Lets have Mercy...

Aruna Shanbaug - A name that has been haunting me  for the past two days. A human being bedridden for almost 42 years in a vegetative state, nothing less of a nightmare and a situation well beyond my comprehension. The gross inadequacy of  our judiciary in serving the right punishment to the culprit is not something that is disturbing me.That is a taken.Even the wildest criminal of all in the Nirbhaya case will walk scott free in few years time.What is disturbing me is the picture of a women who had to stay in a vegetative state in a closed room of a hospital for 42 years .In few articles, I saw a beautiful young lady all of 25 years, and in some I saw a helpless old lady with no teeth and gnarled limbs confined to her bed. To think  that this transformation happened in a closed room with no sense of what is happening around her, is deeply disturbing.

The first question that came to my mind is- why was she denied Euthanasia??? Why would anyone want to stay in that state with no hope of improvement for a long period of 42 years.She would have died many deaths during those long never ending years.Who had the rights to decide that she should stay in that state for these many years? She did have close relatives, who could have decided to releive her of her sufferings. Of course they didnt want to have the blood on their hands. It is a big decision, and takes lot of courage. It is easy to choose the safest route, abandon her, leave her to her "fate" .

With all due respect to the staff of the hospital who took care of her, could they ever judge what she was going through?Once their shift is over they would all go back to their own lives , with family, kids and other small small joys of life.All the while Aruna's soul stayed strapped to her  body forcefully. Would any of these nurses who celebrated the court's verdict of denying Euthanasia, volunteer to stay strapped in a bed for atleast one week with no kith and kin nearby??They should have allowed her to die peacefully long time back. Unfortunately we all want to be "good samaritians". We all want to be kind, take care of the ill and all other crap.

Taking care of Aruna for past 42 years was not kindness. In my opinion, it was pure brutality. They should have let the soul free and releive her of her sufferings. But no, everyone was being "kind". In that case, its high time that we redefine kindness and humanity. Imagine aging from 25 to 62 all confined to a bed, totally dependent on strangers who were merely acting out of sympathy for you.

For a moment, think about it.Would anyone willingly prefer that fate? Wouldn't you rather die?? I would..In a hundred lives, I would definitely prefer death than her fate. Infact, anyone in a sane state of mind would prefer that. Everybody deserves a happy and fulfilling life. If a person is too physically helpless  to acheive that, then he/she should be allowed to rest in peace. Its high time that we understand the "Mercy" part of Mercy killing..May her soul rest in peace.