The Iron Lady : The Magnificent Irom Sharmila
Omila Thounaojam *
Paintings on Spirit of Irom Sharmila :: Neogene - a new generation of contemporary artists
How do we comfort you dear sister? How do we make you feel little at ease?
There you are in that small room that's a modern day liberal prison locked up and unlocked at the same time. You say nothing but give us multi-layered messages that are hard to be pretended unheard of.
A hero - a figure, a soldier fighting a social war for a humanitarian cause is what you are a representation of. No fearful forces could hold you behind and today you are THERE before us as a LIVING LEGEND. A true inspiration, a role model for various virtues whose names we have heard of only in texts.
An isolated journey to one of the loneliest roads is what you have opted for. Sister! Salute to you and your INVINCIBLE STRENGTH which has shook the entire world and from now on, to be no more indifferent.
THE IRON LADY of Manipur should be your name. A figure that has transcended the most profanes and carnal definition of human body and its temporal existence- is the essence of your PRESENCE. SHE departs from the most naturally beautiful expectations of a woman and heads on into this turbulent journey that would literally draw the life out of her.
It's her Spirit that's keeping her alive and allows her fight spontaneously her fight against INJUSTICE in the name of law enforcement and curbing anti-social elements. It's been years since she plunged into this non-violent peaceful war for the sake of a social order that celebrates a truly democratic fashion of socio-political functioning.
Her STAND has been misinterpreted, mis-pronounced and labeled by many to be un-deserving enough as a meaningful/rightful cause/call to fight for. And as an outcome of it, she continues her SILENT STRUGGLE in the shell and persistently is writing HER LETTER to her fellow countrymen pleading them to witness the blood-tainted breezes of the small land.
The land known to all as a Jewel but has sadly now been turned into a SHADOWY FIELD with trees colored in red and bodies hung every minute on its branches in the name of law enforcement.
It's like a GHOST has migrated in our land and none but SHE could see it sucking the BLOOD out of many innocent lives. Chivalrously SHE continues doing the task of many heads and here we are following her lead but with the slowest of pace. Her meditative deep persona has become a living URBEN LEGEND with many hearts falling in love with her.
Magnificently SHE gives away everyday for our well being and in return, converts many of us into a social person-closer in heart to our homeland. Indeed our IRON LADY stands out of all to be a true pride of our land, known to the world for the way it respects empowered women.
We are there for you and are trying to catch up and hold you and be besides always. The journey you began is the JOURNEY now for many of us too. Hesitation is out of sight and range for your family now and we are prepared to follow you OUR LADY.
The REIGN OF TERROR must come to an END and all your SACRICES must be counted with the FRUIT it bears by the LAUNCH of an era that SINGS of a FREE LAND.
* Omila Thounaojam wrote this article for Hueiyen Lanpao (English Edition)
The writer is a Research Scholar, Assam University (Silchar)
This article was posted on December 27, 2012
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