Sunday, January 7, 2018

Mother, I'm sorry!

I cried in the heart of my heart when I read this news!

A son killed his ailing mother. Yes, he killed her and that too by throwing her off the terrace of the building, a four storied one, from the third floor. A ghastly incident indeed!

It is a criminal act no doubt, but it's more than a criminal act, if we think it through. It shows that humanity has lowered itself a notch deeper by this act alone. A mother is the giver of life and nurtures her young ones with her sweat and blood. She gives up her comforts to take care of her child. They raise the children with love and care, and hope their offsprings will one day become good human beings.

The human being is a clever and cunning species. But, sometimes, it acts way too clever and harms not only itself but also the whole humanity. Just think about this for a while, Why would a son kill his own mother? This is as inexplicable and absurd question, as the action of killing itself is!

Sigh! The act has been done, and a low life has not only killed his mother but also painted black the relationship of mother and son. The mother we worship in different forms right from goddess Durga, Kali, Laxmi, Saraswati and numerous others, is actually the mythological form of our real mothers in our homes.

However, our society is patriarchal to the core. It does not like if our mothers and sisters create a little discomfiture to their little male ego. I will have to explain this in some detail here.

In this particular incident, the son was an assistant professor. The mother was a retired teacher. She was ill for sometime now. The professor had always some kind of tiff with his sister  due to the illness of his mother. And one day, he got so angry about the state of affairs in his household that he decided to finish this business for once and for all. He takes this ghastly step to kill his own mother, and he did it! The video has gone viral and it's so chilling. The look on the mother's face is calm and reassuring, but pale as she is ill. She was confident that her son is there to help her out. He takes her hand by the side, and holds her with the other and makes her climb the stairs. He goes with her upstairs, and returns back too soon, and gets into the room nonchalantly, as if nothing has happened. Apparently, he has just returned to his home by killing her in first person, all by himself without even a wink. Next, somebody comes and rings the bell of his doors and informs him, about his own doing.

He thought, maybe, he would get away. A perfectly planned murder. But, he was so wrong! He was caught but only after 3 months, when police investigated in detail and thought something was fishy about the suicide story that he had sold to everyone. The police got him arrested and he confessed to his crime. The story can be assessed here:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/rajkot-professor-throws-ailing-mother-off-terrace-booked-5013435/

This has shaken the conscience of every right thinking person. The mother who is the source of happiness of the family had to go from this world in such a sorry way. No parent may like to think that their progeny will one day try to kill them in return of giving love, life and upbringing that go beyond feeding. The sense of family has been destroyed by this shameful act.

One will surely remember their mother and their eyes will get wet after seeing that video. In Indian tradition, Shravan Kumar took his blind parents to pilgrimage in line with devotion to ones' parent. In olden days people used to worship their parents and would obey their words even after they had left for the heavenly abode. Now, we have come to such a pass that in this modern world and times, children are killing their own parents with their own hands. What can be more damaging for a society where their old and infirm citizens are on the brink of being eliminated by their own family members.

In some European and Scandinavian countries, senior citizens are the responsibility of the state. It is believed that since India is a civilizational society and has deep sense of empathy and entrenched family and societal values that that our society will not accept this western model. But, if things run in such a direction then state should look at this option too in the long run and start preparation in this regard. Indeed, the government in India has enacted legislation for the protection and care of the old citizens. The case in point is the-- Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 - it is quiet clear that our society is now at a breaking point where we can't even protect our old parents. Most often than not, they are ill due to age related reasons. Legal intervention is welcome but it also badly portrays our society as a whole. It throws light on our moral and ethical behaviour towards people who had helped us grow in our childhood but we are not ready to give them our shoulders when they are old and need us most.

We "human beings" used to be social animal, to some extent we are still that but, now we are more of a "social media being". People feel almost everything on the screen of their smart phones and wide screen tabs, the love, frustration, outrage, sadness, etc., etc, however, there is no real connect with the real people on the ground. No one likes to help anyone in need, instead they start to shoot the video and take photos and upload it on the social media, and thousands thereafter outrage. Therein lies the irony, when you can help someone, one shies away, and to wash away that guilt, outrages endlessly on social media and elsewhere. This sickness of our society needs to be reversed quickly. Our society is rapidly moving in a inhuman direction with almost zero feelings for the poor, sick, infirm, old, downtrodden and people who are on the margins of the society.

Only, when we develop empathy for the less fortunate and feel the need to uplift and help the people in our own surrounding, there will be no release from this sin. The NGO culture can save the life of old people but will not give them family's love and respect, what has been the foundation of our culture since time immemorial. All this will only makes us more sad and more angry than before because these type of events are growing by the day.
I hope, our society rises from the deep slumber and only when the conscience of the society takes root in a pervasive way then only can the society grow and take care of itself in a more positive way. Till then,
All I have to say to all the mothers, is this, "Mother, I'm really sorry, we have not lived up to your belief in us"!!