(Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe is In-Charge of BJP's National Good Governance Cell and Director of Public Policy Research Centre, New Delhi. He has also been heading Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini - South Asia's only academy for training of politicians and social workers for the last 26 years.)For any individual to grow, mentoring is a must. In our education system, every year thousands of deserving students go astray and eventually land themselves in difficulties mainly because they couldn't find a mentor. Hundreds and thousands of young professionals today are knocking one door after the other asking, "Can somebody provide me a mentor?"
Mentors are hard to find as mentorship is easier said than done. To be somebody's mentor, one needs to take responsibility, show patience and more than anything else care for the mentored. It's a job to be carried out professionally, but with an essential human touch. When such mentors are easier talked about than found in business world, the fact that they are in perennial short supply in politics need not surprise anyone. This scarcity of individual mentors also has much to do with the fast pace of life and the overall paucity of time.
One of the time-tested ways of overcoming the shortage of mentors is by creating an institutional mechanism. Most of the participating delegates at the weekend's two-day training programme for first-timer MPs had a feeling that such sessions can always help evolve an institutionalised mechanism for mentoring.
Close to 180 recently-elected MPs from both houses participated in this camp. There were old time party organisation men who are first -timers in Parliament. Also, there were persons who are the latest entrants in the BJP, many with a Congress background, eager to understand the BJP culture. There were post- graduates, management experts, singers and artistes, farmers and also professionals.
The first and foremost goal that was achieved at the end of this training was a meeting of minds. Prime Minister Modi exhorted them to become a well-knit wholesome organisational entity. "We are not just an assemblage of individuals under one roof," he had reminded them. While leaving Surajkund, all had this feeling of having made new friends, cultivated new acquaintances and a realisation that they are not the only freshers! Many found comfort in the fact that most new MPs feel like a new college entrant. A bit unsure, at times even confused! "This is but natural since you are the beginners. Spend as much time as possible in the house, be attentive, seek guidance from ever-willing seniors and you will earn confidence" they were rightly told.
Both Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley gave them invaluable practical tips on how to make a mark in the business of both the houses of the parliament. Both urged the greenhorn MPs to try and spend as much time as possible also in the parliamentary library. In another session, Venkaiah Naidu, whose initiative made this training possible, dwelt extensively on coordination between the elected representatives and the party organisation.
Many first-timers reacted very positively to these inputs." On parliamentary tools, at least we came to know that we know precious little," commented one. A young woman MP said," I was in Zilla Parishad earlier and the very sight of the huge Parliament House made me feel very nervous and even bewildered. Now that I know ways and means of effective parliamentary participation, I feel greatly equipped and thereby hugely confident".
A session on Basics of Ideology helped participants understand the cardinal principles of party philosophy, especially the five fundamentals known as Panchnishtha. They are Nationalism and national unity, Democracy, Equality based society, Positive Secularism and Value-based Politics. An introduction to Integral Humanism, a doctrine propounded by Deendayal Upadhyay was also a part of this session.
In another session, Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar and Piyush Goyal guided the delegates on understanding the importance of media as well as social media. It was quite interesting to note that MPs from backward areas of UP and Bihar too were keen to know how effectively they can put up a website and use Facebook or Twitter. Delegates were also told about how to be careful about the posts on their walls.
Ram Naik, former union minister and a veteran of the Lok Sabha conducted a special session on Nurturing the Constituency. From ensuring greater accessibility to imaginatively using local area development funds and from conducting a smart office to using business cards printed on post-it slips, Naik covered a whole range of issues.
Lal Krishna Advani's valedictory address was like blessings of a father figure who also reminded the delegates about the challenge of huge popular expectations.
The atmosphere at the training camp was that of informal camaraderie. None was unduly status-conscious and there was no burden of protocols. At a session conducted by party General Secretary Ram Lal, delegates thoroughly enjoyed participating in some management games.
Most remarkable, of course, was the inspiring speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who urged the first-timer Party MPs to develop a sense of mission towards their duties and select at least one subject for self-study to have deeper understanding in it. "To be a Member of Parliament is an important thing and one must look at it seriously. Remember, people are observing your performance not only in the house but also outside. Our transition from opposition to treasury is not limited to moving few feet to the other side. This is a significant transition and we must try to appreciate the meaning of this," he said.
Appealing to party MPs to eschew every kind of negativism, he stressed that our approach to the parliamentary party has to be that of mutuality and fellow feeling. "We are a family and all are working for a common goal. Try to make new friends, learn from each other and develop a new collectivism", he said. Reminding the party MPs that for BJP training is not a ritual, he elaborated on how BJP has a very long and rich tradition of capacity building.
In his presidential remarks, Party President Rajnath Singh lauded the efforts of the party's training cell as well as the parliamentary wing and expressed confidence that only through such efforts can one make this largest democracy in the world also the finest democracy.
Reminding the MPs of their responsibility towards their constituencies, he urged them to ensure an orderly and disciplined conduct in the house.
What were the takeaways? Firstly, realisation of the fact that the party attaches great importance to its MPs, their thinking as also their performance in general. Secondly, motivation was generated by highly inspirational content and lastly, there was an introduction to skills, techniques and basics of management science, including self-management.
In a democratic polity where an ignorant politician is tolerated simply for being electable, a serious effort to add greater capability to those who have proven their electability certainly can prove to be a climate-changer. And when climate changes for better, game change too can follow. Harold Laski had once defined a leader as someone who refuses to be led by masses. Capacity building of this type must have made the new MPs understand what Laski exactly meant.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this blog are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this blog. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing on the blog do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.