Dr. John Mohan Razu
Within a span of ten days two top stalwarts who dominated the national politics and contributed to the nation in distinct ways, M. Karunanidhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee died. Born in the same year, both of them lived for more than 90-plus years. The masses and personalities cutting across political, ideological, regional and other divides paid their homage and fitting tributes to the leaders that they deserved. There’s no iota of doubt that both of them strived for the region and country relentlessly and gave their best to the progress and prosperity of people and nation. They lived over 90-plus years and died that each and every mortal has to undergo—once born one is bound to die. Both the lives that lived full and spent for the welfare of the masses and promotion of humanity across the nation and region adored by all should be mourned and remembered. In their own ways they are ‘history’ because they created history in distinct ways.
I have been observing the behavioral patterns of humans that whenever politicians and other personalities die—for some our reach would be full and in grandeur style; for others on a lesser degree and many take for granted meaning—just like grass they sprout or flowers they blossom and the next minute they are gone or withered away. No one knows when did they enter the world and how did they live and made their exits. Is this is the saga of life of many one should reckon with or have we been programmed in such ways or our psyche functions like that? However, one cannot leave it like that particularly with some kind of bizarre justification or response. It needs some logical and at least minimal levels of rational thought process.
Parallel to the demise of our national leaders, we have been witnessing many calamities around the world that comprises of two major calamities 1) Human made and 2) nature-triggered. Kerala has been experiencing the worst calamity wherein the entire State is marooned in water and as a result 80 per cent of electricity is shut. Road, rail and air connectivity are totally snapped-off. It is nothing short of national calamity and the nation and all of us should be observing mourning period because hundreds of lives have been lost and lakhs of people rendered homeless—struggling for water, food and shelter. As against the most difficult conditions soldiers and fire-fighters and other agencies engaged in rescue operations risking their lives. While doing so, we won’t know how many would lose their lives.
Similarly, in Genoa, Italy, there were quite sizable losses of lives due to the collapse of a bridge. Likewise many in other parts of the world wherein huge number of people who lost their homes and lives due to wild fires and those experts risking their lives like fire brigade, sea and cave divers as well. Everyday our soldiers, farmers, journalists and those involved in construction and other labor-intensive works die while protecting, producing, developing and contributing to the nation and its citizens. Their contributions cannot be minimized. These categories of people we take them for granted and our psyche do not pay attention or heed to those who in their own ways contributed and vanished. To put it simply they disappear from the very face of the earth. Have we ever taken note of them or prayed or remembered them? Those who gave their lives for the country in diverse ways were by and large young who should have lived for many years, but faced death while serving the country. Not taking into account some of the things happening around us raise a fundamental question: Are we selective in remembering, praying and mourning? Why this selective amnesia?
Human life per se has the infinite value and thus is sacred. Human life has its uniqueness, but the uniqueness varies from one another because each life is unique in its own ways. The lives fully lived—quality life and contributed immensely should be praised, mourned and celebrated and for that there’s no doubt about it. At the same time the lives that are lost in the service of nation and society in diverse ways by all means should be remembered, mourned and prayed. More importantly those who die pre-maturely especially young—children and youth due to ethnic conflicts, wars or human-made and nature-triggered tragedies in large numbers should by all means be mourned, remembered and prayed as well.
Lives that are lost have immense intrinsic value and therefore are precious. Every life is unique and embodies its beauty. It gains its preciousness because it’s life that should have lived in all its fullness—but snatched away in between. This is indeed the irony of life. Let us as far as possible erase ‘selective amnesia’ and accommodate everyone in our remembering, praying and mourning. Let us not stratify life based on selective yard-sticks or criteria or considerations. Selective amnesia is subjective, triggered by human constructions and certainly not all-embracing.
