I came across an intriguing piece of news; which revived an anecdote during my youngistan days (cant say childhood days as it was during junior college and terming it as adolescence days gets a bit out of context :p). First, excerpts from the news article, “Germans have come up with a suicide machine which can be used for Mercy-Killing (what beats me even after weighing all the different point of view is that how can a killing be attributed as merciful?). This machine can execute people in seconds and as per the lawyers it’s not illegal as it’s the person himself who will push the button.” Some crazy researchers and their crazier inventions …
So, now getting back to the revived anecdote; during those days, courtesy one of dad's influential friends; we used to get invitation passes or privileged entry to a lot of movie/TV related things like film shooting locales, special movie screenings by producers for distributors/buyers (this one used to be the best; I had seen a few movies even 6-8 months before their official release … I remember one of such was "DIL" … while I had also seen a couple of crappy ones which aren't released even after decade now … remember one from such lot as well .. it was something like "Kaaghaz ki Naav"), television shows etc and quite other TV related stuffs … and such trips were quite exciting back in those days (arnd 10 years back). So, one such time, I got passes to participate in a talk show “Kiron Kher Today” which used to be aired on Star Plus on Saturday's prime time. Not that I had even an iota of IQ to take part in a debate of even any average topic; but who used to care then; we would be seen on TV ... on Star Plus … yeaaaa… So, me along with a couple of school friends got all dressed up in our then best pair of jeans & shirt and reached the shooting location on time.
After we reached the set, there were a few assistants explaining the topic of debate to all participating audience and a few also providing readymade questions :). We were told that the topic was “Euthansia” ... hmmm those days ... couldn't even pronounce this word properly ... forget about understanding the meaning of it. So, somehow the guys out there explained the concept of mercy-killing and told us that the debate was whether to support it or not. (btw they had to explain this to almost 90% of the participating audience :)). The experts’ panel did comprise of 4-5 proficient doctors and Mrs Kher hosted the show with aplomb. I don’t really remember the questions discussed there … and the final consensus; but I remember that I did ask 3 questions of which 2 were aired on the show and 1 got edited (btw getting edited doesn’t mean getting censored)
A few years later I did eventually begin to understand the profound implication of this term (and its different perceptions - suicide, murder, mercy-killing etc); and have been thinking over it a lot of times. Even after not taking into account the strong legal resistance and the radical moral views on this … it’s one of those topics that would always spark an endless debate … For a moment it seems logical; it’s given that the patient’s ailment is incurable … and sufferings unbearable … the eventual human fate is just around the corner … what’s the harm in relieving him of the torment … that too only with his acquiescence (this ones called voluntary euthanasia and there’s something like involuntary euthanasia too for patients who are in no state to take a decision…) But on the flip side … it seems simple considering the above facts from a third persons view … but just for a second put yourself in the victims place. An ailing person can consent anything that would end his intolerable ordeal; or even worse imagine you to be one of patient’s kin and it would hurt like nothing else when faced with such a situation (forget the decision, the mere idea of thinking on these lines will be like subjecting the kins to one of the euthanasia machines)
Its pretty tough to decide whether to support it or not … but I think I would end up on the non-supporters side… as miracles do happen … science has failed at times … whatever the medics envisage … you never know the subject might begin to lead normal life after all … (and with all the Hindi News channels nowadays showing umpteen number of unbelievable miracles … it seems that miracles are happening too many and too often these days) … no one should die before his destined death … but again what makes me so sure that euthanasia is not destined death … what makes me so sure that euthanasia is just not another way of natural death like cancer, accidents, heart attacks … well I don’t know .. maybe intuition … maybe yearning … maybe just beliefs …
That’s about it … I think I will stop this … apologize for this abrupt end … but its getting all too serious now … and someone’s said humor is my forte … so let me not venture into an unknown territory :)
Take care friends,
- hiren
P.S.: The term euthanasia comes from the Greek words "eu” and “thanatos” which combined means “well death” or "dying well".
