MICHAEL GORBACHEV AT 80

Age has caught up with him. Even at 80 – he turned 80 today - apart from his physical features his attitudes remain the same.
A man acclaimed and celebrated abroad is not much loved in his own nation. The reason - he was instrumental in the withering away Soviet Union – a conglomeration of States. He brought down the Iron Curtain and presided over the collapse of Soviet Union. In other words a misfit in the Communist nation.
Michael Gorbachov will be remembered in the years to come as the former President of Soviet Empire, he was the last one to preside over and he will be remembered as the architect of Glasnost and Perestroika – total restructuring - which led to the crumbling down of Soviet empire. Through Glasnost – the open debate - and Perestroika – total restructuring – he invited many critics and enemies in his own nation which ultimately led to his removal from the prestigious post of President. The Communist party turned more bitter, Boris Yeltsin with the support of two States Ukraine and Belarus occupied the saddle who passed away four years ago. The Communist party even tried to topple Gorbachev from power through a coup, but was unsuccessful. Gorbachev’s plan to form his party met with failure as he was not allowed to get it registered on being isolated in his home country the outside world was all praises for him and still held in high esteem. The reason behind celebrating his 80th birthday at the Royal Albert Hall with Gala concert on March 30 is very much understandable while in his home country the celebration is limited to a photo-session including only his family members.
In the year 1985 he assumed power as President of the Soviet Union and within no time dismantled the country’s nuclear arsenal, which was a great instance of his love of peace. Though his action was not acclaimed inside the country, the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi followed his example. But no, expect for Ronald Reagen, the then American President expressing surprise, US decided not to follow Gorby as he is fondly called.
Vladimir Putin, Russia’s Prime Minister and then President called the disintegration of Soviet Union as a big ‘geo-political catastrophe’.
One high official of Putin govt even called Gorbachov a ‘demagogue’ and a ‘traitor’. One Marxist theoretician in India went to the extent of writing ‘I have not a drop of tear to shed for Gorby’, in fact Gorbachov felt isolated and ostracized with critics and enemies around.
Recently in an interview Gorbachev called Putin-Medvedev tandem as ‘imitation democracy’ and ‘a bad copy of Soviet communism’.
In his official as well as personal life Gorbachev had to face many tragedies still the great man remains confident and determined and goes ahead with his Gorbachev Foundation.
The 1990 Nobel Prize for Foreign policy went to Gorbachev and now he moves ahead with the Gorbachev think tank and the ecology of Green International, he is fountain head of both organizations.

Courtsey : Vladimir Radyuhin