*  *  *  The intellectual support of Alpana Killawala and Suddhasattwa Ghosh in conceptualizing these random reflections is gratefully acknowledged and deeply appreciated. 1. Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak at this National Convention on Leadership. As it happens, I have never thought explicitly or systematically about leadership as a subject.
But ever since I got an invitation to speak at this conference from Shri Harsh Neotia about two months ago, I’ve been trying to think through the subject in a structured manner. My mind would refuse to focus though, and my thoughts would travel repeatedly, often unconsciously, to Mahatma Gandhi, by far the most influential, if also enigmatic, leader India has seen.