India needs real leaders for its future: Justice Katju's resolve
At the age of 79, Justice Katju stated that his final mission in life is to cultivate genuine, patriotic, and modern leaders for India.
My job in my remaining life
By Justice Markandey Katju
I am 79 today, 20th September 2025. The Bible, Psalm 90.10 gives a man 70 years of life, or 80 if his strength endures.
I am well past 70, and almost 80, so I have only a few years more to live.
But as the American poet Robert Frost wrote ''I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.'
So let me tell you what is my promise and my job in my remaining life.
In a nutshell, my job is to create leaders for the Indian nation ( in which I include Pakistan and Bangladesh, for we are really one nation, only artificially and temporarily divided by a British swindle, but are sure to reunite one day under a secular government ). This needs to be explained.
Every country requires leaders, and so does India. However, the present Indian political leaders, of all parties, are an utterly worthless lot, seeking only power and pelf, with no genuine love for the people. So we must have genuinely patriotic, selfless, modern minded leaders to lead the Indian people in the coming mighty people's struggle, which will be protracted and requiring great sacrifices, culminating in a historical people's revolution, which will set up a political and social order under which India rapidly industrialises, and is transformed into a modern industrial giant, with our people enjoying a high standard of living, and leading decent lives.
Ordinarily, it is the educated intellectuals who give leadership to a nation. They are the eyes of society, and without them, society is blind.
But how can the Indian educated class and 'intellectuals' give leadership to the country when they themselves are blind ( as they have no understanding of what is really going on in India and the world, and are not real intellectuals but pseudo or phoney 'intellectuals' ) ? It will be a case of the blind leading the blind.
When a baby mouse, rabbit, kitten or puppy is born, its eyes are closed and open only after a few weeks. The eyes of the Indian educated class and our so-called 'intellectuals' are still closed. I regard it as my job to open them. In other words, I have to educate the 'educated' class in India. When these are educated, they in turn will educate and give leadership to the Indian masses.
There are 3 principles on which there must be no compromise, and no dissent will be tolerated.These are :
1. Our national aim must to be to abolish the massive poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, lack of proper healthcare and good education, etc in India
2. To attain the above goal, we must transform India into a modern industrial giant, like China or USA.
3. Making this transformation requires a mighty united protacted people's struggle, in which great sacrifices will have to be made, culminating in a histoical people's revolution which sets up a political and social order under which there is rapid industrialization, and the standard of living of the people steadily rises.
The educated class in India must thoroughly imbibe these 3 principles if they wish to become leaders.
So it is my job to educate the 'educated' class in India, and create leaders for the Indian people. I am perfectly suited for this job due to my deep study for over 65 years, discussions with people having minds more developed than mine ( they are all dead now ), and intense reflection.
I myself cannot be a leader of the Indian people, as I am too old. Also, I cannot myself educate the uneducated or undereducated masses of India, as they are well over a billion, and so too many for my reach. That is the job of the leaders I intend to create.
(Justice Katju is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India. These are his personal views.)
