Sunday, March 08, 2015

Power of Medium

Here I am, logged on to Flipkart.com, finally buying myself the copy of 'The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin'. The only word that can describe my present state of mind is.....FINALLY!
A little over a month back and the scene was different. I had been searching high and low, online stores as well as as mom and pop book shops but just could not find it anywhere. Not just Flipkart but I had even checked on Amazon, no luck and then I checked on similar other online sites, no luck there as well. I even looked up obscure children's websites which sell books. Out of stock! was the standard message I received across all websites. Finally, I inquired at the much dependable Strand Book stall. I somehow had a faint glimmer of hope that Strand folks will not disappoint me. But well, can you believe? Even they had run out of copies of this book. This book suddenly seemed to have gained the importance of a national treasure. Everyone seemed to have already hunted it out before me and it was apparent I was not quick enough.
Someone at the Strand Book stall even posed a question back at me....How come Benjamin Franklin has suddenly become so popular? We have actually never been out of stock on this book ever till now!
Though I knew the reason for Ben Franklin's sudden popularity I just gave a feeble laugh and quietly put down the phone. I am sure even Ben Franklin would have been pleasantly surprised knowing about the sudden turn in his fortune.

Given its unavailability, I was now more eager than ever to get my hands on the book and I was not going to let a minute go by.
So you see, the last one month has seen days of relentless hunt, interspersed with days of patient wait and even some days of despair. And finally today, a month later, I am buying the much elusive book 'The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin' online.
Till a month back, I knew this personality only to the extent that he was one of the founding fathers of United States, a great statesman and a able politician. But here I was, keen to know more about him more than ever before. But why?

It all started on January 27th, 2015 over a 'Mann ki baat' featuring PM Modi and US President Obama. Somewhere during the thirty minute long conversation, a question was posed to both leaders asking them which leader had inspired them the most. President Obama had sometime during the conversation, already made a strong reference to Gandhi being a leader par excellence. Our PMs answer however was not what I expected to hear or for that matter any other listener of 'Mann ki baat' expected this answer that day. May be an Indian leader like Swami Vivekanand or Vallabhai Patel was what we all expected to hear. But no, he mentioned Benjamin Franklin.
And here is the exact transcript of his answer around this question and once you read you will know my (and every other person's) sudden obsession with Benjamin Franklin.
"When I was young, I used to see Kennedy's pictures in Indian newspapers. His personality was very impressive. But your question is, who has inspired me. I liked reading as a child. And I got an opportunity to read the biography of Benjamin Franklin. He lived in the eighteenth century. And he was not an American President. But his biography is so inspiring - how a person can intelligently try to change his life.
If we feel excessively sleepy, how can we reduce that?
If we feel like eating too much, how can we work towards eating less?
If people get upset with you that cannot meet them, because of the pressure of work, then how to solve this problem?
He has addressed such issues in his biography. And I tell everyone, we should read Benjamin Franklin's biography. Even today, it inspires me. And Benjamin Franklin had a multi-dimensional personality. He was a politician, he was a political scientist, he was a social worker, he was a diplomat. And he came from an ordinary family. He could not even complete his education. But till today, his thoughts have an impact on American life. I find his life truly inspiring. And I tell you too, if you read his biography, you will find ways to transform your life too. And he has talked about simple things. So I feel you will be inspired as much as I have been."


Who would have thought that along with me there were many (probably thousands) others who would have also got moved into buying the book after listening to the episode of Mann ki Baat.
Well, such is the power of our PMs words (sender of message) and also his narrative, such is the power of the humungous reach of radio (medium) and also such is the power of Benjamin Franklin a leader (subject of message) who I almost know nothing of (at least right now).

After listening to the above conversation which was aired on All India Radio which has the potential reach of 90% of India's population, I am sure you now have no shred of doubt why Benjamin Franklin had suddenly become the hero every parent wanted their children to know about or every adult (like me) wanted to read more for inspiration.


Now waiting for the book to arrive!
Source for the Transcript: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Full-transcript-of-Obama-Modi-Mann-ki-baat/articleshow/46032820.cms