All of us come to earth to live life, share experiences and create a future on the past and live in the present which has soon to become the past. Everyone has a role to play and carve a niche for himself or herself, be it in the family, the neighbourhood, the city, the state or the country.
A few years ago, Smt Rabri Devi too established her identity. She was a nonentity and nobody knew who she was and where she lived. One find day, circumstances and history pushed her into the spotlight and on to the throne of the Chief Minister of Bihar. Overnight, the shy, low-profile housewife, who had remained contented to be the wife of Lalu Yadav, emerged from the shadows to carve a place of her own.
Smt Rabri Devi became the first woman Chief Minister of Bihar on July 25, 1997. Her tenure in office was not anything much to write about but it was a role played by destiny which suddenly shot her to fame. Actually some even characaterise her tenure in office as the worst-ever as any Chief Minister of Bihar. Her first term ended on February 12, 1999 when the state was briefly put under President'srule. Her second term ran from March 9, 1999 to March 3, 2000; her third and the longest term began on March 11, 2000 and ended in 2005.
Anyway what goes to her credit is that with little education and even no experience or interest in politics, she managed to keep alive the enigma of her peasant folk-hero husband. Actually when one looks back upon her role as a Chief Minister, one is reminded of Shakespeare'swords, ?Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.?
We all know something about Rabri and this included her not being able to even open her mouth or interact with people prior to her being catapulted to power. But when it came to facing challenges, the world finally came to know that she was no goongi gudiya, but a fighter to the core. The changes occurred gradually as she got exposure to the vagaries of politics, which she was asked to master. Her husband Lalu Prasad and then Chief Minister of Bihar was sent to jail on charges of large-scale embezzlement of funds meant for purchasing animal fodder. This siphoning off of funds came to be referred as the ?fodder scam? which was dubbed as the ?mother of all scams?. The family looked on helplessly when Lalu Prasad, who once wielded immense power, was pushed behind the bars of Patna'sBeur Jail, from where he was later lodged in a guest house which was converted into a special jail for security reasons.
Subsequently activities in Rabri kitchen nearly came to a standstill as the unwanted burden of ruling the state fell on her shoulders. Hardly familiar with the task of ruling, there was complete chaos. There was also a near scramble among some overambitious party men to muster up support of the required number of legislators to get to the Chief Minister'spost. The author says that when recalling those days, Rabri Devi still carries a vivid picture of those harrowing days. She says, ?I cried inside the house, behind closed doors surrounded by my children, beat my head, but had no option whatsoever.? While the Opposition was celebrating the incarceration of her husband, she was apprehensive about the fate of her family and the state which she was asked to rule. People made fun of the fact that she was a junior school dropout who only knew how to put her thumb impression on papers.
The author talks abut the strength of character of this rustic and nearly illiterate housewife who rose from the ?dungeons? of an anarchist Bihar to rule and lead.
The woman who looked dazed and shocked on her first day in office has now turned into a massive crowd puller. The author feels, ?Who knows if she gets back tomorrow as a different woman?the one who would deliver a better administration and prove that abilities to govern may not be linked to formal education.?
Here is a book that may be read for some light fun.
(Vitasta Publishing Pvt Ltd, 2/15 Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi-110 002.)
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