Which animal would you compare yourself to and why?
At work front I had two nicknames – (1) Jhansi Ki Rani and (2) Bengal Tigress. Both the names are related.
The first one alludes to Rani Lakshmi Bai who fought with the British with extraordinary valour. It is said that she tied up her kid son on her back while battling on. Rani Lakshmi Bai was the queen of Jhansi (now in the State of Uttar Pradesh). Jhansi’s battle was a significant part of the Indian Mutiny of 1857 which was said to mark the beginning of India’s struggle against British colonialism. When her husband , the king of Jhansi (Maharaja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar), died, the Queen came forward to lead her men against the Imperial Forces.
This was possible because from her very childhood she was trained in fencing, horse riding and other techniques of warfare including martial art. It was unique because in those days princesses and queens were confined to their palaces. They were not allowed to make public appearances. And here she was fighting till her last breath to save her kingdom!
She was unfortunately defeated in the end. But she happily embraced death instead of shamefully surrendering to her enemies. In school we read a beautiful poem by the Hindi poetess, Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, on Jhansi’s invincible warrior queen – “khoob ladi mardani woh to Jhansi wali rani thi” . Reciting the rhyming narrative of patriotism our young blood boiled. It was considered a matter of pride to know the poem by heart.
I gave this short history so that the readers understand the implication of my nickname. But I have never been as great as Rani Lakshmi Bai.
Which particular incident led to coining of these nicknames I do not know.
The second name was a natural corollary of the first. Since I belonged to the state of West Bengal I was considered no less than the maneater of Sundar Ban. And that should not be taken literally.
But if you ask me I see myself as the perseverant goat. I epitomize the stubborn strength of the animal. Life has always chosen the toughest incline for me to trod up painstakingly and then slip down and fall. But I have not given up. You can say I am one BIG disciple of Sir Robert Bruce. “Try, try, try again and at last you shall succeed.”
Being an animal lover, I don’t mind such comparisons – with tiger to even the diligent donkey. But it would not be acceptable to me to be called a snake in the bush or a calculative fox because I do not subscribe to what these animals stand for.
Given my girth, once I overheard somebody calling me an elephant. Though I felt like smacking the person hard, on second thought I decided it wasn’t that bad considering the mammoth mammal’s huge memory power and couldn’t care less gait. But the one who passed the remark really turned out to be a masquerading Cobra.
That story some other time….
Another animal I feel very close to is the Pandah. Its the ultimate Zen-est creature. Living in the moment it has a ruminative demeanour and somewhat idyosincratic behaviour. As all great men and women have their pet eccentricities I guess a little bit of weirdness is quite sane.
What say you?
panaecea 
Fascinating history of which I had been unaware
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