It’s been 12 years since you said goodbye to the world. But you are still alive. In every person who is fighting for the right, in every tongue which speaks the truth, in every heart that believes in, justice.
When they entered your office 12 years ago, their intention was not only to assassinate you but to convey this message to others that whoever chooses the path of right will meet the same fate. They may have punctured your body with those bullets, but your thoughts, your words, your actions could not be erased. Your martyrdom has awakened many sleeping consciences. You have given them a purpose to live.
I have often heard people talking about rights and justice while doing little in that direction. But your actions were a reflection of your words. Lived for the sake of justice and died for the same.
I remember the words of Roy Black every day which not only inspired you but helped you to find your mission in life. “By showing me injustice, he taught me to love justice. By showing me what pain and humiliation were all about, he awakened my heart to mercy. Through these hardships, I learned hard lessons. Fight against prejudice, battle the oppressors, support the underdogs. Question authority, shake up the system, never be discouraged by hard times and hard people. Embrace those who are placed last, to whom even bottom looks like up. It took me sometime to find my mission in life. But that ‘school’, and that teacher put me on my true path. I will never be discouraged. Even thorns and thistles can teach you something, and lead to success.”
The biggest burden in this world is false accusations against an innocent person. Living with those accusations every single moment feels worse than death. The day I learned this lesson, my respect for you increased even more in my heart. And the spirit of fighting for just got stronger. With this, I learned another lesson – “the power of truth”. When a person is true, he is on the right path, then he fights fearlessly. Truth gives strength to man. No matter how difficult the path may be, however difficult it is in the end the truth triumphs.
Whenever I think about you, Hazrat Imam Ali’s words flash in my mind: “We all have to die but what matters is how we die”. And then I pray ‘May I also get martyrdom because I don’t think there can be any better death than this.’
I will forever be indebted to you, you have given purpose to my aimless life.
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Rimsha Khan has a bachelor's degree in Biotechnology and currently pursuing M.A. in Political Science at Lady Shri Ram College of Women, University of Delhi.
