Society is a reflection of that group of individuals who happen to constitute it. The same forces which work within an individual operates and influences the society as a whole. If an individual is attempting to overcome one’s limitations by expanding oneself against the natural downward forces and travel beyond the obvious (food, fear, sex and sleep); an accumulation of such forces through a group of individuals, influences and uplifts the entire community. Such shall result in transforming a society and as an outcome, delivering a much more rich, wholesome and contented living experience for the individuals which it comprises of.

Any society or state helps in shaping up of its people, first with education. The quality and environment in which it facilitates its deliverance plays utmost important role for any unmatured mind. The human mind, in its raw and untainted state, is ready to absorb all the information presented to it. It is only much later that we develop to an extent so as to comprehend and understand the effects of education along with the manner in which it needs to be presented. By that time, all that a human mind has assimilated is already indelible, leaving behind less scope for reorientation. Be the education beyond a certain age, directed towards arts or science, it is the fundamental inputs, which shapes up an individual for good or for not. Secondly, at a primary stage of development, it is important, and now being insisted upon by several experts, the need for inculcation of morals and ethics. This is where it becomes necessary to help an individual appraise towards life and its philosophy of living. No matter even if the route taken is through religion or traditional dogmas, but it is important that an individual is able to shape up a practical goal for oneself which is logical and reviewable. Unless such an arena is presented, it is unlikely that one shall keep pursuing goals which will only give in return, trivial matter, which neither completely fulfils our expectation nor is able to generate a sense of stability and poise to the inner being. Third most important part of a society is governance which is directed towards resulting in welfare of the people. While education provides the preliminary skill and philosophy provides a wholesome objective, governance is the most complicated scheme in which decisions are made and acts executed. Apparently, any governance may not always appear to be holistic, as it involves listing strategies and priorities; creating bonds and breaking ties; while playing hide and seek with an attempt to attain and maintain certain designated position. Thus, it will mostly never be something that – ‘pleases all’. But a society needs to be declutched from its limitations with reformation as a continuous objective for long term stability and well-being. Only a balanced individual can maintain a balanced family; only a balanced family can create a balanced neighbourhood; only a balanced neighbourhood can maintain a balanced community; only a balanced community can establish a balanced state; only a balanced state can exemplify and help to replicate a balanced planet.

In order to tread towards such a direction, we individuals need to regulate these aspects in our life by engaging ourselves through education, while attempting to discover our destined philosophy and implementing appropriate governance to the self with the right restrain. This asks for a force (शक्ति) for transformation. Such forces are identified in our ancient texts (Lalitasahasranama:658) as – Iccha Shakti (इच्छा शक्ति), Jnana Shakti (ज्ञान शक्ति) and Kriya Shakti (क्रिया शक्ति). Just as these forces act at an individual level, it also operates over the community and state by large. The society is driven by these forces for reformation and transformation. Some examples from pre-independence era in our country of individuals who infused these forces into the society and the undivided country then, has been presented.

The education institute established by Rabindranath Tagore has been one of the finest experiments in imparting knowledge to budding minds. He established and proved the importance of environment and surroundings in which a mind needs to be nurtured. Rabindranath in his deliverances have spoken on length on this subject in an attempt to communicate the importance of the way of imparting education, apart from the subject matter in hand. Though his area of prominence may have been arts alone, it quite evidently implied that similar format can be adopted to any field of education. The essence of his impact was reinforced when he became the first Asian to receive the Nobel prize and his legacy has continued till date.

Swami Vivekananda, with the blessings of his Guru, walking into the footsteps of ancient Indian teachings distributed nugget of the philosophy and wisdom of the seers. Through relentless efforts during his short tenure in this world he conveyed and demonstrated, how a life needs to be shaped keeping together the principles of both, truth and peace. At Chicago, he mesmerized the audience at the World Parliament of Religions with his landmark speech, which was all but a reflection of the practice and penance that had shaped him up in what he was. Such an individual attains a position where he gives back to the society much more than what he has taken and for much longer than the period for which he lives. Swami Vivekananda happens to be one glowing example.

No matter what may be the outer appearance, if a governance denies a wholesome approach towards each individual, deprives a group of their basic human rights, squeezes a certain geographical region to satiate the wants of another by extracting from its reserves and most importantly by deluding them with misinformation, is a state of affair asking for a radical change. Such was the situation of the society in colonial era and across the undivided state a common sense of unrest was prevailing in the mind of every countryman. All it needed was a massive jolt at a calculated strategic juncture. Subhas Chandra Bose rose as one of the most popular leaders of his times who took a challenging route to ensure that the forces of British imperialism get a blow and shook them to their roots. His strategy worked and even after an apparent scenario of the British overcoming that resistance, were forced to contemplate on their position, finally leading to their retraction and departure from the Indian soil. The name of Subhas Chandra Bose still lingers in classified files of espionage organizations across the globe and yet the world is to come to a complete understanding of the extent to which he has influenced the strongest of the global establishments through his mysterious ways and means.

It is only a matter of coincidence that all these gigantic and popular names of India hail from the same region of this subcontinent, possibly due to the influence that that era had over his region. As the strongest balancing force naturally emerges from the same region where the imperialistic forces exert maximum command. In their lives, they have fused together all the forces of – Iccha Shakti (इच्छा शक्ति), Jnana Shakti (ज्ञान शक्ति) and Kriya Shakti (क्रिया शक्ति), in order to move towards their objective. Yet, we can easily identify one of these forces through each of these lives which had the maximum impact on our society as a whole. Rabindranath Tagore’s Iccha Shakti (इच्छा शक्ति) through his established Educational set up, Swami Vivekananda’s Jnana Shakti (ज्ञान शक्ति) through the eminence of his Philosophy and Subhas Chandra Bose’s Kriya Shakti (क्रिया शक्ति) through his style of Governance, transformed many lives and left behind a trail of footprints to be contemplated, assimilated and followed.