Apart from the initials RB, Rita Bahuguna has a lot in common with Rocky Balboa. Rocky began his career in difficult circumstances, lived in a one room house and had to work in the docks for his existence. Rita, on the other hand, came to the UPCC when it was in dire straits; it seemed as if no one cared to even drop into Nehru Bhavan for a peek. She was the underdog here. For her survival, she had to struggle against well-entrenched forces in the state and the city, some of them even former Congressmen and some of them soon to become former Congressmen. .

 

Now, for Rocky to survive, he had to fight the world heavyweight-boxing championship and win the title. Rita had to fight against the well-entrenched local powers of Lucknow but in 13 days, she created a miracle of sorts in the state.

 

Further, Rocky Balboa lost his house in a financial scam; he had to shift to a small tenement till better days came along. Rita’s life saw a similar turn. Rita Bahuguna was arrested and at the same time, in a remarkable coincidence, her house was set on fire in a high security zone. But, determined to fight on, she stayed in the lone surviving bedroom of her house till her house was repaired by the workmen.

 

Moreover, Rocky’s career saw a series of ups and downs, he encountered many superhuman opponents and nearly lost his sight, he went on to wrest the title from lethal opponents, who swore that he was made of steel and was not human as, no matter how hard they hit him, he just kept coming back. There was a time during a fight when Rocky told his trainer he was seeing three of his opponents. “I’m seeing three of him,” he said. Hit the one in the middle his trainer advised.

 

Rita also keeps coming back, no matter how hard her opponents try to hit her. Her motto is the same as Rocky’s - Life isn’t about how hard you can hit but, about how hard you can be hit and still go on.