Crown the King with Carrot Top

And… finally, the Lok Sabha settled down gaining new confidence in the existing government! The political enthusiast will understand my sigh of relief as we all see the heated, studious, and funny speeches of our own representatives in the lower house of Parliament.

In the slang, this debate is the trailer for the upcoming 2024 General elections in India.

Elections are one of the most important and exciting enterprises of any democracy. Elections are a platform where people will cast votes for their favorite candidate and will also choose a leader to guide and direct the country.


From ancient times, Kings and queens are personifications of values and morals. Even in modern reels and shorts on social media, many leaders are portrayed with monarchical symbols, where the emphasis is always on their righteousness and values.

Before diving into ancient Indian leadership, I need to give a disclaimer here, that when we talked about leaders, in ancient Indian thoughts, leaders are always seen as kings. So we must use the word ‘king’, in the case of leader. The ancient world is monarchical, so we are using the word ‘king’.

When we see the magnitude of Harappan civilization and its trade, there must be a centralized leading organization that caters to all needs. As per the available evidence, there was a possibility of a governing body like the municipal body for every city.


When we come into literary sources for leadership, The Mahabharata and Ramayana talked extensively about leadership qualities.


As per Mahabharata, the king is expected to possess and harness the knowledge of the amount of Vidya, the extent of willpower, the momentum of mental effort, and the capacity of physical strength of his people and thereby, demarcate the extent of Purushartha Chatushtaya of all of them.

For carrying out his part the king has to understand and obtain within his periphery’s valid knowledge through the methodology of listening, thinking, and grasping, theoretically termed as Shravana, Manana and Nididhyasana.

The king is in this moral position due to his attained knowledge to stipulate, validate and regulate the particular Dharma for particular beings. This authority of designating and demarcating the specific Dharma of particular being in the state is achieved by the king not only by authority but also through diligently performing his own Dharma. This fundamental idea is the basis of the legitimacy of the authority of the king.

According to Mahabharata, it is the duty of the king to seek and promote the welfare of its subject. The king must be empathetic towards the people of all sections of society and must fully concentrate on the welfare of the people.

As per Indian political thoughts, The first and foremost duty of the king was to protect the life and property of the people from all kinds of invasions and violation and creation of an environment where righteousness prevails in his state.

A king, who is incapable of protecting the people, is considered useless. The restraint of Dharma can only facilitate the conditions for the prevalence of righteousness and the promotion of the material well-being of the people, which is the primary duty of the king. The king should be wise and courageous, only then he can make the earth habitable and comfortable for the people.

The Ramayana and the life of Ram is itself the epitome of great leadership and how should the king need to address difficult situations. Ramayana talks about the situation of society when there is no ruler, or when there is an unqualified leader.

This issue was discussed in Ramayana, between Markandeya and the great sages and Visishtha when they urged him to install a proper king onto the throne. In this chapter, The descriptions are of a society that is falling apart, wherein the citizens are troubled by the lawlessness and corruption that abounds.

In the Ayodhya Kanda, Rama speaks to Bharata about the qualities of a great King. When we observe those qualities stated by Rama, we understand that, even though these qualities were spelled out in ancient time, they are still very relevant today.

Kautilya’s Arthashastra is another excellent manual for understanding leadership lessons from Ancient India. Kautilya affirms that an ideal king should have the highest qualities of leadership, intellect, energy and personal attributes.

Kautilya, living in the monarchy, suggested the king to be a servant of the state. Some indicators of good governance as per Kautilya includes, The King Must Merge his Individuality with his Duties, Means the ruler should surrender his individuality in the interest of his duties.

Kautilya expressed, for people’s welfare, there must be properly guided administration. Extremes should be avoided without missing the goal. A disciplined life with a code of conduct for kings and ministers. Law and Order should be the prior responsibility of the King.

He also emphasized Fixed remuneration to kings and public servants. For proper implementation, wisdom and communication skills are a must. Kautilya strongly highlights the preventative measure against Corruption and corrupt officers. He also stated that kings should not be dilatory in decision-making, Also appointment of Amatyas (who were the highest in status) should be based on merit, great care should be taken while selecting them.

Kautilya pursued good governance even in the time of instability and therefore there be no compromise on good governance, whether it leads to stability or instability.

Kautilya lays great stress on the appointment of Amatyas. According to Kautilya, it was impossible for a king alone to govern efficiently and successfully. So he stressed the need to appoint Amatyas who are well knowledgeable persons in their respective fields. Their importance lies in another fact that they were appointed to look at day to day administration and were highest officials of the state.

When we go through ancient wisdom about leadership, the one thing which is repeated is that, value-based and moral leadership. Indians still see their ideals as leaders, which was not only reflected in their political views but also reflected in their personal and fashion choices. That is why, India chose Gandhi topi or Modi Jacket as per the wave.

When my two-year-old son sang nursery Rhyme, ‘crown the King with Carrot Top, Carrot Top’, I realized that my leader is someone with whom I can resonate, with whom I can connect not only on political level but also on personal, emotional level. That Nursery rhyme flashed in me. That one moment makes me realize that what my ancient Indian wisdom is telling me is all right in front of me, I just have to choose from it.