Jana Senaiks can learn much by knowing how the greatest building of mankind, the Great Wall of China was built. In Andhra ,we need such a Great Wall to keep out the corrupt politicans who have controlled Andhra Pradesh since 1978. It is a big task but when you read how simple tactics were used by the Chinese Emperors to build the Great Wall, then Jena Senaiks can throw out the corrupt and build a Great Wall of Purity around Andhra Pradesh. My purpose in explaining the Great wall of China is to convey that the most complicated challenges are solved by simple tactics.
Franz Kafka (1883- 1924) was a world-famous writer from Czechoslovakia had a big impact on the Western world. One of his finest writings was on the Great Wall of China. Kafka told the world how one of the greatest works of mankind was built with simple tactics. People usually think that the Great Wall of China must have been built by millions of slaves . But Kafka wrote that there was great thinking and tactics on how to handle the labour of lakhs of people and how the Chinese Emperors and people were geniuses in doing impossible things .
The Chinese are a people with one of the oldest civilization in the world. A great diplomat ,who worked for India in China says : The Chinese are from another planet “. The Chinese philosophers like Confucius and Sun Tzu lived 2400 years ago and yet their ideas are popular today.
Franz Kafka explained how The Great Wall of China was started thousands of years ago and many Emperors built it ,as it was a continuous work of centuries.
The Great Wall of China was to ensure protection from the plundering Tribes of Mongolia . The Chinese Emperors realised that if you tell the Chinese people that the wall will measure thousands of miles and they must work their lifetime, then they will flee or rebel. Instead the Chinese Emperors simply said that each town and Province build a short distance of the Wall and when it is done, they have no further responsibility .
What the Chinese Emperor did holds a great lesson for Jana Sena Party today. Today Jana Sena has started a journey to remove entrenched vested and corrupt rulers . Jana Sena can learn how the Chinese tackled the biggest project in human history and did it only through simple tactics.
Andhra Pradesh faces a great challenge in removing vested interests where political parties have big money power and media support. In fact, you can compare them to the Mongolian plunderers of ancient China. Mongolian plunderers looted China with the sword while the Andhra looters steal with the pen of government. So Jana Sena must take use simple tactics to defeat corrupt rulers. No big formulas are needed.
Jana Sena can learn from Great wall of China :
#Study how other political parties are working and as far as possible do the opposite. The other political parties have enjoyed power and have become sacks of corruption, caste and vested interests. No one can fight them in the same style. By doing things differently , Jana Senaiks will send a message to the people that they are different .
#Keep tactics simple and easy to do. As you have just read, the Chinese Emperors made the task so simple that everyone was ready to help. The Emperor gave each citizen a simple task which he could do. The Emperor simply said that if you do the simple things , you will build the greatest thing for China and the people did.
#When Jana Sena starts doing simple things, then every party sympathizer will feel he can participate . Now in other rich political parties , only money counts. How many crores you give the leaders and then we will give you a ticket ! Just like building the Great Wall of China, every task should have a beginning and an end .
#Every Jana Senaik can meet a few people every week and explain that he is in Jena Sena because he wants “ Change “ and only Jana Sena can bring change .The Jana Senaik should explain that Andhra pradesh cannot take 5 more years of the present looters. Explain that the same people have captured Andhra Pradesh for the last 40 years. Talk only about the need for Change.
#The most important thing for a Jana Senaik to do is to win over people who are hostile . People naturally have someone hostile to them in their villages and towns. How do you finish your enemies ? Abraham Lincoln said : You finish your enemies by making them your friends “.Can anything be simpler than that ?
Brotherhood meetings between different castes :
Mayavathi did something brilliant in 2007 to win Uttar Pradesh elections. She was out of power. Her base is only about 15% of the electorate. She tied up with Upper castes for the 2007 election. Then they said that there must be regular “ Brotherly meetings “ between different castes and they should share a meal between them at their houses .
They were called ‘Bhaichara meetings‘. Mayavathi’s advisers were smart and told her that by meeting for meals at their houses and not hotels , the walls will come down and they did. Mayavathi won a thumping election with 210 seats out of 403 in 2007. Social Inter-mingling broke down all barriers and brought all castes together.
Having simple meals together at your house is a great idea which Jana Senaiks can do. There are millions of Jana Senaiks and if every Jana Senaik becomes friendly with people from other social groups , it will be a great achievement .
The Great Wall of China had simple tactics behind it.
Let me quote Franz Kafka again : “ The system of building the Great Wall in China was followed on a small scale . Groups of about 20 workers were formed and had to build short distances. This gave the workers an enduring sense of personal responsibility and suceess’
Small tasks will get success for Jana Sena as each Senaik will be responsible and enjoy his success. Above is the wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln ,the Chinese Emperors , the great Chinese philosopher Confucius .They are much smarter than the looters who divide and rule us .
(*Dr Pullarao is a Delhi based economist and political commentator)