satire: Haru Urara (The Queen Who Won Every Heart)

 

 

You probably don’t know Haru Urara. Honestly, neither did I — not until I read a small newspaper headline announcing her death. She passed away at the age of 29. In her short life, she ran not one, not ten, but a whopping 113 races. Yes, you read it right — 113! Imagine someone who spends her entire life just running — either running in a race or getting ready for the next one. That’s not ordinary dedication; that’s devotion in motion. How many of us can say we live with that kind of single-minded focus, that unshakeable commitment to our chosen path?

 

In India, we once had a politician fondly (and hilariously) nicknamed 'Dharti Pakad' — He was famous for contesting elections. He fought so many elections — and lost all of them, not only election but deposit also. So many elections he lost that he actually made it to the Guinness Book of World Records. That’s the kind of “never-say-die” spirit we’re talking about here. It takes a special kind of madness to keep trying when success keeps running the other way.

 

There’s a tagline we’ve all seen somewhere: — Beyond fear lies victory. But here’s the real secret: victory hides behind persistence. You keep trying, not because you think you’ll win this time, but because ‘not trying’ feels like quitting life itself. At some point, you stop playing to win — you play because that’s who you are now.

 

There’s an old English verse that says:

 

For when the One Great Scorer comes

To mark against your name

He writes—not that you won or lost

—but how you played the Game

 

We often hear those delightful stories — a father and son clearing their exams together, or a grandfather and grandson graduating in the same year. Sure, it’s touching — but the real triumph is in the persistence. They might have failed countless times but they never gave up. And that spirit is worth celebrating far more than any medal or mark sheet.

 

Haru Urara — who galloped her way into history not by winning, but by never stopping. Born in Japan in 1996, she began racing in 1998. Over her lifetime, she ran 113 races and didn’t win a single one. Not one. And yet, she became a national hero. Why? Because she refused to quit. Every time the gates opened, there she was — ready to run, to try again, to defy defeat one more time.

 

The Japanese came to adore her. She was a symbol of resilience, of courage, of smiling through failure. She taught a whole nation that sometimes, losing beautifully is a bigger victory than winning easily. So, here’s to Haru Urara — the losing legend who proved that in the grand race of life, it’s not about crossing the finish line first — it’s about showing up, again and again, until the world starts cheering not for your victory, but for your spirit.

 

•         Haru Urara was the race mare of Japan