jun 4th
the mahajan affair reminds me of miscarriages of justice both during the emergency and at other times.
of course, the emergency is symbolized most vividly by the rajan case and prof eachara warrier's lonely fight for justice.
but then there is also the story of rajan pillai, the 'biscuit king'. he was a wealthy industrialist who controlled britannia biscuit at one time. but he was jailed, some say as part of a vendetta by a prominent bombay tycoon whom i shall not name. in jail in an ordinary cell, rajan pillai was denied medical treatment for his chronic illness. all of rajan pillai's high-society and high-powered friends whom he had entertained lavishly abandoned him. rajan pillai died in a filthy jail cell, choking to death on his own coughed-up blood. this happened to a magnate, a big man. of course we never hear of what happens to all of the little people, people like us.
and back to the rajan case and the magnificent and heart-rending film 'piravi'. it is raining in kerala now -- the monsoon arrives on june 1 -- just like in the movie, where the rain is a major character: anticipation for the rain mirrors the old man's anticipation for his son's arrival, although of course the son will never come, as he has been murdered. the brilliant rainscapes in the film have never been bettered: it is a visually stunning film that has captured kerala in the rain like no other film ever has. and it is magical.
and the scene that broke my heart: the old man who is in his 80s, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, gets off the ferry (itself symbolic of the ferry that goes between life and death, and which his son has already crossed, as the viewer knows). in the rain, old man slips and falls on the soft mud. the ferryman (played by c v sreeraman, a brilliant short-story writer whose stories were made into, among others, another of my favorite films of all time, aravindan's 'chidambaram', a meditation on crime, punishment and forgiveness) is in a dilemma. if he runs to help the old man, his ferryboat will drift away and that is the end of his livelihood. but on the other hand, common decency requires that he help the old man. his dharma requires that. in the end, after visibly hesitating, he rushes to the side of the old man, the old father who is son-less.
what would you have done? that simple decency is all we can offer when in the presence of great malevolence.
and you have to think: who will help your old father when he slips and falls?
who will help you when you slip and fall?
are we heading towards another emergency? what would you do if we were?
6 comments:
Interesting. I dont know much about emergency etc. but do understand what you are saying.
Actually there are so many incidences of selfless bravery on part of ordinary citizens who saved others at the cost of their own lives, during last July's floods in Mumbai. And I am sure there are other such incidences, throughout India.
But in general, I feel Indians and esp. Hindus lack that compassion (although they may be generous or charitable) to do the 'simple decency' stuff. If Hindus were more compassionate, not hypocratic, more united as a community, ok with another Indian/Hindu benefiting rather than pulling him/her down even if it benefits the enemy, we wont be facing any emergencies. Also not behave like no wrong exists and carry on. Hindus cannot fight because they dont have much courage of convictions because they usually dont have any convictions.
I seriously belive Hindus have to change their behavior in everyday life for any longterm effects.
I am not sure I have been able to put my thoughts across correctly !! Hope you get it.
~
"what would you have done? that simple decency is all we can offer
....".
Rajeev,
I'm afraid this is not exactly
a case of "simple decency". This
is a case of "dharmasankatam".
Two big dharmas in conflict. One
is the dharma to protect your
children/family who depend on you,
the other - protecting an old man
who this instant needs your help.
OK, maybe the contrast is not so
stark in your example. Because a
ferry-boat is replacable, even if
the boatman is very poor. So the
naturally right answer is - forget
the boat, save the old man. And
I think most people have that
compassion. It is a natural human
thing that has nothing to do with
one's creed. Acting directly from
the heart, and not from the mind
(which evaluates, and also fears).
But think of a case when if the
ferry-boat had a child sitting in it.
Who should the boatman protect ?
It is impossible to find a simple
answer. Whatever our heart tells us
in that instant is the right
answer. No one can say what is
right or wrong.
And the heart will bleed, with
either choice.
_
" ok with another Indian/Hindu benefiting rather than pulling him/her down even if it benefits the enemy...."
--- it is ok if another Indian/
hindu is benefitting
ethically. then we certainly
shouldnt pull them down, or
for that matter, pull anyone
down (even a non-hindu).
but if they are benefitting
through unethical means, alas,
one is again required by
dharma to oppose it.
otherwise our actions would
never be based on dharma. they
would simply be a combat by
default.
_
Rajeev,
I answer these two questions of
yours, from real life experience:
1) who will help your old father
when he slips and falls?
Ans: His karma and God's grace and
his children's prayers.
2) who will help you when you
slip and fall?
Ans: My karma and God's grace.
Third question, please call an
astrologer and find out :-)
However, I'll add my cents:
3) are we heading towards another
emergency? what would you do if we
were?
Ans: Within living memory of the
last emergency, I daresay the
dynasty will not perpetrate another
one. Only the ONE Iron Lady could
do that ruthlessly, to keep
herself in power. The remaining
dynasty members are not Iron Lady
types, whatever else their type
may be. ("sacrificing stunt" types
I suppose...)
my 2 cents...
_
Hi Kum,
I just find it harder to scan a
longer line. That's all. I guess
I am a true "columnist" :-)
I will try to post fewer and
shorter posts, so it will be win-win. :-)
_
>>The govt wants all your financial information...
Sure, why not... it wants to have its share of pie too, its another matter whether it ends up in the coffers of the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats... its like in Western Countries, which co-incidentally talk a lot about privacy and how it is such a sacrosant issue, which btw, IMHO is all hog-wash 'coz the govt., credit-card companies, banks, ur employer... knows everything that is to know about you...but with certain checks and balances in place (although not very effective and favourable to the poor souls)... in India it would be like a rogue's gallery with every crook & criminal (politicians and their minions) drooling over what he could get his hands on...and no accountability in place!
To me, with whats all been going on for past some time seems like a foreign-hand in play that wants to keep India down by whatever means possible and we have, thanx to bloody pinkos, muslims and the so-called 'sickoolar' media, made it cakewalk to get its nefarious designs in place... cry my beloved country...'coz u have no one to blame but ur own citizens (who in the first place have chosen to elect elements hostile to the very existence of India)!
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