Chhee...!!

A perusal of recent Indian news must be definitely evoking some expression of disgust from any sane citizen. The goings on in our country is becoming more bizarre day by day. One can just hope that the deterioration in the moral of fibre of certain citizens doesn’t become a norm and is more an exception (though I wish it could be eliminated altogether!!).

The macabre incidents in Nithari must have definitely induced shock & fury among the citizens. Magazines have given the perpetrator of ghoulish crimes, Pandher, the cover, thereby creating a greater awareness. As the events become clearer as the days pass, one really starts to wonder whom can one trust? Strangers are strangers; now even acquaintances will arouse suspicion in the minds of people.

The topic of trust brings to mind the next utterly condemnable incident: the Ganderbal Killings. If Pandher was probably a perverted mind then what about the law enforcers; the army and the police who have resorted to crime for purely selfish personal gains? Cruel seems too weak a word for them. I wish I could come up with a stronger one.

As a member of the general public, I am letting my mind wander. What was Pandher, a father himself, thinking when he inflicted acts of brutality on little children? Did he stop for a moment and think how would he have felt if the same had happened to his son, who is now trying his level best to portray his father as a ‘loving’ man? (any takers?) It is indeed saddening that a crime of this scale has happened in our country which is on the cusp of great development.

And then, what about our very trustworthy law enforcers? Terrorism has become something which our country is having to live with since years now. But today, I cannot but ask myself: who is the more cruel of the two? The terrorists who kill innocent civilians for (ostensibly) a mission? Or the very people who are supposed to stop the terrorists, the police and army, who kill civilians for (ugh!) PROMOTIONS?

India has always been known as a tolerant country. But India should definitely not tolerate these kinds of acts. Every such act brings India (which is soon becoming part of the elite group of nations) decades back. What use is economic growth if citizens still use their power (be it physical of positional) for cheap personal gains?

India is facing a lot of problems still, terrorism, poverty, and illiteracy being some of them. It will need selfless citizens to unite and solve all these problems.

But with this kind of degradation being seen in the moral fibre of the people, I wonder when our country will qualify to be called DEVELOPED, in the true sense of the word!

EUTHANASIA – Right or Wrong?

Euthanasia or mercy killing has been the topic of heated debate since quite long. Is it right or not? Should be legalized? These and many other questions have been asked for long now, and their answers are still nowhere in sight. Yes, a few countries have legalized mercy killing, but the issue is too tricky to end there.
For starters, let us assume that it is legalized. Then, what is the guarantee that doctors would really be able to use their discretion in taking the decision of taking the extreme step in the case of a real bad case? Can it be assured that they would not come under the pressure of patients who want to ‘dignified’ in death and not be a liability to their relatives?
A few months back, a lady caught the nation’s attention when she went to the courts to get the right to death for her son Venkatesh, who had few days of life left, so that he could donate his organs in order to make his life useful to some others. The patient in question too was seen requesting the judge to grant him his plea. But his wish remained unfulfilled, since India is still nowhere near formulating any rules for mercy killing.
Today, the world is divided regarding the case of Terri Schiavo, who has been brain dead for 15 years now. For the last 7 years, her husband Michael Schiavo has been trying to achieve the right to death for her. His plea – she would not have wanted to live in such a state, so grant her her wish. On the other hand, her parents have strongly opposed it, saying Terri has as much right to live as any other human.
Why exactly would Terri have not wanted to live? Because she was a liability to all? That she wasn’t of any ‘use’ to anybody? Is that all the value of life today? Is a life a life only if it is of use to a few people around it? What about the rights of a living person? Then again, a person in a bad state asking to be ‘relieved’ of life might be considered a coward. But what of cases like Terri’s, where the patient has been in a vegetative state for years?
Michael Schiavo’s plea has been granted and Terri has been off nutrition systems for a few days now. In the words of her devastated parents, Terri has reached a ‘point of no return’. Her father has appealed again today for her life, but chances of victory are slim.
Terri and Venkatesh may be forgotten soon but not the issue of Euthanasia. The debate will go on….