........does it really matter ?
With all due respect to the departed soul, Mr. U R
Ananthamurthy, may I ask this question lingering in my mind ? Should a
democratically elected government in power decide how and when to mourn the
death of a notable personality ? Do we have a set of criteria to be meet so
that the government can declare a state wide closure of banks, educational
institutes and offices to mourn someone’s death ? How does the democratically
elected government decide this and yet be impartial ? Clearly we don’t have any
rules as such. So again, ‘Should the democratically elected government in
power, decide when and how to mourn?’
Shouldn't this power reside with the people of the state or
country ? How about declaring the day as a flexible day to mourn ? Meaning,
anyone who choose to mourn should be allowed to be on leave this day and then
be able to work overtime or on holidays to compensate. Now, that gives the
power back to the people instead of forcing this holiday to mourn someone on
people and also adding to millions of loss.
As far as the departed soul is concerned, does it really
matter to that soul if the state declared a holiday to mourn ? In his own words from the book Samskara , "Only
the form we forge for ourselves in our inmost will is ours without
question." If someone mourns the death or
doesn't mourn , shouldn't matter.
What happens after
death doesn't matter. You get buried or burnt, ultimately YOU just dissolve in top
soil or thin air and become NOTHING. So if the dead soul doesn’t speak or care,
then this move by government in power to declare a forced holiday is just
another move to appease a section of society or minds and nothing more.
Mourning should be voluntary and should not in any form affect others. Why
would you force closure of banks, educational institute and offices, and allow
people to be disrespectful of someone’s death because it causes great inconvenience
to them ? Since no dead soul can ask this question, I beg all the great souls
respected in society and by large section of masses, to include this in their
will. “On my death, all business and activities should be as usual. There shouldn't
be any state declared holiday, closures or processions. I have received all the
love and respect from the people whose life I have touched while I am alive.
Therefore, what happens after my death doesn’t really matter to me.”
