Euthanasia..A.Gimmer of Hope or Despair?

Once again the debate of Euthanasia is alive in the media.Six years before while I was in my first year of engineering at NIT Trichy, the first debate I participated in college was on Mercy Killing. I remember how I vociferously supported for Euthanasia. Today I am enlightened to speak on the topic with little more authority.The very enlightenment has put me in a dilemma.To be frank I am not able to take a firm stand for or against Euthanasia. Any amount of analytical or scientific reasoning fails when questions on life and death are taken, simply because that domain transcends human knowledge. Intricacies of life and death be it on moral, scientific or human rights basis cannot be comprehended or quantified on a tangible basis.

So where does that leave us. Let me try putting in an argument along some sound philosophical arguments. The first approach is that of human rights ie. the right to live or put in more realistic way, right to live with dignity. Right to live does not mean living under inhuman conditions always under the authority and dependence of others. It means ability to live in a dignified manner.This argument puts forward a very significant question.Quarter of Indian population is under abject poverty and lives under totally deplorable and inhuman conditions. When it comes to the question of euthanasia we sharpen our moral swords and fight for human rights while at the same time shun the millions who starve for want of  basic livelihood means.

I keep wondering how wonderfully we Indians argue, no wonder Prof.Amartya Sen chose the title of his book- The Argumentative Indian. We have the knack of shifting sides and changing colors faster than a chameleon.Media is going berserk with every possible arguments about Euthanasia. The fate of Aruna Shaunbaug , the hapless nurse who was sodomized and physically assaulted by a pervert attender in the hospital where she had worked has triggered the latest debate.

The second argument is that of Utilitarianism. Yes the very same utilitirianism of Jeremy Bentham and JS Mill that advoates anything good for the majority of population.Now that works for a public policy or something on a mass basis,not for something so personal as choice of life and death. What has the majority public got to do with an individual's choice. A doctor so long as he is paid will treat the patient. The greater good matters only for the close one's of the patient. But which parent would want to give a consent for Euthanasia of their child?


Every stage of human has some kind of consciousness attached with it. An external person can in no way comprehend the level of consciousness.Just because we feel another person undergoes strenuous pain doesn't mean we can truly comprehend his level of pain or cognition. More importantly it is not tangible. Orgasm during sex is a transcedental stage which is at times associated with pain, but that it is something an individual experiences totally irrelevant to a third person.

Well amidst arguments galore what is the road ahead? Should law of the land interfere with something that is totally irrelevant to the greater common good? I feel the court should keep off this sensitive issue simply because it is a matter concerning an individual and his close ones. Legalising Euthanasia in a country like India would lead to a spurt of nefarious activities especially for hereditary property inheritance, remarriage etc.As for Aruna Shanbaug, hats off to the wonderful and dedicated staff of KEM hospital. Instances like these are to be celebrated for social cohesiveness and human bonding. For a moment it reveals the humanistic aspects devoid of any instincts of self maximizing individuals.Let this be an eye opener for mankind to dwell deeper into the existence of ourselves rather than nuance with ideas of law making and wearing the moral cloak.

Religion and Mass Fanaticism...

Today's newspaper came out with a shocking news of over 100 deaths in a stampede near Sabarimala temple, Kerala.30 deaths in Queensland, Australia due to floods and its already termed a catastrophe with all kinds of disaster mitigation apparatus swiftly into action.A stumbling question comes to my mind, when will we Indians start giving human value its true worth ? Do we even have a true statistical record of the number of deaths? At a time when people and media are crying for a new reliable index for industrial production, why is there no public demand for a true death statistic. The answer is staring at us, we simple don't want it!! But why? Is this part of our "pompous" culture and religious history?

Hinduism talks about "moksha" or salvation from the vicious cycle of birth and death. But for god' sake noone wants to attain moksha by way of a death by stampede. In spite of this tragedy, rest assured there will be a bigger crowd next year and even poorer disaster management force in place. A news article pointed out the presence of National Disaster Response Force(NDRF) at Sabarimala supposedly experienced at crowd control and management. A lakh of hooligan swami's to be managed by a handful of "experts"? ...Guess the district administration is still in a utopian world but totally unfair to blam them either.

Why was there such a big crowd assembled ? To see the biggest farcical side of our religious devotion. Makarajyothi (picture above)- A divine glow emanating from the eastern hills, supposed to be the assertion of Lord Ayyappa himself.Now if God himself comes every 14th of January without fail just to assert himself as a divine glow, why is that divine spot not a temple? In a country where rumours of Divine touch or birth can  trigger a series of religious spots(Read Ram Janmabhumi) why aren't the very same religious fanatics crying for a temple here at the spot of Makarajyothi where God visits every year.

Time will heal the wounds of the affected families in the Sabarimala tragedy. But as a society we need to introspect and come out with clear answers to delineate faith and truth. Vested interests should not be allowed to gain mileage by fooling millions of devotees in the name of tradition.

The Way out....

CWG may have displayed the shoddy side of Indian bureaucracy, but let’s not forget we have the other side of it too. The shining side of Indian public management have outplayed their western counterparts by leaps and bounds in many areas. When the so called liberal far right propagators of US and Europe are shrinking into the once laughed at protectionist laws, here in India we are slowly and steadily opening up the markets.The Ohio ban and the recent hike in visa fees reveal the heat and insecurity the US is feeling from the

Indian markets.

Had our forever despised bureaucrats and policy makers listened to the modern management “gurus”of the west during the formulation of Industrial Policy-1991, forget US even God could not have saved us now. The famed economists of LSE and HBS failed to grasp what our good old IAS officers could sitting in the North Block, New Delhi and the RBI Headquarters in Mumbai.

The Reserve Bank of India was acknowledged worldwide for its mature and austere handling of the economic crises with the right mix of caution and risk. From once being the largest borrower of IMF loans, today India is being looked up at as a savior of the very same IMF. Under the Note Purchasing Agreement and Gold scheme India’s contribution to the world economic institutions deserve accolades.

Indian bid for a permanent UN Security council seat is being backed by majority of the countries and this is evident from the fact that 187 out of 192 countries including Pakistan voted for the non-permanent seat for India. So as always India is turning out to be a country of Contradictions. Seen as a rising Tiger from outside, India is still groping in dark to set its domestic issues straight.

So what is the solution for the lopsided growth pattern that the world’s largest democracy is experiencing? What exactly is the role of state today? A “minimalist “approach advocated by Neo-liberalists or a more proactive socialistic welfare approach? No one size fits all type of solution to India’s problems. Rather than being a provider, the Government needs to don the role of an enabler. Enable the citizen’s to participate in the democratic and administrative setup. The current dichotomy is exactly what India faced at the time of framing the constitution when the legacies of Nehru and Gandhi were at loggerheads. Finally Gandhian principles of “Swaraj” or Local self rule was overshadowed by the socialist aspirations of Nehru and thus started decades of experimentation with centralized welfare planning.

Today world order has changed and is no longer bipolar. The question of Capitalism vs. Communism is irrelevant. Communism has failed and with that dies the welfare state aspirations of Nehru. Indian policy makers have done a credible job by adapting to the changing world dynamics. It’s time we completely revamp the administrative set up to meet the challenges of globalization as well as local needs. Devolution of power to the people and forming a citizen centric administration is on its way if the 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission recommendations are to be implemented.

It’s not the state alone that requires re-orientation. Citizens need to move away from the notion that it is the sole duty of state to ensure welfare of people without any obligations back. How many of us have taken part in the largest democratic exercise on earth, elections to the parliament? How many of us realize the importance of local body elections to the municipalities and Panchayats?

We crib at the system for all its failures and inadequacies, but fail to do any corrective measures. No amount of finger pointing at the state or vociferous accusations at bureaucracy will change the ground reality.What is required is a paradigm change in the attitude and active participation of common citizens inthe governance. All that the state can do is act as a catalyst with administrative, legislative and judicialsupport.

Finally farewell to Chennai...

You never know what life has in store for you.Past one year has taken me to different places including the US,met a lot of people, some of them very interesting characters.But don't know what's wrong with me,find it very difficult to stick to a single place for long.A few months in the corporate aroused the communist in me maybe :) and I landed up in IIT-Madras. Had the opportunity to work with arguably one of the best professors in IIT. But then research din't  really pump my adrenaline. I started to get bored again after the initial enthusiasm. What next? ...A Bureaucrat if god willing in a couple of years from now..:)...So its finally good-bye to Chennai....Great city with a real soul and culture unlike Bangalore which is a hazy heaven.
But I'am happy to get back to where I belong.Lush greenery, romantic monsoons and scintillating rivers.Kerala is one of its kind in this world.So for next one year in God's own country.:)

Movie called Life..

90+ for 10th Boards, 80+ for 12th and then the mad race to crack all the entrance exams in the world starting from JEE , AIEEE down to state level CET. Those lucky ones who make to the IIT/NIT and so on are assumed to have conquered everything and a straight visa to the US or a 5 digit pay in India. Supposedly less fortunate ones studying in those XYZ Institutes of Technology are destined to be underdogs forever just because they couldn't answer those 10 extra questions( or rather less unlucky to have got the wild guesses wrong).The even less fortunate ones who have taken up BA,BSc courses are supposed to have doomed their lives forever.So that virtually creates 3 strata of educated youth. Nothing to be surprised in a country like India where there are most castes than anything else. Yet another creation of education castes. The top ones look down upon the lower ones. The tag of their education is carried on for a long time to come.

Lets have an analysis of the 3 castes for the next 10 years to come.

The Upper Castes: 
IIT/NIT seat is a direct entry to the Road to the Great American Dream for many. MS/MBA is a default option.Job is a guarantee regardless of the number of arrears/grades.So like a swarm of bees, this caste enters into the portals of top Business and technical schools in the world. Perfect script , well executed with no glitches. No more in depth analysis required for this elite class. Their career graph was scripted the moment the entrance results were out.The only thing this sect needs to do is follow the herd. Any deviation from the norm is frowned upon and he or she is an outcast. Success measured in terms of lpa's and foreign trips.

The OBCs :
XYZ Institute of Technology. Uniform clad engineers taught by their own seniors who have barely passed out. Aim is to get into an Infy/TCS/CTS. Script successful if that is achieved and a block buster if they make it into a top B-school for higher studies. Most satisfied with entry level IT/ Outsourcing jobs. Obama should thank this sect for their invaluable contribution for being the backbone of American corporates.

The Untouchables:
I always wished to take up a BSc in physics , but definitely no regrets that I became an engineer. Me too fell  a victim to the Indian education caste. Forced to be an upper caste by family and society. It was too much at stake to get degraded as untouchable. First question asked to this sect invariably." Din't you get an admission for engineering/medical course". Destined to be an underdog forever this sect gets into the vicious circle of applying for all government and bank jobs.

What a pathetic system we have created for ourselves.The first class is deprived to think on their own to follow the herd.The script should be water tight. Second sect shouldn't dare to dream more than what is written in their script. The last ones aren't expected to produce any miracles.

Now I'am in a very fluid stage. I do not fall in any of the three sects. I graduated from an elite college and as per the script joined a top corporate, went to US and when everything was looking perfect, I tampered with the script. I would be perhaps earning the least now among all my college mates. Some appreciate my boldness, some call me stupid but to be frank I'am confused.

Education should give us the wisdom and foresight to choose our career. Does the grand old Indian educational system equip us with that? I very much doubt it. Am I to be blamed or is it the whole system comprising of my parents, friends and the society as a whole.Now I'am not worried about anything. Live everyday happily to the maximum extent possible. My search for what I need and what gives me happiness continues. Degrees and papers provide nothing more than social acceptance. I need to evolve as a person capable of facing the world at all times.

Suicide of my friend Mahesh Mahadevan( IIT-Madras alumnus who was pursuing MS at University of California,Irvine) has shocked me.He was a true intellect, a confident young man who followed the perfect script. Flawless with impeccable records. State Rank 1, 3 digit IIT rank, high CGPA from IIT-M, admit into a top US university. But half way, the script took a U turn.No one will ever know what went wrong. Did our system make him too fragile ? I wish I knew the answer.

Past is gone and there is always a bright future ahead. Dare to rewrite the script the way you want. You write your script and not act to someone else's. You be the actor, hero,director,producer and camera man for the lovely film you make for yourself. This film has a difference, it is a selfish film not to please or impress others but each time you rewind and watch the film it should make you feel good.Entertain yourself..!!!!!