Victory, the child of determination

Thirukkural with the Times explores real-world lessons from the classic Tamil text ‘Thirukkural’. Written by Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar, the Kural consists of 1,330 short couplets of seven words each. This text is divided into three books with teachings on virtue, wealth, and love and is considered one of the great works ever on ethics and morality. The Kural has influenced scholars and leaders across social, political, and philosophical spheres.Motivational speaker, author and diversity champion Bharathi Bhaskar explores the masterpiece.I hadn’t heard about Nadia Murad until she testified before the United Nations Security Council in 2017. By her side was British barrister Amal Clooney, married to Hollywood star George Clooney.Amal is a tall, gorgeous woman known for her wardrobe collection and for her keen interest in human rights litigations.Nadia, in contrast, was not well-known. She was barely five feet tall and her attire was functional and simple. She spoke in her native Kocho language and was supported by interpreters. But when Nadia finished her speech, the UN council was left frozen. Hers was the first-ever statement on the sexual enslavement practices of ISIS. medium109631253I looked at the two women, and it was as though they belonged to two different worlds. But the singularity of their purpose united them.Nadia was born in Kocho, a Yazidi village in Northern Iraq. In 2014, the quiet town was attacked by ISIS, and Nadia saw her six brothers and mother being killed. All the young girls including Nadia were taken in buses to the captured town, Mosul.What followed was unimaginable. She was raped repeatedly and sold in markets as a sex slave, just like thousands of Yazidi girls. After 90 days of torture, her captor left the front door of the home unlocked – perhaps because he knew she was half-dead. Nadia mustered the last drop of her survival instinct and managed to scale the seven-foot-high compound wall. Night had fallen, and she walked miles and sought asylum in a house on the other side of Mosul. The family got her a fake ID as the wife of one of their boys and they drove to Kirkuk. As her ID was getting verified, Nadia could see her photo stuck at the check post, marked as ‘person escaped’. But the verifier let her go after taking a half-look at her. Nadia heaved a sigh of relief after months of torture and uncertainty.She was later reunited with her relatives at Kirkuk and taken to a refugee camp, but couldn’t forget the thousands of girls who did not get a chance to escape. That was when she met Amal who helped Nadia give her testimony at the UN.Nadia’s went on to write her memoir ‘The Last Girl’ which tells the plight of women in the hands of terrorists. She was conferred with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 and was designated as the first goodwill Ambassador for the UN. medium109631315We rarely come across people like Nadia. I often wonder what gave her the strength to scale the high compound wall. Did she fly above that wall, or did her grit shrink the height of the wall?The spirit that emblazons the soul pushes people a la Nadia to fight until all closed doors are opened.Valluvar acknowledges this spirit in people. A stern believer in God, he declares that even if God wills otherwise, the indomitable resolve of a person will win them the fruits of their perseverance.Theyvathaan Akaathu Eninum MuyarchchithanMeivaruththa Kooli Tharum - Kural 619(Even if Divine Resolve be against, Determination andToil ensures that desired results are achieved.)Audio Production: Sahil GuptaAlso read | Micro Review: 'The Last Girl' is Nadia Murad's harrowing account of what happens when rape becomes a weapon of war