Civ-ill-ization..

Oh, first this is not a blog supporting Kasav and his actions. But I feel nauseating at the news channel coverage of Kasav’s case.

Yes Kasav is a trained terrorist. In the thick of the fight I would have bayed for his blood to maim or kill him to prevent his insanity. But once he is caught and brought under the scanner of justice, that vengeance and anger is gone. Today, to me, he is a 21 year old young boy, got into terrorism due to poverty and is waiting in a prison to pay for his deeds.

I think the judgement by Tahilyani is a good one. The learned judge has really shown remarkable acumen in awarding the death sentence to Kasav. I prefer the law to take its own course and whatever be destined for Kasav, let it happen. Be it death or be it life imprisonment or be it even liberty. We should let our judicial system to run it through.

Yes it could take crores to maintain Kasav in prison. Yes, it may lead to another terrorist hijack to get Kasav released. Yes all these things are possible. But these are not an excuse to deny Kasav the procedures of our law including Clemency petition.

I still remember the day when Rajiv Gandhi was killed including 11 policemen and dozens of ordinary people of TamilNadu. There were several families orphaned in this incident. The perpetrators of this crime are still in prison and some are even pardoned, as they keep talking to their collaborators from the cosiness of their prison.

Not just this. Our country has seen so many huge injustices to different sections of society and not every perpetrator goes punished. So many massacres and brutalities have gone unpunished in this society. And they still keep happening.

Is ‘justice’ done in Mumbai massacre, if Kasav gets killed..?

This kind of revenge philosophy has never been in our civilization.  This kind of revenge philosophy comes from civilizations that have not yet traveled far from their barbaric roots.

While the entire planet’s people were living in caves, the people in this continent lived an advanced civilizational life. We have traveled much much farther from our barbaric roots than all other civilizations.

And that’s why this country gave the Concept of Ahimsa and Non-violence to this world. That’s why the way of living in this continent is the most secular in the world. I am proud to say that we are indeed the most advanced civilization in the world.

For the advancement in civilization is not measured in the number of gadgets people use, but in the mental maturity that people have.

Though it appears insane, there is a method to the madness of Indian System. Let’s say all injustices are immediately punished and all people indicted for death are hung immediately. It is in no way going to improve anything in our society. Swift but trigger-happy punishments may look like giving immediate results. But they do not yield long-term results.

I am ashamed at these people appearing in TV with full make-up and angrily claiming for ‘justice’ to their dead ones. I am ashamed at these news anchors who keep talking about ‘justice to the dead’ by the hanging of Kasav and inciting people to do the same. I am not even sure if the very same people claiming for justice respected their dead ones when they were alive..?

Justice to the dead ones is never achieved by killing the perpetrator. That kind of justice system is for those who have still not come out of their caves. Not for us. In our civilization victim’s relatives do not seek the blood of perpetrator.

Kasab and the civilization that threw him at us may be based on Killer machine philosophies. We are from the land of Ahimsa and Non-violence. We crossed those times eons back.

I pray for the victim’s families, particularly for the victims of the Mumbai Massacre. And I pray for the victims of innumerable documented and undocumented injustices that happen day in and day out in this country.

And I pray for Kasav too. His indoctrinated mind would not allow him to see beyond death, revenge and death. I pray he sees the other side and realize its greatness before he goes to the gallows.

Hope peace returns to the Sub-Continent and its people!

-TBT