. Right mindfulness: mindful contemplation of the body, mindful contemplation of feelings, mindful contemplation of the mind, mindful contemplation of mental objects.
8. Right Concentration: Quite secluded from sense pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states of mind one enters and dwells in the first jhana (meditative absorption), which is accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought with rapture and happiness born of seclusion.
With the subsiding of applied thought and sustained thought one enters and dwells in the second jhana, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, is without applied and sustained thought, is filled with rapture and happiness born of concentration.

With the fading away of rapture, one dwells in equanimity, mindful and discerning; and one experiences in one's own person that happiness of which the noble ones say: “Happily lives one who is equanimous and mindful”—thus one enters and dwells in the third jhana.

With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, one enters and dwells in the fourth jhana, which has neither-pain-nor-pleasure and has purity of mindfulness due to equanimity.

Buddhist Studies. Retrieved September 10, 2003 The Teaching of the Buddha
Immediately after his enlightenment, Shakyamuni Buddha reportedly doubted that anyone else could understand what he had learned. According to later Buddhist tradition, the Hindu god Brahma came and implored the Buddha to share his wisdom with others. Shakyamuni then went to the Deer Park in Varanasi (Benares) and met the ascetics with whom he had earlier lived. His first sermon to them expressed the central content of his enlightenment in the Four Noble Truths.

The First Noble Truth is that life as ordinarily lived is dukkha, unsatisfactory and marked by suffering because it is impermanent and leads to decay and death. Even the greatest pleasures come to an end. The Second Noble Truth teaches that the cause of this unsatisfactoriness lies in tanha, a word often translated as “desire,” but probably better understood as “craving,” as in an addiction. This craving comes from the illusion that we possess a permanent, substantial self, and it leads us to grasp at things that cannot ultimately satisfy us. Craving leads to endless forms of unnecessary suffering. The Third Noble Truth promises that there is an end to suffering; this is called nirvana, the blowing out of the flame of craving. This is an indescribable state. Images and concepts can only point toward it but cannot convey its true meaning. The Fourth Noble Truth teaches the Eightfold Path, which leads to liberation and enlightenment. The Four Noble Truths are similar to a doctor's analysis of a disease, diagnosis of the cause, promise of a cure, and prescription for recovery.

The Eightfold Path includes three interdependent stages: wisdom, ethical conduct, and meditation. The first stage consists of Right Understanding and Right Intention. Right Understanding is the transformative recognition of the truth of the Buddha's teaching; it is not simply understanding a concept but fully realizing for oneself the Buddha's insight. At the center is the realization of interdependence; nothing exists as a separate and permanent entity unto itself. Right Intention renounces all ill will and violence. The second stage includes Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood. This stage centers on the Five Precepts taken by all Buddhists, monastic and lay: not to kill or injure any living being; not to take what is not given; not to indulge in sensual pleasure, especially sexual misconduct; not to speak in ways that are false or unkind; and not to use intoxicants or drugs that affect one's consciousness. The third stage embraces Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. This stage is the practice of meditation, which leads from ethical conduct to a fuller comprehension of transformative wisdom. Most Buddhist traditions trust that a proper practice of meditation will lead eventually to overcoming illusions and cravings and will bring peace and tranquility even amid difficulties. While there is a wide variety of forms of meditation, many focus on following one's breath and being aware of the present moment without judging, grasping, or resisting what arises in consciousness.

The Buddha as Leader
After his enlightenment, the Buddha became one of the most influential leaders in northern India and Nepal. He organized a monastic community called the Sangha for men and women who wished to dedicate themselves completely to the path he taught. Monastics from all classes of society came together and lived as equals. Buddhist monks would go out to beg for food from the surrounding community. The virtue of generosity, dana, allowed lay Buddhists to support and share in the benefits of the monastic community.

Shakyamuni Buddha also taught many principles for ruling society. He saw the reordering of consciousness through meditation and ethical conduct as inextricably linked to reordering social relations. He believed that poverty was a cause of immorality and crime. He rejected punishment as not an effective way to suppress crime, and he called for adequate wages for workers to prevent crime. He urged workers, in turn, to be skilled and energetic in their professions, earn their wages in righteous ways, and spend reasonably in proportion to their income, neither too much nor too little.

The Buddha, coming from the ruling class himself, served as an advisor to kings, and the principles he set forth have shaped the vision of political leadership in Buddhist cultures for centuries. The king had a special responsibility to be an agent for the eternal dharma, the order of truth that is the basis for human duties. The king should give his wealth and reputation for the good of his people and be willing even to give his life for his people. The Buddha was the supreme realization of spiritual authority; the ideal monarch was to be the righteous ruler in the secular sphere.

At the center of Shakyamuni Buddha's life and teaching are the twin virtues of wisdom and compassion. His teaching, example, and the practice of Buddhist meditation have enriched the lives of countless people from many cultures and religious traditions.

Leo D. Lefebure 10.4135/9781412952392.n33 Further Reading Gruzalski, B. (2000). On the Buddha (Wadsworth Philosophers Series). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Ling, T. (1973). The Buddha: Buddhist civilization in India and Ceylon. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin Books. Mascaro, J. (Trans.). (1973). The Dhammapada: The path of perfection. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin Books. Nagao, G. The Buddha's life as parable for later Buddhist thought. Eastern Buddhist 24 (2) (1991) 1–32 Nakamura, H. (2000). Gotama Buddha: A biography based on the most reliable texts (G. Sekimori, Trans.). Tokyo: Kosei. Pande, G. C. (1997). The message of Gotama Buddha and its earliest interpretations. In Yoshinori, T., Van Bragt, J., Heisig, J. W., O'Leary, J. S., & Swanson, P. L. (Eds.). Buddhist Spirituality: Indian, Southeast Asian, Tibetan, and early Chinese (pp. 3–33). New York: Crossroad. Rahula, W. (1959). What the Buddha taught. New York: Grove Press.

Photo : A white marble sculpture of the head of Buddha made between 618 and 960 BCE during the Tang Dynasty in China.
Christie's Images/Corbis.

Source: Encyclopedia of Leadership George R. Goethals & Georgia J. Sorenson & James MacGregor Burns

Aristotle (384–322 BCE)

Aristotle (384–322 BCE)

Aristotle & Joanne B. Ciulla

Greek philosopher

Few philosophers have influenced ideas about so many subjects in so many parts of the world as Aristotle. While some of his writings have been lost, what remains of his work is impressive in its size and scope. Aristotle's research ranged from meteorology to metaphysics and from poetics to ethics. He wrote on sleep, dreams, colors, plants, animals, memory, the senses, the soul, rhetoric, metaphysics, aesthetics, and the universe. He was, among other things, a scientist, moralist, logician, poet, psychologist, and political scientist. Aristotle was not only a leader through his ideas, but the founder of three schools and tutor to one of the greatest leaders of his time.

Aristotle was born in Stagira in 384 BCE. His father, Nicomachus, was a physician in the Macedonian court at Pella. Nicomachus died when Aristotle was quite young and Aristotle went to live with relatives in Atarneus in Asia Minor. When he was seventeen, Aristotle was sent to study at Plato's Academy in Athens. Aristotle studied and then taught at the academy for twenty years. When Plato died in 348/347 BCE, Aristotle accepted an invitation from the ruler Hermias of Atarneus to settle there.

Hermias was a eunuch of lowly birth who gained favor with the Persian administration and was made a prince. He slowly accumulated political power and land, and entered into treatises with King Philip II of Macedon. Hermias studied geometry, ethics, and dialectic with Aristotle, and Erastus and Coriscus (two colleagues from Plato's Academy). Under the influence of his teachers, Hermias, an avid student, softened his tyrannical rule and introduced new laws and reforms that followed the precepts of the Academy.

Hermias expressed his admiration and friendship for Aristotle by offering him his niece and adopted daughter, Pythias, as a wife. Aristotle and Pythias had one daughter who was also named Pythias. Hermias also gave Aristotle money to start a new school at Assos in the Troad. It is doubtful that Aristotle wrote anything during this period, but he continued his scientific studies on marine life there. Aristotle left Assos after a year or so and founded another school on the island of Lesbos. He was only on Lesbos a few years when, in 343/342 BCE, Philip II invited Aristotle to Pella to tutor his thirteen-year-old son Alexander.

Aristotle tutored Alexander for three years and then moved back to Stagira. Philip II had totally destroyed Stagira eight years earlier, but he had the town rebuilt and repopulated in Aristotle's honor. Aristotle lived there until 335/334 BCE and then returned to Athens. In Athens Aristotle leased a house with an adjoining covered walk (peripatos) attached, and established a school called the Lyceum. Aristotle used to teach while walking with students under the peripatos and, hence, his followers came to be called the peripatetics.

After Alexander died in 323 BCE, some Athenians became suspicious of Aristotle because he was Alexander's friend. Resentful factions in Athens accused Aristotle of impiety—the same charge leveled against Socrates. Aristotle retired to Chalcis, his mother's birthplace, where he died in 322 BCE at the age of sixty-two. One tradition says that Aristotle left Athens because he did not want Athenians to sin against philosophy twice.

Aristotle on Authority
There is no difficulty in distinguishing the various kinds of authority; they have been often defined already in discussions outside the school. The rule of a master, although the slave by nature and the master by nature have in reality the same interests, is nevertheless exercised primarily with a view to the interest of the master, but accidentally considers the slave, since, if the slave perish, the rule of the master perishes with him. On the other hand, the government of a wife and children and of a household, which we have called household management, is exercised in the first instance for the good of the governed or for the common good of both parties, but essentially for the good of the governed, as we see to be the case in medicine, gymnastic, and the arts in general, which are only accidentally concerned with the good of the artists themselves. For there is no reason why the trainer may not sometimes practice gymnastics, and the helmsman is always one of the crew. The trainer or the helmsman considers the good of those committed to his care. But, when he is one of the persons taken care of, he accidentally participates in the advantage, for the helmsman is also a sailor, and the trainer becomes one of those in training. And so in politics: when the state is framed upon the principle of equality and likeness, the citizens think that they ought to hold office by turns. Formerly, as is natural, every one would take his turn of service; and then again, somebody else would look after his interest, just as he, while in office, had looked after theirs. But nowadays, for the sake of the advantage which is to be gained from the public revenues and from office, men want to be always in office. One might imagine that the rulers, being sickly, were only kept in health while they continued in office; in that case we may be sure that they would be hunting after places. The conclusion is evident: that governments which have a regard to the common interest are constituted in accordance with strict principles of justice, and are therefore true forms; but those which regard only the interest of the rulers are all defective and perverted forms, for they are despotic, whereas a state is a community of freemen.

Aristotle. (350 BCE). Politics. Book III, Part VI. Translated by Benjamin Jowett. Internet Classics Archive. Retrieved September 10, 2003 What was Lost
Aristotle, like all members of Plato's academy, wrote dialogues. They are all lost to us, except for a few fragments and commentaries on them by other ancient writers such as Cicero, Plutarch, and Diogenes Laertius. Aristotle also wrote poetry. Scholars mourn the loss of Aristotle's account of 158 constitutions of cities and tribes. We are, however, fortunate to have the one remaining part of this work, the Constitution of Athens.

In his surviving works Aristotle says practically nothing about his famous student Alexander. One of the great losses to leadership scholars is a memoir that Aristotle wrote late in life called Alexander or On Colonization. As Werner Jaeger tells us, “this work would have introduced us to the late period when the royal pupil [Alexander] was breaking and making empires in Asia, while the philosopher followed the dizzy flight of his fortunes with anxious eyes” (1934, 259). Also lost is a book called Monarchy, which Aristotle wrote after he tutored Alexander. Ancient commentators tell us that Aristotle tried to give a new spiritual and ethical content to the idea of monarchy in this book.

The Relationship of Ethics to Politics
Aristotle's books the Nichomachean Ethics and Politics are of particular interest to leadership scholars. These books are intimately related to each other. His book on ethics tells us about virtues, human behavior, and the ends that people seek in life. His Politics is a systematic and empirical study of how various societies are organized. To understand what Aristotle has to say about leadership, we first need to look at what he says about ethics.

Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics (named after his father, Nicomachus) begins with the proposition that all actions aim toward the good and that politics is the master science of the good. He says, “Thus it follows that the end of politics is the good for man. For even if the good is the same for the individual and the state, the good of the state clearly is the greater and more perfect thing to attain and to safeguard” (Aristotle 1094b, 7, 1962a, 4). But since each action aims at a different good, so we have to look for a good that is self-sufficient. That good is happiness and happiness means different things for different people. Aristotle uses the word eudaiemonia for happiness. Eudaiemonia has a slightly different meaning than the English word happiness. Aristotle tells us that a happy life is where one lives well, acts well, and people flourish. The two best forms of life, according to Aristotle, are private lives of contemplation and public lives of politics. Since happiness or flourishing is the ultimate purpose of all action, it is the end of life and of politics. Aristotle's idea of the state as a place where people can pursue individual happiness appears almost two thousand years later in the American Declaration of Independence (1776).

Aristotle believed that to live well people must have virtue (areté). Aristotle's notion of virtue is different from the way people use the word today. A virtue is an excellence that one needs to do something well. Doctors need one set of virtues, soldiers need another set, musicians another, and so forth. All people must have moral virtues, which are rational choices that we make with the intended desire to do good. Virtues are also habits, but not in the rote sense of the term. Aristotle says that virtues are a hexis, which means “a having,” “a holding,” or being in some condition. It is a characteristic of the agent. Aristotle accounts for the ability of an agent to practice virtues based on the mean. Since virtues are concerned with emotions as well as actions, a virtuous person knows the proper degree of how to act and to feel.

Aristotle says, “To obtain the right training for virtue from youth up is difficult, unless one has been brought up under the right laws” (Nichomachean Ethics 10.1179b32, Aristotle 1962a, 296). People learn virtues from laws, society, and from role models in society. According to Aristotle, people are political animals and moral acts can only take place in the context of a society. Hence, a hermit is incapable of acting virtuously. The Nichomachean Ethics begins and ends with a discussion of politics because Aristotle believed that the moral state is necessary for virtue and for people to flourish as human beings.

Thoughts on Leadership
Political theorists from St. Augustine to Thomas Jefferson are indebted to the Politics. Since Aristotle's focus is on examining the best forms of government, he pays less attention to the leader as an individual. He does, however, talk about the importance of thoughtful followers or citizens and the leader/follower relationship. Aristotle notes, “Practical wisdom is the only excellence peculiar to the ruler: it would seem that all other excellences must equally belong to ruler and subject. The excellence of the subject is certainly not wisdom, but only true opinion; he may be compared to the maker of a flute, while his master is like the flute player” (Politics 1277b28–30, Aristotle 1984, 2027).

In Politics Book III, Aristotle examines six types of rule. They are the rule by one, by the few, and by the many. The next three are variations on these, based on whether leaders rule for the common good or for their self-interest. A leader who rules in his self-interest is tyranny. A group of people who rule in their own interest, the interest of the wealthy, is oligarchy. When the many rule in their self-interest, the interests of the poor, it is democracy. Like leadership scholars today, Aristotle realized that different groups and situations required different kinds of leadership. He says, “there is by nature both a justice and an advantage appropriate to the rule of a master, another to kingly rule, another to constitutional rule; but there is none naturally appropriate to tyranny” (Politics 1287b37–40, Aristotle 1984, 2043–44).

Aristotle is against the one ruler who rules over everything or what he calls a pambasileia or “allover ruler.” He argues that it is not possible for even the most ethical and talented person to run everything well. Aristotle observes that rulers cannot do their jobs without good advisors or subrulers. These advisors should be friends who are equals, not subordinates to the ruler. Aristotle says friendship is about concern for others, mutual interests, and joint activity. When good people are friends, “they become better as they are active together and correct one another: from the mould of the other each takes the imprint of the traits he likes, whence the saying: ‘Noble things from noble people'” (Nichomachean Ethics 1172a12–14, Aristotle 1962a, 272–3). Aristotle believed when leaders rely on such friends as advisors, their rule is likely to be just.

Aristotle argues that aristocracy or rule by the best people (judged by merit) is the most desirable regime, but he offers some caveats to this kind of rule. First, they need good advisors and the help of citizens, who are not mindless followers. Second, leaders need good laws and should be subject to those laws. Ideally the most gifted and virtuous people should rule, but Aristotle is also willing to settle for leaders who are not the best and the brightest, as long as they are just and rule under just laws.

Criticisms and Influence
Aristotle is most criticized for his defense of slavery in Book I of the Politics and his inclusion of slavery as part of the best regime. Out of all the arguments in the Politics, this is the weakest. Aristotle argues that some people are best disposed to be masters and others are natural slaves who benefit from having masters. As Mary P. Nichols points out, however, Aristotle also acknowledges, “that it is doubtful that any slave system enslaves only those who deserve to be enslaved, and even more doubtful whether those who deserve to be slaves would even be useful as slaves” (1992, 24). Aristotle expresses certain reservations about slavery in his work, but never morally condemns it. He also seems to abandon ethics in books IV through VI of the Politics. In these books he does not seem concerned with some of the unethical aspects of winning favor and staying in power.

Aristotle's influence in the arts, sciences, and politics shows up in the work of a variety of great thinkers. Among them are Cicero, St. Thomas Aquinas, Dante, Thomas Hobbes, Machiavelli, Francis Bacon, Thomas Jefferson, and al Farabi, the tenth-century Muslim philosopher and founder of the Islamic philosophic tradition. Aristotle's physics and cosmology dominated the Western world until the early Renaissance, despite the fact that they were wrong. Perhaps his greatest legacy is his method of observation, data collection, and analysis that became the bedrock of the sciences and the social sciences.

It is difficult to sum up the life and work of someone like Aristotle. He not only possessed a brilliant, hungry mind, but he must have had considerable leadership skills to organize schools, influence leaders, and animate his ideas for his students and future generations of scholars.

Joanne B. Ciulla 10.4135/9781412952392.n15 See also
Philosophy
Plato
Further Reading Aristotle. (1962a). Nichomachean ethics (M. Ostwald, Ed. & Trans.). Indianapolis, IN: Library of Liberal Arts. Aristotle. (1962b). Politics (T. A. Sinclair, Trans.). New York: Penguin Books. Aristotle. (1984). The complete works of Aristotle, Vols. I & II (J. Barnes, Ed., and B. Jowett, Trans.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Aristotle. (1950). The Constitution of Athens and related texts (K. von Fritz, & E. Kapp, Eds. & Trans.). New York: Hafner Publishing Co. Grene, M. (1963). A portrait of Aristotle. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Jaeger, W. (1934). Aristotle: Fundamentals of the history of his development. Oxford: Claredon Press. Joachim, H. H. (1970). Aristotle. The Nichomachean ethics: A commentary. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Keyt, D., & Miller, F. D. (1991). A companion to Aristotle's politics. Cambridge, MA: Basil Blackwell. Mahdi, M.. (1962). Alfarabi's philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Nichols, M. (1992). Citizens and statesmen: A study of Aristotle's politics. Savage, MD: Rowman & Littlefeld. Plutarch. (1962). Eight great lives. (C. A. Robinson, Jr., Ed., and J. Dryden, Trans.). New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Schmitt, C. B. (1983). Aristotle and the Renaissance. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Simpson, P. L. P. (1998). A philosophical commentary on the politics of Aristotle. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Source : Encyclopedia of Leadership George R. Goethals & Georgia J. Sorenson & James MacGregor Burns

Akbar (1542–1605)

Akbar (1542–1605)

Anup Mukherjee

Mughal emperor

Akbar was the grandson of Babur (1483–1530), who founded the Mughal rule (1526–1857) in India. Babur was succeeded by his son Humayun (1508–1556), during the first portion of whose reign (1530–1540) the territories conquered earlier by Mughals was lost to the Afghans. After an interregnum of rule by the Afghan dynasty of Sur, the Mughals were again able to set foothold over Delhi in 1555; yet until his death in 1556, Humayun was fighting on many fronts to recapture the empire. After Humayun's death the Afghans under their Hindu Prime Minister Hemu reoccupied Delhi. It was left to Akbar, Humayun's son, to build up the empire from scratch and raise it to glorious heights. Akbar was only fourteen years old when he was coronated, and under his command, Mughals defeated Hemu in the second Battle of Panipat (November 5, 1556) that is considered landmark in reestablishment of Mughal rule in India.

Akbar's leadership skills were not limited to war or to the expansion and consolidation of the Mughal empire; indeed, his most important contribution was the way that he molded the Mughal empire and created legitimacy for his rule that was based not on brute force, but on the consent of the governed. Despite Mughals being Sunni, Akbar refused to identify with any creed and followed an independent policy of enlightened toleration.

Religious Tolerance
Mughal rule under Akbar was largely an extension of his personality. Personally, Akbar was tolerant of other religions. He married Hindu Rajput princesses, but did not force them to convert to Islam; they were free to practice their own religion. In fact, Akbar was interested in exploring the essence of different religions, and to this end he built an ibadat-khana (house of worship) in his capital at Fatehpur-Sikri, near Agra to which he would invite spiritual leaders of different faiths for interfaith dialogues. Akbar also showed respect for other religions by celebrating their festivals. Perhaps the most significant signs of his religious tolerance were that he abolished the jizia, the tax that only non-Muslims were required to pay, and rescinded many of the restrictive laws regarding non-Muslim religious worship. His spiritual curiosity later translated into his founding a faith called din-i-ilahi (also called tahud-i-ilahi), meaning divine faith. This faith was in many ways a distillation of the teachings of the various religions to which Akbar had been exposed, and it was tolerant in nature. It laid stress on individual purity and ethical behavior.

Akbar never forced anyone to become a member of his din, and according to the Ain-i-Akbari (Laws of Akbar), written by Abul Fazl, there were only eighteen full-time adherents and no more than a few thousand followers.

Administration of the Mughal Empire
Akbar conquered all but the southernmost parts of the Indian subcontinent; his empire stretched from present-day Afghanistan to present-day Bangladesh. The most significant aspect of his extension of Mughal power was that in many of the areas formerly under Hindu Rajput rule, he would not annex the kingdoms, but on the princes' acceptance of Mughal soveregnty, he would let them rule their kingdoms as vassals of the Mughals. Further, he recruited the Rajput princes into the ranks of the Mansabdari, his military system of government administration. By thus incorporating his former enemies into his government, he won acceptance for his imperialism. In many of the subsequent campaigns of the Mughals, Rajput princes commanded the Mughal armies. The Rajputs also proved to be an important bulwark against the conservative Islamic elements in the Mughal court.

Under the Mansabdari system of administration, all government officials were incorporated into the ranks of the military, even if their functions were not military, and all were paid through the imperial army. This systematized government functions, and bureaucratized its operation, all the way from the imperial level down to the local level. Rule by whim was replaced by rule according to standardized procedures. For instance, the land tax structure was systematized on a scientific statistical basis with the objective to increase productivity and revenue. Also, procedures were developed for recruitment, for communication, and for a system of checks and balances between the government functionaries. Officials were regularly transferred to maintain the efficiency of the administration, but also to keep up the imperial control. An important aspect of Akbar's administration was that people of ability were assigned high ranks irrespective of their religious affiliation. Consequently, even Shias and Hindu Rajputs held important government positions.

Politics, Law, and the Arts
The most important aspect of Akbar's kingship was that unlike other Muslim rulers, he did not consider the caliph (the supreme Islamic religious authority) to have political authority over him. Akbar did not consider himself subordinate to anyone. Although empires are often associated with particular religions (for example, the Byzantine empire is associated with Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the Ottoman empire with Sunni Islam, the Persian Safavid dynasty with Shi‘a Islam, and so on), Akbar liberated the Mughal regime from any such religious affiliation and placed his subjects on an equal footing. He created a state of sulh-i-kul, that is, a state of peace and reconciliation among all. This was quite in contrast to the wishes of orthodox theologians, whose power was undermined by such measures. Until Akbar's time, the highest title an Islamic king had claimed for himself was zil-i-allah-fil-‘arz (“shadow of God on earth”). Akbar went further and adopted the title farr-i-izdi (“divine effulgence or light of God”). Thus Akbar claimed to derive his power directly from God.

In an empire in which Qur'anic laws took precedence, Akbar took the innovative step of assuming the powers of religious interpretation. By a proclamation Akbar was certified to be an imam-adil (just ruler), and by virtue of that status his interpretation of religious law was declared to be superior to that of the mujtahid (learned scholars or jurists). In other words, the monarch, not the ulama (Islamic scholarly community), was the source of legislation and of interpretation of that legislation should any dispute arise. This appropriation of religious as well as legal authority made it possible for Akbar to restrict the influence of the orthodox ulama.

A similar universality of outlook is visible in Akbar's patronage of the arts. It is very interesting to note that during his reign painting were totally devoid of religious symbolism. He would patronize artists without being concerned with their religious affiliations. It was in his time that a form of Indo-Islamic architecture that was a synthesis of Islamic as well as Hindu traditions became part of the landscape. Thus in every aspect of life Akbar promoted religious tolerance and liberalism. He not only had a deep impact on the Mughal empire, he furthered a liberal Indian tradition that has been present in Indian civilization over the centuries.

Another View: The Real Akbar, the (Not So) Great
The addition of the adjectival phrase “the great” to the names of famous leaders such as Akbar, Alexander, and Peter is rarely without controversy. What is great to some is horrible to others. Akbar is a good example of this, as he is revered by Muslims but considered less than great by some modern Hindus as indicated by the text from a website reprinted below.

Akbar is considered as the great Mughal emperor who put the Mughal empire on a firm and stable footing, with a reliable revenue system and with expansion of its borders deeper into Indian heartland. There is a belief prevalent in the present day India that Akbar's rule was secular and tolerant of the native Hindu faith. This belief is fostered by the Indian history texts, Hindi movies like Mughal-eAzam, a TV serial on Doordarshan and the fictional tales of Akbar and his Hindu court jester Birbal. Although Akbar did abolish two obnoxious taxes on Hindus namely the pilgrimage tax in 1563 CE and Jizya (a tax stipulated in the Koran to be paid by Zimmis or unbelievers) in 1564 CE, his rule was better compared ONLY to the other Mughal and Turko-Afgani rules. This article illustrates this with two specific historical events. First, Akbar like all Mughal rulers had the holy Muslim title of GHAZI (SLAYER OF KAFFIR—infidel). Like Timur Lane and Nader Shah, AKBAR HAD A VICTORY TOWER ERECTED WITH THE HEADS OF THE CAPTURED/SURRENDERED ARMY OF HEMU after the second battle of Panipat. Later, AKBAR AGAIN SLAUGHTERED MORE THAN 30,000 UNARMED CAPTIVE HINDU PEASANTS AFTER THE FALL OF CHITOD ON FEBRUARY 24, 1568. The Hindu Universe. Retrieved September 29, 2003 Anup Mukherjee 10.4135/9781412952392.n7 Further Reading Majumdar, R. C. (1973). The History and Culture of Indian People: Vol 7. The Mughal empire. Bombay, India: Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan. Pandey, A. B. (1990). Later medieval India (1526–1761 A.D.). Allahabad, India: Central Book Depot. Rizvi, S. A. A. (1987). The wonder that was India: Vol 2. 1200–1700. London: Sidgwick & Jackson. Smith, V. (1919). Akbar the great Mogul, 1542–1605. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press. Spear, P. (1968). History of India: Vol 2. London: Penguin. Tripathi, R. P. (1956). Rise and fall of Mughal empire. Allahabad, India: Central Book Depot.

Source : Encyclopedia of Leadership George R. Goethals & Georgia J. Sorenson & James MacGregor Burns

Chakliba lamei athapa chingda

Chakliba lamei athapa chingda Mutchakhene ko mathanata
Chakliba lamei athapa chingda Mutchakhene ko mathanata
mathanata
Ahing tanglou thengjilaktuna taraklaga nongdol likla

Chakliba lamei athapa chingda Mutchakhene ko

Chakliba lamei athapa chingda Mutchakhene ko mathanata
mathanata

Lamei di Lakanungda chaklaga hengatlake meichak faba
Hengatlake meichak faba

Ahing tanglou thengjil laklaga
nongdol likla na taraklaga
Chakliba lamei athapa chingda Mutchakhene ko mathanata
mathanata

Mitna yengjaningba mangaire
Maithong thambal di udarae
Mitna yengjaningba mangaire
Maithong thambal di udarae

Eita ngaijaba mangairae nungsi napao di takhidarae

Chakliba lamei athapa chingda Mutchakhene ko mathanata
mathanata
mathanata
mathanata

Rahul Gandhi exposed by an IIT student

THE CURIOUS CASE OF RAHUL GANDHI

Rahul Gandhi: "I feel ashamed to call myself an INDIAN after seeing what has happened here in UP".

PLEASE DON'T BE ASHAMED OF U.P. YET

Please don't be ashamed of Uttar Pradesh yet. Congress ruled the State for the Majority of the duration Pre Independence to Post Independence.. from 1939 to 1989 ( barring the Periods of Emergency.. Thanks to your Grand Mom Indira G. and a couple of transitional Governments)

8 out of the total 14 Prime Ministers of India have been from UP, 6 out of those 8 have been from Congress...

I think your party had more than half a century and half a Dozen PM's to build a State...

The Reason Mulayam Singh, subsequently came to Power is because your party wasn't exactly Gandhian in their dealings in the State.. So May be If you look at in totality the present chaos in UP is the outcome of the glorious leadership displayed by Congress in UP for about 50 years!

So Please don't feel ashamed as yet Dear Rahul.. For Mayawati is only using the Land Acquisition Bill which your party had itself used to LOOT the Farmers many times in the Past!

WHY DIDN'T YOUR PARTY CHANGE THE BILL WHEN IT WAS IN POWER FOR SO LONG?
Not that I Endorse what Mayawati is doing.. What Mayawati is doing is Unacceptable..

But the past actions of your party and your recent comments, puts a question mark on your INTENT and CONSISTENCY.

YOU REALLY WANT TO FEEL ASHAMED

But don't be disappointed, I would give you ample reasons to feel ashamed...

You really want to feel Ashamed..?

First Ask Pranav Mukherjee, Why isn't he giving the details of the account holders in the Swiss Banks.

Ask your Mother, Who is impeding the Investigation against Hasan Ali?

Ask her, Who got 60% Kickbacks in the 2G Scam ?

Kalamdi is accused of a Few hundred Crores, Who Pocketed the Rest in the Common Wealth Games?

Ask Praful Patel what he did to the Indian Airlines? Why did Air India let go of the Profitable Routes ?

Why should the Tax Payer pay for the Air India losses, when you intend to eventually DIVEST IT ANYWAY!!!

Also, You People can't run an Airline Properly. How can we expect you to run the Nation?

Ask Manmohan Singh. Why/What kept him quiet for so long?

Are Kalmadi and A Raja are Scapegoats to save Big Names like Harshad Mehta was in the 1992 Stock Market Scandal ?

Who let the BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY Accused go Scot Free? ( 20,000 People died in that Tragedy)

Who ordered the State Sponsored Massacre of SIKHS in 84?

Please read more about, How Indira Gandhi pushed the Nation Under Emergency in 76-77, after the HC declared her election to Lok Sabha Void!

(I bet She had utmost respect for DEMOCRACY and JUDICIARY and FREE PRESS)

I guess you know the answers already. So My question is, Why the Double Standards in Judging Mayawati and members of your Family and Party?

I condemn Mayawati. But Is She the only one you feel Ashamed for?

What about the ones close to you? For their contribution to the Nation's Misery is beyond comparison.

You talk about the Land being taken away from the Farmers. How many Suicides have happened under your Parties Rule in Vidarbha ? Does that Not Ashame You ?

THE 72,000 CRORE LOAN WAIVER

Your Party gave those Farmers a 72,000 Crore Loan Waiver. Which didn't even reach the Farmers by the way.

So, Why don't you focus on implementing the policies which your govt. has undertaken, instead of earning brownie points by trying to manufacture consent by bombarding us with pictures of having food with Poor Villagers....

You want to feel ashamed. You can feel ashamed for your Party taking CREDIT for DEBITING the Public Money (72,000 crores) from the Government Coffers and literally Wasting it...

You want to feel ashamed.. Feel ashamed for that...

WHY ONLY HIGHLIGHT THIS ARREST?

Dear Rahul, to refresh your memory, you were arrested/detained by the FBI the BOSTON Airport in September 2001.

You were carrying with you $ 1,60,000 in Cash. You couldn't explain why you were carrying so much Cash.
Incidentally He was with his Columbian girlfriend Veronique Cartelli, ALLEGEDLY, the Daughter of Drug Mafia.<p> </p>9 HOURS he was kept at the Airport. <p> </p>Later then freed on the intervention of the then Prime Minister Mr.Vajpayee.. FBI filed an equivalent of an FIR in US and released him. <p> </p>When FBI was asked to divulge the information, by Right/Freedom to Information Activists about the reasons Rahul was arrested ... FBI asked for a NO OBJECTION CERTIFICATE from Rahul Gandhi. <p> </p>So Subramaniyam Swami wrote a Letter to Rahul Gandhi, " If you have NOTHING to HIDE, Give us the Permission"

HE NEVER REPLIED!

Why did that arrest not make Headlines Rahul? You could have gone to the Media and told, "I am ashamed to call myself an INDIAN?".

Or is it that, you only do like to highlight Symbolic Arrests (like in UP) and not Actual Arrests ( In BOSTON)

Kindly Clarify.....

In any case, you want to feel ashamed, Read Along...

YOUR MOTHER'S SO CALLED SACRIFICE OF GIVING UP PRIME MINISTER SHIP in 2004.

According to a Provision in the Citizenship Act.

A Foreign National who becomes a Citizen of India, is bounded by the same restrictions, which an Indian would face, If he/she were to become a Citizen of Italy.

(Condition based on principle of reciprocity)

[READ ANNEXURE- 1&2]

Now Since you can't become a PM in Italy, Unless you are born there.
Likewise an Italian Citizen can't become Indian PM, unless He/She is not born here!

Dr. SUBRAMANIYAM SWAMI (The Man who Exposed the 2G Scam) sent a letter to the PRESIDENT OF INDIA bringing the same to his Notice. [READ LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT IN ANNEXURE -3]

PRESIDENT OF INDIA sent a letter to Sonia Gandhi to this effect, 3:30 PM, May 17th, 2004.

Swearing Ceremony was scheduled for 5 PM the same Day.

Manmohan Singh was brought in the Picture at the last moment to Save Face!!

Rest of the SACRIFICE DRAMA which she choreographed was an EYE WASH!!!

Infact Sonia Gandhi had sent, 340 letters, each signed by different MP to the PRESIDENT KALAM, supporting her candidacy for PM.

One of those letters read, I Sonia Gandhi, elected Member from Rai Bareli, hereby propose Sonia Gandhi as Prime Minister.
So SHE was Pretty INTERESTED! Until She came to know the Facts!

So She didn't make any Sacrifice, It so happens that SONIA GANDHI couldn't have become the PM of INDIA that time.

You could be Ashamed about that Dear Rahul!! One Credential Sonia G had, Even that was a HOAX!

THINK ABOUT YOURSELF.

You go to Harvard on Donation Quota. ( Hindujas Gave HARVARD 11 million dollars the same year, when Rajiv Gandhi was in Power)

Then you are expelled in 3 Months/ You Dropped out in 3 Months.... ( Sadly Manmohan Singh wasn't the Dean of Harvard that time, else you might have had a chance... Too Bad, there is only one Manmohan Singh!)

Some Accounts say, You had to Drop out because of Rajiv Gandhi's Assassination.

May be, But Then Why did you go about lying about being Masters in Economics from Harvard .. before finally taking it off your Resume upon questioning by Dr. SUBRAMANIYAM SWAMI (The Gentlemen who exposed the 2G Scam)

At St. Stephens.. You Fail the Hindi Exam.

Hindi Exam!!!

And you are representing the Biggest Hindi Speaking State of the Country?

SONIA GANDHI's EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Sonia G gave a sworn affidavit as a Candidate that She Studied English at University of Cambridge

[SEE ANNEXURE-6, 7_37a]

According to Cambridge University, there is no such Student EVER! [ SEE ANNEXURE -7_39]

Upon a Case by Dr. Subramaniyam Swami filed against her,

She subsequently dropped the CAMBRIDGE CREDENTIAL from her Affidavit.

Sonia Gandhi didn't even pass High School. She is just 5th class Pass!

In this sense, She shares a common Educational Background with her 2G Partner in Crime, Karunanidhi.

You Fake your Educational Degree, Your Mother Fakes her Educational Degree.
And then you go out saying, " We want Educated Youth into Politics!"

Letters sent by Dr. Swami to EC and then Speaker of Lok Sabha are in ANNEXURE 7_36 &7_35 RESPECTIVELY

Contrast that with Gandhi Ji , who went to South Africa, Became a Barrister, on Merit, Left all that to work for South Africa, then for the Country....

WHY LIE ABOUT EDUCATIONAL CREDENTIALS?

Not that Education is a Prerequisite for being a great Leader, but then you shouldn't have lied about your qualifications!

You could feel a little ashamed about Lying about your Educational Qualifications. You had your reasons I know, Because in India, WE RESPECT EDUCATION!

But who cares about Education, When you are a Youth Icon!!

YOUTH ICON

You traveled in the Local Train for the first time at the Age of 38.

You went to some Villages as a part of Election Campaign.

And You won a Youth Icon!! ... That's why You are my Youth Icon.

For 25 Million People travel by Train Everyday. You are the First Person to win a Youth Icon for boarding a Train.

Thousands of Postmen go to remotest of Villages. None of them have yet gotten a Youth Icon.

You were neither YOUNG Nor ICONIC!

Still You became a Youth Icon beating Iconic and Younger Contenders like RAHUL DRAVID.

Shakespeare said, What's in a Name?

Little did he knew, It's all in the Name, Especially the Surname!

Speaking of Surname, Sir

DO YOU REALLY RESPECT GANDHI, OR IS IT JUST TO CASH IN ON THE GOODWILL OF MAHATMA?

Because the Name on your Passport is RAUL VINCI.

Not RAHUL GANDHI..

May be if you wrote your Surname as Gandhi, you would have experienced, what Gandhi feels like, LITERALLY ( Pun Intended)

You People don't seem to use Gandhi much, except when you are fighting Elections. ( There it makes complete sense).

Imagine fighting elections by the Name Raul Vinci...

It feels sadly Ironic, Gandhi Ji, who inspired Icons like Nelson Mandela ,Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lennon, across the world, Couldn't inspire members of his party/ Nehru's Family, who only seem to use his Surname for the purposes of FIGHTING ELECTIONS and conveniently use a different name on their PASSPORT.

You use the name GANDHI at will and then say, " Mujhe yeh YUVRAJ shabd Insulting lagta hai! Kyonki aaj Hindustan mein Democracy hai, aur is shabd ka koi matlab nahin hai!

YUVRAJ, Itna hi Insulting lagta hai, to lad lo RAUL VINCI ke Naam se!!! Jin Kisano ke saath photo khinchate ho woh bhi isliye entertain karte hain ki GANDHI ho.. RAUL VINCI bol ke Jao... Ghar mein nahin ghusaenge!!!

You could feel ashamed for your Double Standards.

YOUTH INTO POLITICS.

Now You want Youth to Join Politics.

I say First you Join Politics.

Because you haven't Joined Politics. You have Joined a Family Business.

First you Join Politics. Win an Election fighting as RAUL VINCI and Not Rahul Gandhi, then come and ask the youth and the Educated Brass for more involvement in Politics.

Also till then, Please don't give me examples of Sachin Pilot and Milind Deora and Naveen Jindal as youth who have joined Politics..

They are not Politicians. They Just happen to be Politicians.

Much Like Abhishek Bachchan and other Star Sons are not Actors. They just happen to be Actors (For Obvious Reasons)

So, We would appreciate if you stop requesting the Youth to Join Politics till you establish your credentials...

WHY WE CAN'T JOIN POLITICS!

Rahul Baba, Please understand, Your Father had a lot of money in your Family account ( in Swiss Bank) when he died.

Ordinary Youth has to WORK FOR A LIVING.

YOUR FAMILY just needs to NETWORK FOR A LIVING

If our Father had left thousands of Crores with us, We might consider doing the same..

But we have to Work. Not just for ourselves. But also for you. So that we can pay 30% of our Income to the Govt. which can then be channelized to the Swiss Banks and your Personal Accounts under some Pseudo Names.

So Rahul, Please don't mind If the Youth doesn't Join Politics. We are doing our best to fund your Election Campaigns and your Chopper Trips to the Villages.

Somebody has to Earn the Money that Politicians Feed On.

NO WONDER YOU ARE NOT GANDHI'S. YOU ARE SO CALLED GANDHI'S!!

Air India, KG Gas Division, 2G, CWG, SWISS BANK Account Details... Hasan Ali, KGB., FBI Arrest..

You want to feel ashamed..

Feel Ashamed for what the First Family of Politics has been reduced to...

A Money Laundering Enterprise.

NO WONDER YOU ARE NOT GANDHI'S BY BLOOD. GANDHI is an adopted Name. For Indira didn't marry Mahatma Gandhi's Son.

For even if you had one GENE OF GANDHI JI in your DNA. YOU WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN PLAGUED BY SUCH 'POVERTY OF AMBITION' ( Ambition of only EARNING MONEY)


You really want to feel Ashamed.

Feel Ashamed for what you ' SO CALLED GANDHI'S' have done to MAHATMA'S Legacy..

I so wish GANDHI JI had Copyrighted his Name!

Meanwhile, I would request Sonia Gandhi to change her name to $ONIA GANDHI, and you could replace the 'R' in RAHUL/RAUL by the New Rupee Symbol!!!


RAUL VINCI : I am ashamed to call myself an Indian.

Even we are ashamed to call you so!


P.S: Popular Media is either bought or blackmailed, controlled to Manufacture Consent!

My Guess is Social Media is still a Democratic Platform. (Now they are trying to put legislations to censor that too!!)

Meanwhile, Let's ask these questions, for we deserve some Answers.

For we are all Gandhi's. For Bapu is the Father of the Nation!


To know more, Try looking for Dr. SUBRAMANIYAM SWAMI. He is the reason today 2G SCAM is being Investigated!!!


YOURS SINCERELY

NITIN GUPTA ( RIVALDO)

B.Tech, IIT Bombay

Kanglei Athoiba Mapari

Kanglei Athoiba Mapari

Dr. Ngangbam Shantikumar Meetei creates another history!!!

Dr. Ngangbam Shantikumar Meetei has won two gold medals at the Pro/Am World Cup Body Buliding Championship 2014 (November 1), Hollywood, CA, USA.

In this Championship,he won gold medals in INBA Master (40-49kg) and Open Men Short Class catagories. Besides these, he also won Overall Master and Overall Open Men trophies.

He dedicates his wins to both Taiwan and Manipur (India). He won the medals and trophies by representing Taiwan.

It may be mentioned that he has become the first body builder from Manipur to win gold medals in this championship. He was the first Manipuri to win senior Asian Body Building Championship.

Now his next target is XVIIth Pro/Am Natural Olympia Body Building Championship 2014 (November 6-9), San Diego, CA, USA. In this Championship, he will represent his native land Manipur/ Kangleipak

All the best brave brother Dr Shantikumar Meetei Ngangbam