Reet Mahajan

Action Crime Thriller

4.0  

Reet Mahajan

Action Crime Thriller

A Tale Of Valour

A Tale Of Valour

5 mins
114


Fear is housed by all of us. What matters is how many of us can overcome our fears.


Earlier I was afraid of riding my scooter on the highway. I was scared to stay alone at home and to step out of it and encounter creepy strangers present outside. I was even scared of house lizards. I used to scan each nook and cranny of every room to avoid them. 


Then I read about Rukhsana Kosser and how she stood her ground against armed terrorists. Her story made me feel ashamed of my pathetic fears. This girl was not afraid of terrorists then why should I house these insignificant fears. After all lizards don’t have guns and the minds to cause terror.

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is a deadly terrorist organization responsible for multiple attacks in our country. Such as the attack on Red Fort (in 2000), the attack on the Indian Parliament (in 2001), bombings in Delhi (2005) and Mumbai (2008). They aim at merging the whole of Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan. This motive has led them to attack Jammu and Kashmir multiple times. They attack innocent civilians to spread their rule and fear.

Rukhsana Kosser too witnessed one such terror attack. During the early hours of the night, three Lashkar- e -Taiba militants barged into Rukhsana’s uncle’s house and abducted him. They forced him to lead them to his elder brother’s house where Rukhsana lived.

Imagine being peacefully asleep on your bed when you are jerked awake by your family’s screams. That’s how Rukhsana felt on the night of 27 September 2009. Jerked awake by the cries of help, Rukhsana and her younger brother Aijaz Ahmed saw a horrific sight. Their parents and uncle were being beaten up mercilessly in the next room. Right then one of the militants opened fire and injured their uncle. This sparked anger in both the siblings and they decided to shoulder the responsibility to save their family.

Rukhsana’s selfless love for her family motivates me to respect my parents. Her feelings were so strong that instead of running away she rushed and faced three deadly terrorists. Rukhsana did some quick thinking and started to collect any weapons in her house. Finding heavy sticks and axes she gave some to her brother and then both went and faced the militants. Unleashing all their resentment.

This brings me to a relevant question: was Rukhsana made of some other mettle to take such a step? 

We can panic so easily. Only a little thing falls out of schedule, and we lose our composure. In a panic, even normal tasks go haywire. 


Rukhsana didn’t opt to panic, instead, she used her anger and determination to focus on the situation and remain composed. The siblings then went in to confront the people who had forced them to wield weapons. Their sudden attack startled the militants to such an extent that they forgot to bring their guns to use. One of the militants chickened out and ran away. Rukhsana then pulled away from a gun from one of the militant’s hands and aimed at him. Her shot was precise, and it left the militant dead.

The last militant after being gravely injured sought the cover of darkness to make his escape. Both siblings then helped their parents and uncle to reach the nearest police station.

After investigation, it was found out that the militant who was killed bravely by Rukhsana was the division commander of LeT. Rukhsana Kosser and her brother had brought down a highly dangerous and cruel terrorist who had ruined families by taking a number of civilian lives. He had even attacked security forces several times. Both siblings were honoured with the gallantry award Kirti Chakra.

This incident was not just a thrilling tale but an inspiration for all the youngsters to display the presence of mind in the grimmest of situations. Rukhsana shines like an epitome of courage among all the young girls to not bow to their fears but to stare back at them and bring them down.

As rightly quoted by Nelson Mandela, ‘The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.’ If we place ourselves in Rukhsana’s shoes, fear would surely be our main emotion. What made Rukhsana fightback was not the reason that she was fearless but the fact that she triumphed over her fear. She accepted her destiny and took a grave decision.


I am sure you too can find Rukhsana’s tale so relatable because she too was just a normal girl. A normal girl who would not tolerate such injustice. She had no formal training or experience to handle these situations, yet her bravery and presence of mind helped her emerge victoriously. 

She didn’t have any superpower, yet she is stronger than many because she took a step towards retailing against injustice. Her resilience made the terrorists back up. Her sheer confidence forced a militant to loosen his grip on his weapon. Her righteous anger made two of them flee away. Rukhsana’s story is of a 20-year-old girl who faced the feared terrorists without a bit of hesitation, a girl who encouraged her younger brother to come out and fight these people who planned to not only ruin one night but fill their countless nights with nightmares. In the end, she finally won.

Her story taught me to be stronger than my fears. Her actions motivated me to find my inner strength and fight back. I can now drive my scooter with confidence. I am no longer afraid of staying alone or setting out on my own. As for the lizards, they would never scare me anymore.

When the army brings down terrorists people are proud of them and their nation but when a civilian like Rukhsana brings down terrorists then one’s faith in human power is restored.

As stated, by Mahatma Gandhi, ‘Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will.’ Rukhsana’s will to live and save her family gave her the power to defeat the terrorists and become an inspiration for not only me but many more.


Rate this content
Log in

Similar english story from Action