By Raju William
Finally the Iron Lady of Manipur has decided to bend enough to enter the portal of electoral politics thus ending her 16-year old hunger strike to press for repealing of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
After a so long dogged fight against what she perceived as gross injustice done to 10 civilians allegedly shot dead by the Assam Rifles in November 2000 under the cover of AFSPA, the decision to end hunger strike took everybody including her family by surprise because this is not expected of those having embarked upon the journey of voluntary martyrdom for a selfless cause. It is seen as a compromise, unacceptable dilution of their commitment and consequent lowering of image in general estimation.
By all accounts, it appears that she has taken this decision on her own. It also entails getting married and contesting elections to achieve what she has made her lifelong mission. To begin with, she took to the means of pricking the moral chords of the powers that be to see merit in her demand of repealing the AFSPA. But 16 long years passed by and her fight was leading to nowhere.
Since this is her own decision, so naturally she must have done a great deal of painstaking introspection to realise the futility of her effort so far. This implies the process of transition within was on for long. She started on an idealistic note as all such struggles by individuals do, the history tells us. The idealism after all is the guiding force behind all great personal fights but for a larger cause.
With this decision, Sharmila now (44) has shown that she is a normal human being having some desires to be fulfilled so as to redirect her fight with renewed focus and energy. “I don’t want to be a goddess. I just want a normal life,” she was quoted as saying in interactions with the media in the past. Such plain talk is expected only from the unpretentious people and only goes to show she is as committed to the cause she deems correct as she was at the launch of her crusade.
What is of special significance in her decision is that the idealist in her has given way to a pragmatist but without any hint of having compromised the underlying ideals of her fight. And this explains quite unambiguously the rationale behind decision of marriage and contesting the Assembly elections in her home state. She seems to have correctly learnt that it is the politics that finally decides the fate of masses.
Though it may be risky to draw any parallel at this stage but let’s recall this was the rationale behind formation, only four year ago, of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which has shaken the political landscape of the country. Returning to Sharmila saga, it would be quite interesting to watch the outcome of her political endeavour as and when it shows up. Any judgement on her ‘surprising’ decision should be left for the future. Sixteen years ago, she listened to her heart but now to her mind too. Let’s wait to see where this blend takes her fight to.