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We are used to seeing political leaders behind heavy security or at high-decibel rallies, but every now and then, we see a side of them that has nothing to do with power. In a recent event in Meerut, the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Brajesh Pathak, had one of those rare, unfiltered moments where the person behind the title became visible to everyone.
The setting was a program held on the eve of the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. While the speech began normally, it took an emotional turn when Pathak started looking back at his own life before he became one of the state's most powerful figures.
He didn’t talk about his political wins. Instead, he spoke about the bitter winters of his youth, when he didn't even have a pair of shoes to protect his feet from the cold. He described the time he first moved to Lucknow to build his life, carrying nothing but a small kerosene stove his mother had given him.
The most moving part was when he shared the struggles of living alone. He recalled not even knowing the basics of survival, like how to knead dough to make a simple meal. As he spoke about the transition from those nights of struggle to the position he holds today, his voice started to shake. He eventually stopped, took off his glasses, and wiped away tears while the room fell silent.
“Sometimes, I still don’t feel worthy of this seat when I remember where I came from,” he admitted with a choked voice. He told the crowd that whenever he sees a poor person on the street today, it isn't just a political issue for him—it's personal, because he sees his younger self in them.
This wasn't just a scripted political address. It was a reminder that the path to success is rarely easy and that for many people in leadership, the memory of where they started is often more powerful than the destination they’ve reached. For those in the audience, it was a moment where the "VVIP" vanished, and only the story of a common man's struggle remained.
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