Mahadeo Babar - An appreciation

Chances are, you have never heard of him. If you have, you either live in or around the Kondhwa area, or really, really follow Maharashtra politics.

Mahadeo Babar is a face you would see all over Kondhwa. He is, you see, the sitting MLA for the Hadapsar constituency but is primarily from Kondhwa. Prior to his election last October, he was the sitting corporator, and has been in the past, a deputy mayor of the PMC.. If you have been here, you'll see his face plastered on some birthday poster, some rallying cry, heck, some protest rally.. There was a poster last week where he was supposed to be the chief guest at, (I kid you not) a left-handers convention on "World Left Handed Day"... The things you learn in Kondhwa..

Now, our Mr. Babar, is no saint.. He is an Indian politician after all.. Pretty much the entire land on which our complex is built, is owned by some Babar or the other.. Same with most land in Kondhwa.. I don't know the background as such, but I know that he has two bungalows in this area.. The water tanker waala , the laundry waala, the milkman, the vegetable vendor, heck, even our watchman, is "Babar saab ka aadmi".. His political party is no beacon of ethics either..

But he's different...

How many sitting MLA's does one see early in the morning in a track suit riding an Activa and making small talk with the newspaper vendor and folks on their morning walks??

Leadership is not just providing direction.. It is the ability to have those following relate to you..

If our dear leaders, in politics and elsewhere, were more visible to the general public - without their convoys and security guards, laptops and blackberrys - maybe, just maybe, this world would be a better place..