Watching the trauma of the family of Pramod Mahajan, after his death, brought back memories of my own past. It was 25 years back, my father Late S Venkatram a veteran Socialist and Trade Union Leader of International repute had died. Like my father, Mahajan was also 56 and died at the peak of his public life.

It is said, we are the architects of our life. Birth and death are just two reference points in one’s life. If that is indeed the case, how does one explain tragic deaths of promising and dynamic politicians like Mahajan?

Today, India is precariously placed between opportunities driven by a booming economy, a new found international stature and recognition and problems caused by an inept, immoral and inefficient political system. A large number of our politicians in power are aged, and belong to a totally different era. Many of them seem to lack the required educational, leadership and communication skills. Importantly, they seem to be unaware of macro economic factors and lack the vision, necessary to run a modern government.

In this context, it is extremely sad and rather unlucky that in recent times, we lost quite a few young, educated and talented politicians. Looking back, it was in the year 2000, that Rajesh Pilot died in a road accident. In the same year, Rangarajan Kumaramanagalam died and in 2001 Madhav Rao Scindhia died in a plane accident. Mahajan and Kumaramanaglam belonged to BJP and Scindhia and Pilot to the Congress. That was all the difference about them. All of them were around 50 years, educated, dynamic and full of promise and hope. They had served the country with distinction be it in running the party or serving the government as Ministers or as good parliamentarians.

The death of these political luminaries is not just a loss to the political parties to which they belonged to. True, the void created by their departure is difficult to fill in the political parties. But the greater loss is to the nation. Being bright and competent, they belonged to the post independence era and could truly have been the architects of a Shining and Modern India, reminiscent of “India Shining’- the political campaign which was the brain child of Mahajan.

Note: Unpublished article.