INSPIRATIONAL FACTS....LEARN TO FIGHT

LEARN TO FIGHT : Ref. Hindustan Times Magazine,March,8,2009
WOMENS DAY SPECIAL.
Neelam Katara
Fought to ensure that her son's
influentian killers paid for their crime.
***********************************************************

Till the age of 50, Neelam Kataralead led a life any of us could have, she studied in a convent, went to college, married her friend of nine years, had two lovely children and started teaching.
She was content. She remembers telling a frriend at 40, that there was nothing she hadn't done and would be ok "if I were to die tomorrow." But, as she says, God had other plans.

Aged 50, after identifying a body that had been hacked and burnt as her elder son Nitishe's, Neelam started her mission to ensure her son's killers were punished.

The labyrinth of the judicial system, the expense and the prime accused Vikas Jadhav was the son of the influential UP politician D P Yadhav meant many people urged her to forget about it.

Talking about what surprised her on, Neelam says : " Nitish's body was in such a bad condition that I thought "no, this should not happen to anybody. No parents shoulld have to see this."

After six years that saw hundreds of court sittings, adjournments, setbacks and the death of her husband (who was suffering from neuron desease), a Delhi court pronounced Vikas and his cousin Vishal guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment last year.

How did she not give up?
"Initially I used to get frustrated at the slow pace of the trial. But then I decided this is the way it is going to be. I had to accept it." she says.

This is her advice to all women : " If you believe in something, go ahead and dont be afraid to fight for it. You need to be very sure because if you dont believe in it in your heart of hearts, somewhere down the line you will step out."