Like any brave warrior, Lal Bahadur Shastri led his government from the front and also knew how to take people along with him while dealing with his opponents with wisdom and tenacity, says a new book on the late Prime Minister which, feels the Dalai Lama, outlines "important lessons" for the current crop of leaders.
The book, 'Lal Bahadur Shastri: Lessons in Leadership', co-authored by Anil Shastri, the former PM's son, and Pavan Choudary, was released here today by the Dalai Lama.
"This small book may teach important lessons of life to today's leaders... A good leadership should work for keeping the religious harmony of the land alive and ensure a stable country," the Tibetan spiritual leader said at the book launch.
Coming just a few weeks before the country decides on who it wants for its prime minister, the book contains an account of how Shastri handled questions of governance and politics even as he dealt with crises like the 1965 war with Pakistan.
The book speaks of how Shastri answered charges of 'indecision' and handled "unresponsive officials" in episodes which almost seem to mirror some of the political circumstances which the Congress-led UPA government found itself facing during its tenure of 10 years.
The books says how Shastri won over MP Vijay Laxmi Pandit during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War after she had slammed him for being indecisiveness and also touches on his means of dealing with difficult officials.
"I remember Lal Bahadur Shastri as a compassionate man. He led the nation with courage. If he had lived a few more years, he would have made significant contribution to India," the Dalai Lama said.
There are parallels aplenty between politics now and politics as it was practised in the early years of Independence in the book.
From a lesson of patience while engaging with coalition partners to one of fortitude and dignity in dealing with foreign powers, the book marks out the career of a former prime minister who had once appealed to his countrymen to miss one meal in a week rather than hold a begging bowl before the USA.
