It is sickening to know that one Sadhu, Swami Nigamananda died two days back while on hunger strike in North India, he was fasting in Ghandian style to draw the attention of the concerned authorities and the Government against illegal mining and against polluting of Holy River Ganga. He was an environmentalist wanted the environment to be clean and pure. World is working so hard to keep the environment clean and India as a part of the world is neglecting not only those Indians trying to protect environment in India but worst still that India is allowing environment protectors to die without any importance. This type of India’s attitude towards Indians fighting for the right cause is a curse.
Hunger Strike and Fasting is a method Ghandiji used to put pressure on British Government into submission. Following Ghandiji’s footsteps, after the independence, Indian activists used this non-violent weapon to fight for their rights from their respective Governments. We in Goa never used this weapon against Portuguese Government to get our freedom but after the Portuguese exit from Goa many Goans used this weapon to bring to the notice of Goa Government the grievances of Goans. Though symbolic yet I also observed Hunger Strike along with others at Azad Maidan Panaji in support of Konkani to demand from Goa Government recognition for Konkani and Statehood for Goa. This was done during my vacation in Goa when Konkani language agitation was in progress.
The current phase of Hunger Strike in India is to stop corruption which is like a Cancer. This is a very critical phase of India for the protection of India as a nation. It was easier for Indians to force British Government into submission thru the weapon of Hunger Strike but it is very difficult to force Indian Government into submission thru this same weapon because Indian Government is a stone hearted Government, a corrupt Government elected by the corrupt voters for spreading corruption in India. Indian Government is immune to the sufferings of the masses who are victims of the corruption spread in India by the Government machineries for the benefits of all the rascals running the affairs of Indian Government at State as well as Central Government levels. For this reason Government of India is reluctant to enact a legislation against the Corruption because Government of India wants to rob the poor masses.
At this critical moment Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev rose to the occasion and organised Hunger Strikes in India to force the Indian Government into enacting legislation making corruption punishable by law. Though their Fasts not yet yielded concrete results yet what yielded was the tremendous public opinion against corruption and the need of enacting legislation against corruption. This was the biggest outcome of their Fasts. Both Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev are become the voices of One Billion Indians who are demanding better governance in India at State as well as Central levels. I salute both of them and their sacrifices. Both of them made Indians to revive their thinking towards India. However, I would have been very sad if Baba Ramdev had been killed on that fateful night by the Congress Government security forces when he was on the first night of his Hunger Strike. Good that Baba Ramdev escaped by fleeing from the scene even by disguising in a female attire. A leader like Baba Ramdev fleeing is not new and it was not an act of cowardice. Besides history, Holy Bible also cites examples of how Jesus Christ and Apostle Paul escaped for their safety instead of falling into the hands of their adversaries. Baba Ramdev escaped in woman’s attire while Apostle Paul escaped hidden in a Basket.
By the way, is it ethically and spiritually right to undergo Fast Unto Death? Is it right for any human being to end his own life in this way? Politically it may be right but on religious point of view I cannot on my own liquidate my own life, ending my own life is like committing a suicide and suicide is a Sin forbidden by the religion. Some years back during her first term as a Premier of England, Margareth Tatcher was facing demands from Northern Irelanders for freedom. To press their demands hard, some of them conducted Fast Unto Death in which one or two Hunger Strikers died. Those who died and involved in this Fast were popular figures including world renowned musicians and singers. Because of their celebrity status, their cause received worldwide attention forcing Margareth Tarcher to relent. But she would not relent maintaining her status of "Iron Lady". Finally the then Pope Paul VI intervened, first by pleading for reconciliation between the two factions and when Hunger Strikers also refused to end their Fast, then the Pope issued a bulletin from Vatican saying "Fasting Unto Death is a Sin" and one should not commit such sins. He said Fast Unto Death is a Suicide which is against God’s will. No person can take away his life from him, it is the prerogative of God only and He alone can take away life from oneself.
We see lot of killings amongst us committed by Suicide Squads. They kill innocent people to promote their ideology. By doing this they kill not only themselves but criminally others too. It is an act of suicide as well as homicide, both are forbidden by religion and the worst part of these killings is this that in many times these type of killings are committed in the name of God. Do God allow killings of people in His name? The nations, the groups and the individuals promoting and encouraging such killings are enemis of God and friends of Satan.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
