Death - Mourning & Celebration

Events surrounding two high profile deaths in the past week have made me worried about where we are moving as a society, me included.

 Bal Thackerey. Noone can deny that he was controversial, admired and followed. But in keeping with the common tradition of not talking ill of someone who just passed away, media kept to its script. Mumbai also followed the expected routine – long marches, public display, cousins’ feud and total bandh. All was fine till a girl decided to post something which she never expected to create such an issue. In my opinion, what she did was insensitive and silly, but definitely not deserving arrest.

          But thinking about it, the arrest is the best thing that could have happened – to her, her family, the mourners and all others. If I were the head of Police in Mumbai, I definitely would have done the same, not because it was right, but because it was the most practical. In one stroke, the arrest protected her and her family – the police could never have saved her from the attackers by posting policemen outside her house, satisfied the sainiks and prevented a riot like situation.

               

         But what worries me most is the intolerance. Are we ready to take up arms and fight for everything? Who decides what is right and who is to be punished? The frenzied, pumped-up mob on the road?

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Kasab. No controversy here. He did a heinous crime and deserved the highest punishment possible. But I am not sure if even the courts and the President can decide to kill someone, whatsoever the crime is. One half of me says, no one, I repeat, no one has the authority to extinguish life out of anyone. The other half says, “rarest of rare criminals” do deserve capital punishment.

 I noticed a Gandhian saying Kasab must be hanged in public (Wah!) , a film director saying that he would love to see Kasab lynched to death and the public celebrating as if it was Diwali all over again. What is happening to the country? Are we any different from Afghanistan and Taliban? Kasab is dead, it is a fact. A quiet satisfaction is the most extreme reaction I can think of. I just cant imagine celebrating someone’s death, whosoever it may be. And another thing that worries me is the mindless information floating around, and our curiosity to digest all those. What did kasab eat for breakfast? What is his weight when he died? What were his last words? Did he cry? Who prepared his noose? The media in both countries are having a field day, feeding us shit which we gleefully eat. 

         I am afraid, aam admi has become mob admi. Not good at all.