The Chinese philosopher Confucius taught that virtue is revealed by conduct, not by self-proclamation. Nowhere is that insight more relevant than in the lives of leaders, especially those entrusted with running nations.The clearest evidence of a leader’s character is often found not in speeches or slogans, but in actions, policies, and in the stories that survive them.History remembers Nelson Mandela not only for dismantling apartheid, but for inviting his former prison guard, Christo Brand, to his presidential inauguration – an act of grace that chose reconciliation over revenge after decades of brutal discrimination.After the Christchurch mosque attacks, former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was remembered not merely for policy responses, but for covering her head with a scarf and embracing grieving Muslim families, making empathy the defining image of her nation’s response.Angela Merkel earned respect during the refugee crisis not simply for political decisions, but for publicly insisting on the humane treatment of asylum seekers despite fierce backlash.Former Uruguayan president José Mujica became beloved worldwide not because of geopolitical triumphs, but because he donated most of his salary to charity and chose to live on his modest farm rather than in the presidential palace in Montevideo.Even in India, enduring public affection for leaders often rests on such stories.When Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister, he helped political rival Atal Bihari Vajpayee travel abroad for medical treatment. Vajpayee later acknowledged the gesture with gratitude.Lal Bahadur Shastri took a loan to buy a modest Fiat car, and his family repaid it after his death. As railway minister, he resigned after the Ariyalur train disaster, accepting moral responsibility for a tragedy he had not personally caused.Officials who served with Indira Gandhi recalled how she often stopped her convoy unannounced to speak directly with villagers, especially women, and instructed aides to record grievances for follow-up. Letters describing illness or hardship were reportedly marked by her office for urgent attention.Even the famously reserved Manmohan Singh earned quiet respect for writing personal apology letters after controversies and policy failures.None of these anecdotes are monumental in themselves, but they matter because they point to the character of those entrusted with public power.At this point, one cannot help but ask: how will Narendra Modi be remembered? Especially after his nationally televised speech on the night of April 18, a day after his government’s failed attempt to lift the freeze on delimitation and expand the strength of the Lok Sabha under the guise of women’s reservation. In what may rank among the lowest moments of Indian politics, the prime minister used national television to accuse the Congress and its allies of “committing female foeticide” in Parliament.“Parties like the Congress, the TMC, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the DMK are the culprits of this female foeticide,” raged the man, eyes still moist with ostensible tears. “They are offenders against the country’s Constitution. They are the offenders against the country’s nari shakti!”In a litany of blatant untruths, India’s 14th prime minister – who has carefully cultivated the grim, brittle image of a solitary sage bearing the civilisational burden of remaking India into a Hindu rashtra, rescuing it from decades of “Congress misrule,” and single-handedly delivering development – may have descended to his lowest nadir yet.Far from becoming a Vishwaguru, domestic debacles such as demonetisation and foreign-policy missteps such as aligning India too closely with the United States and Israel have ensured he will be remembered less as a statesman and more as a self-serving megalomaniac who failed to deliver either at home or abroad.History will recall his self-aggrandisement, the awkward hugs and laughter that became meme fodder, the suggestion that cooking gas could be extracted from sewers, and his close relations with India’s richest billionaires.Modi could have shown a little humility, though that may be asking too much of the man. He could have held a few genuine press conferences and shown that he believes in the freedom of the press. Instead of spending nearly Rs. 1.5 crores a day on advertising and self-promotion since 2014, he could have used that money (Rs 5,987.46 crores) to genuinely better the lives of millions. And he could have chosen to laugh at cartoons and satires mocking his foibles instead of ordering them taken down.One is constantly bombarded with propaganda touting his “self-denial, destiny, and greatness,” yet one is still to hear even a single story of quiet kindness that did not first emerge from the BJP IT cell. (The stories of his motorcade giving way to ambulances do not count.)Leaders who possess empathy leave traces of it behind. Their decency survives in anecdotes and memories. Those around them remember how they treated subordinates, rivals, strangers, and the vulnerable, especially when the cameras and applause were absent.Strip away the propaganda, spectacle, and carefully curated iconography, and what remains in the case of our current prime minister is the sad picture of a man who has inspired no enduring stories of personal kindness, humility, or simple goodness.And so perhaps the most damning judgment on the man will also be the most personal: that after all the chest-thumping and self-mythologising, he not only failed to distinguish himself as a great leader; he also failed to convince the country that he was, in the most basic sense, a good man.Rohit Kumar is an educator and can be reached at letsempathize@gmail.com.