THREE IN A ROW

Three in a row – on death row. The circumstances were different. But the lessons to be learnt have much in common; from the recent deaths of Bal Thackeray, Ponty Chadha and now Ajmal Kasab.

Thackeray’s actual day of death was in all probability artificially prolonged by life support systems, to enable the police and civic authorities to put together the logistics for handling millions of mourners. It is indeed surprising how cynics and critics have taken for granted the elaborate security, media and logistic arrangements that had to be put in place at such short notice. Should we not salute the Govt of Maharashtra for foolproof arrangements, and even the orderly Shiv Sainiks, who reportedly numbered between 1 to 2 million? That Sunday, the 18^th, I publicly prayed in church for everything to remain peaceful and under control.

This does not mean that I am eulogising Thackeray’s ideology. Far from it. I was working in an automobile company in Mumbai in the early 70’s. That was when the Shiv Sena was into southie-bashing. That was also a time when I saw pitched battles between the Sena and the Dalit Panthers. To the credit of the Sena, I also saw several of its ambulances that were brought to our workshop for servicing. I also recall the “shock and awe” in which employers held the trade unions controlled by the Sena. When I became Works Manager I had the onerous task of terminating the services of a perpetually drunk worker who owed allegiance to the Sena. I dismissed him. But the waters remained calm, as they were at Thackeray’s funeral procession. I now pray that Mumbai and Maharashtra continue to show calm and restraint in the post Bal Thackeray era.

While Thackeray’s death due to sickness and old age was expected, it was different for Chadha, who died on the same day. The moment I read of his death I was reminded of a parable that Jesus Christ told his disciples about hoarding possessions (cf Lk 12:13-21). A rich man was exulting in his bumper harvest, for which he decided to raze his existing barns, in order to build bigger ones, to store his riches. After that he would take things easy, eat, drink and have a good time. But that very night he was called to his Maker. The similarity to Ponty’s case was not lost on me. It reminded me of another passage from the Holy Bible. “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What profit has a man from all his labour … one generation passes away, and another generation comes, but the earth abides for ever” (Ecc 1:2-3). Many women and children, whose husbands/ fathers guzzled Ponty’s liquor, would now lick their lips and say, “All is vanity, and futility too”.

What of Kasab? Millions of Indians who rose in self-righteous indignation on the right to life, in Savita’s case in Ireland, now gloated at the justified taking of Kasab’s life! How fickle is public opinion and debate! Here again I am not objecting to Kasab’s death penalty. He deserved it for a horrendous and outrageous act of aggression against the nation; and for wantonly taking the lives of innocents. For those who, again, rather self-righteously proclaim that we have no right to take human life, I would agree that it is the norm (rule). But exceptions prove the rule. And Kasab’s actions were exceptional/ incomparable; what our Supreme Court calls the “rarest of rare cases”.

On the interface between divine law and human authority, another Biblical quote could put things in perspective. “Everyone is to obey the governing authorities, because there is no authority except from God … Magistrates bring fear, not to those who do good, but to those who do evil” (Rom 13:1,3).

I wonder what Thackeray, Ponty and Kasab will now be saying to their Maker and Supreme Arbiter? Will they still be trying to justify their actions before the Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent One? Will they be repentant when they come face to face with their victims? What will Thackeray say to the dalits, south Indians, Muslims, Biharis etc whom he considered “the others”; what will Ponty say to the victims of liquor consumption: and what will Kasab say to the victims of 26/11?

Death is a great leveller. Death row is flat, be they three or three million in the row. Would that we remembered that while we live.

NOVEMBER 2012