hidden image

Bob's Banter by Robert Clements She Won in Nandigram..!

Robert Clements Robert Clements
10 May 2021

Yes, Didi did!
Most often battles are won by valiant and brave fighters who give up their lives to win a war. An army advances but from a particular vantage spot a sniper shoots relentlessly at the same forces, pushing them back, and gunning down their best, one at a time.
At that anxious moment, some brave trooper steps out, walks up to the commander and says, “I’ll take that sniper down!”
“You’ll lose your life!” says the general shaking his head sadly.
“But we’ll win the battle sir!”
The troops watch with baited breath as the valiant warrior rushes in where angels fear to tread, and even as he shoots the sniper, the sniper shoots him dead. But with a roar, the rest of his comrades rush in, take the fort, and win the battle.
Didi did just that!
Faced with an army of deserters, she decided to take on their chief in his own bastion, which was Nandigram. A place where there was very little chance of her winning, because her opponent’s family was quite entrenched there.
Her troops couldn’t believe their ears. For decades after Independence they’d watched leaders, starting from the Gandhi family, standing from two constituencies, to play safe. They had never seen a leader giving up her safe seat to move into enemy territory and take an opponent head on.
They knew how powerful the adversary was, but as they realized what she was doing, their own war cries became louder. They suddenly knew their general was leading from the front, and with new power in their wings they soared high, to fight what the rest of the country thought was an impossible fight against an undefeatable foe.
They watched their Didi battle the traitor, then turned their eyes to their own battles.
They won and how, all because one little woman on a wheelchair, decided to lead the way and get the sniper!   
She was felled by his bullet, but not before seeing, she had won, and by a two-thirds majority!
There’s a lesson for us weakhearted here. Very often seeing injustice happening in our offices or where we live, we keep quiet because we feel the sniper’s bullet will fell us. That’s when we have to decide whether the cause we stand for is bigger than ourselves.
Didi could have stood from a safe seat, after all that’s quite a tradition among our leaders isn’t it?
But she didn’t. She led from the front, galvanized her army single handedly and stands victorious even as the lone bullet found it’s mark!
And as the sniper yells with glee he sees his victim get up and wave at her victorious troops and realizes that what he thought was a victory, was actually Didi winning through his Nandigram..!

bobsbanter@gmil.com  
 

Recent Posts

The Haryana election results highlight Congress's internal crisis, over-reliance on regional satraps, and failure to engage marginalised communities, particularly Dalits. The party's leadership neglec
apicture Vidya Bhushan Rawat
14 Oct 2024
Open Letter to Kejriwal
apicture A. J. Philip
14 Oct 2024
The tragic Hathras incident of child sacrifice highlights the dangers of blind faith, even among the educated. Promoting scientific temper, as the Constitution encourages, is crucial to countering sup
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
14 Oct 2024
It is important to understand that by providing a protective shield to abusive husbands, we are not only perpetuating violence but also sending a message to the younger generation that "women do not h
apicture Jaswant Kaur
14 Oct 2024
Rahul Gandhi's remarks on religious rights in the US were used by the BJP and RSS to attack him while manipulating religious sentiments for political gain. They have historically been culpable of atte
apicture Ram Puniyani
14 Oct 2024
Religion often becomes a reason for discrimination, division, hatred and distance. This is unpardonable. Instead, religion has to be a tool for unity. ‘Whatever be the religion, it suffices if one is
apicture Dr. M. D. Thomas
14 Oct 2024
When a book has a foreword by a celebrity cancer 'survivor', the reader can be assured that the author is embarking on a narrative journey that will take him through the travails of a disease that has
apicture Pachu Menon
14 Oct 2024
Does religion today indeed lead to God? Why is there growing religious intolerance, violence, and manipulation? True religion advocates understanding the core values of faith, promoting unity, and emb
apicture Dr Martin Valiyaparambil VC
14 Oct 2024
Even as India bade a tearful farewell to a giant of a man, let us not bid adieu to the values the Tata name so firmly established in the country. For many decades, people swore by the brand name Tata.
apicture Robert Clements
14 Oct 2024
Sonam Wangchuk's detainment at the Delhi border reflects the government's growing fear of public support for peaceful movements, challenging the state's neglect. Sonam's ability to mobilise people and
apicture A. J. Philip
07 Oct 2024