Manohar Parrikar was the quintessential humble politician

A lot can be imbibed from these leaders who did not cease being celebrities for exposing their humility.

The picture of Manohar Parrikar that had gone viral on social media in May, 2015.

New Delhi:  Politicians in India are well-known to give up the ideal of humility and simplicity so as to position themselves distinctly. They strut about throwing their weight around wherever they go and are usually accompanied by a battery of acolytes or entourage. But here was a man with a difference. Manohar Parrikar was the opposite of a high- profile stereotype we came to associate with. There are numerous instances in which the late BJP stalwart's humility is vividly illustrated. On one occasion, the former defence minister was at the wedding in Pune of an RSS functionary’s son in May 2015 and he stood in a queue just like any other invitee to bless the couple. That made him one of a kind because it is not every day that you see a minister behave like a common man. The post by  Kiran Chitnis on Facebook of Parrikar’s pictures showed the latter as one who voluntarily gave up VIP perks and seemed comfortable as one among the common men quite unassumingly. There was no air of superiority nor did he do it as a publicity stunt as some are prone to. It seemed to come naturally to him as an Aam Aadmi in the true sense. The pictures had gone massively viral on social media, hailing the minister for his humbleness. A man despite holding a top-ranking Cabinet post preferred to appear like any other guest. He awaited his turn quietly, had his meal sharing the table with others and entertained selfies. Here's what Kiran Chitnis has written on Facebook then My mom was at the wedding function of her childhood friend's son in Pune. Coincidentally she bumped into the hon. defence minister of India Shri Manohar Parrikar there.

What hasn't changed is Manohar bhai's humility in his journey from being my home state's chief minister to the defence minister of our Nation. Standing in queue without any chamchas, no sense of air or superiority when mingling with public are just few of his immense qualities. Needless to say that his entire security arrangement was kept outside the wedding venue. For the entire hour and half that he was there, he was a guest at a wedding and not a minister on state visit. Compare that to a ₹0.02/- worth local corporator of today who drives into a private function with a convoy of cars with blaring sirens and security arrangements. For them a queue is nothing but a bunch of under privileged commoners who are poorly abled with more time to spare than them.

The groom’s father who works at a school and was a friend of Parrikar and had organised the wedding in a modest manner. Parrikar, also did not seek any preferential treatment, kept his security guards aside, graced the occasion and exited the venue like any other guest. Here we had a man revealing his worth in the most unconventional manner . At the juncture of achieving fame or having achieved fame there are individuals who crave for attention in a small or dignified gathering. But many great personalities have revealed humble traits like late ex-Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri or Mahatma Gandhi even Nelson Mandela or the well known scientist Albert Einstein. A lot can be imbibed from these leaders who did not cease being celebrities for exposing their humility.