HEROES OF ASIA

by Ysmen George Pallath .

In a recent issue of TIME Magazine, it listed some of the heroes of Asia during the last 60 years who made Asia what it is today. It makes interesting reading.

Gandhi & Nehru by Sashi Taroor:- Together they brought a nation to freedom and laid the underpinnings for the world’s largest democracy. Gandhi was the extraordinary leader of the world’s first successful non violent movement for independence. By abstaining from violence, he took the moral advantage. By breaking the British imposed laws non violently, he demonstrated their injustice. Nehru was the idealistic, moody and intellectual leader who felt an almost mystical empathy for the toiling peasant masses. Gandhi’s moral rectitude and Nehru’s political passion made the perpetuation of British rule an impossibility.

Deng Xiaoping by Jonathan Spence :- He is the Maoist who reinvented himself, transformed a nation and changed the world. He relaxed all manner of economic controls and launched special economic zones and transformed China into a global manufacturing behemoth and heralded China’s arrival on the world stage as a major geopolitical and financial player. He allowed pockets of capitalism to flourish in a communist country with great success.

Lee Kuan Yew by Simon Elegant:- A person with a formidable personality and unshakeable faith in his own convictions, he transformed a sleepy tropical port into one of the world’s most economically vibrant city state { Singapore}.

Aung San Suu Kyi by Andrew Marshal:- The courageous daughter of a courageous freedom fighter. She is determined to continue the freedom struggle started by her father, Aung San. Aung San negotiated Burma’s freedom from the British . But the Military junta took over where the British left. Burma is still under shackles. Aung San Suu Kyi is its best bet.

Amartya Sen by Meghnad Desai:- A philosopher and economist who preaches tolerance to a divided world.

Salman Rushdie by Pico Iyer:- a literary magician who conjured up a new post colonial landscape.

Li Ka Shing:- by Stephen Vines:- The richest man in Asia who built a global empire out of an ailing British Conglomerate. In Hong Kong he is called the “Chiu” meaning superman.

Akio Morita & Masaru Ibuka by Michael Elliot:- They were friends and partners for forty years, they made SONY an icon of Japan’s rebirth. Ibuka was the engineering fiddler who innovates and Morita was the sleek manager who had friends and connections on all the continents. They built an Asian company which is synonymous globally with quality and style.

Narayana Murthy by Alex Perry:- From a Bombay bed sit, he launched an economic revolution. He laid the groundwork for a wildly successful company which is the leader in business process outsourcing – that defines globalization in action. His company “Infosys” made India a crucible for globalization, helping to lift the impoverished India out of the dark ages.

Chung Ju Yung by Michael Schuman:- The founder of Hyundai group of companies has proved a lot of people wrong- His iron will and just do it spirit propelled South Korea from a poverty stricken mess into the world’s 11^th largest economy.

Lakshmi Mittal by Alex Perry:- His boldness and spectacular wealth reflect India’s growing financial might.

Victor & William Fung:- They are the masters of global manufacturing.

Muhammed Yunus:- A nobel Laureate banker who envisions an end to poverty.

Akira Kurosawa :- A master filmmaker with a eye for darkness and complexity.

Farrokh Bulsara famously known as Freddy Mercury:- He showed the world ust how hard a Parsi boy could rock.

Sachin Tendulkar – considered the greatest living exponent of his craft. Another Don Bradman.

Li Ning:- China’s legendary gymnast has combined sporting agility with commercial muscle.

Jahangir Khan:- sport has no greater conqueror.

Bruce Lee:- Had Lee not become a movie star, he would still have become a Kung Fu legend. Sometimes we need to forget the film star to see the real athlete.

Dalai Lama by Deepak Chopra:- Tibet’s spiritual leader is otherworldly, yet deeply engaged in this world. With remarkable subtlety, he teaches patience, humility and compassion.

Mother Teresa by Dominique Lapierre:- The saint of Calcutta spread love to the unwanted, the homeless and the abandoned.

Mechai Viravaidya:- by preaching safe sex, Thailand’s “Condom King” became a legend.

All these people made the world change to their ideals. Most of us ordinary people adjust and adapt with the world around us. It is these kind of heroes who succeed in creating a new world order.