There are times when unreason rears its head
To throttle the voice of reason
Its opponent, its foe
Its ultimate adversary

It casts a magical spell initially
To lure even the well reasoned minds
And for the unconvinced who dare to question
It doles out the gift of treason

These are the times
When leadership appears rudderless
When you seize the moment, almost unknowingly
To shake the earth from its roots

You have not planned for it
And yet you are there at the front
For the sake of that one intangible
An idea you hold so dear

Your voice may be drowned out
Amidst the propagandist loudspeakers
Spewing out shots of venom
In leviathan doses

You may be caned, tortured, jailed
And yet, the pain unleashed on you
Becomes the very source of your sustenance
Your courage, your eternal strength

Your win or loss is not that important
Not anymore, not even your life or death
As the vision of that one idea subsumes your being
Your very existence

Your show of raw defiance
Unleashes limitless power
To convert many such unknown voices
Into an unstoppable torrent of reason

Subir Chakraborty
20th Jan 2020