“Congratulations ma’am!”

“Thank you! Are you congratulating me for soon becoming the first tribal president?”

“No ma’am!”

“The second woman president?”

“No ma’am!”

“Then why are you congratulating me?”

“For someone who can be remembered for ever in Indian history, at a time when children can’t recall who was president, two or three presidents back!”

“That’s true. Yes, being a tribal will make them remember me!”

“No ma’am, our children really don’t care if you are one or not!”

“Then what can they remember me for?”

“You can be remembered for being the upholder of the Constitution of India!”

“But that is what my job entails!”

“But one who held high the Ambedkar written book, even while others misquoted from it! One who referred to it time and again, even when the legislative threw it aside. One who used her Constitutional voice even when the voices of the elected majority tried to order you into silence!”

“Will I be remembered then?”

“Yes, ma’am you will. Though presidents have come and presidents have gone, the post has become more of a rubber stamp to every ruling party in power, but you ma’am can show people what they’re longing to hear!”

“And what I pray is that?”

“That our first citizens is willing to stand alone if ever she has to! And when the youth of India see their leader with such courage of conviction, they themselves will start doing the same in different situations they face every day. And ma’am..”

“What?”

“Soon they will feel below their shoulders and find, what you have shown them is still there!”

“What do I as a president have to show them?”

“That we people have a backbone! And that ma’am is what we the people want to remember you for. And years later, in the same breath that we the citizens say the name of Gandhiji, and Nehru and Vajpayee, we will with reverence mention yours!”

And as the president to be turned and went towards her future home, to see what old furniture she would want to change, the Books of History, slightly mauled because of recent turbulent activity turned to me and asked, “Will she be in our books?”

“She will!” I said, “But whether she will be remembered for being one of guts and courage, of fearlessness and valor is something you pages will have to wait for!”

“What we will have to wait for,” whispered the future Books of History, “Is to see if she will be just a line in our books, a paragraph, a page, a chapter or a whole book!”

“Congratulations Ma’am!” I said respectfully, “History waits for you..!

bobsbanter@gmail.com