The Inhuman Act in the name of Almighty!

The Inhuman Act in the name of Almighty!

Alas! I lost my Dad....

At 6.00 am I woke up in the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital on 18th April 2014 amid of few patients who were in the emergency ward needing constant care. 

My Dad, a retired Teacher who had been admitted in the hospital for bone fracture and had the operation few days before, was back from the Ortho ward, back to emergency for breathing difficulty and chest congestion. He could not take anything orally and was in Intra Venous Fluid (Glucose) since two days. However he was responding to my voice and care as I had been dressing him up and trying to feed him fluids, orally. The previous night he had 'Sukku Coffee' and was better. I had consulted the doctor on his status and was confident that he would soon take food orally. With that confidence I had my nap, the previous night.

Around 7.00 am I had finished cleaning and dressing him up. With the voluntary help of two women who were attending to their relatives in the next beds, either side, I tried to raise my Dad and feed him with milk and tablets. To my surprise he could swallow the milk and the tablets. I was gaining hope that soon he would start eating. But to my shock, when I let him lie in the bed, he breathe his last. The eyes were closing and neck falling. I am stuck. Could not cry.  Screamed at the nurse for calling the Doctor. I tried to pump his heart with hand strokes, but in vain. Doctors rushed in, asking me to vacate the place for some time and covered the bed with screen and emerged out after 10 min, to declare me that he is dead. 

ID Sir is DEAD!

My literal Death!

I had to call our relatives and friends after informing my family. I had no courage, rather worried, to let my Mother know this message. So informed Ms.Rajalakshmi (my friend) who had been caring my Parents, especially my beloved Dad, more than her father. To her I disclosed the demise of my Dad and she had to manage bringing my Mom to Tirunelveli from our home at Ammanpuram, which is in Tiruchendur Taluk, about 50 Km away from the High Ground Hospital (Tirunelveli). 

18 - 19 - 20 March 2014 Days for the Deity

Three days 'Kumbabishekam' function began with 'Ganapathi Homum'. Mother and Raji were in the temple, when I called to convey the demise of my Dad. The next call was to my relative who played a role in the temple festival. I asked him not to inform anything about my Dad's demise, but to send my Mom quickly to hospital. He honored that. However, next calls from him were shocking. He asked me not to bring my Dad to home and gave me options saying that it is the decision of the temple committee/elders. 

The options were:

" To bribe and keep Dad at the Govt Hospital or Mortuary itself for 3 days 
or
to keep in ice-box and in some private hospital or room or home for 3 days
or
to cremate immediately in the electric crematorium at Tirunelveli itself "

I was shattered at these uttering and categorically stated that he will be brought to my home and that would be my Mom's wish too. My Dad also wished that same log before. 

As soon as my Mom reached Hospital, around 8.50 am, we started last journey with my Dad to my village in the Govt Vehicle. Not to be on the way of temple function, which is right before my home, we moved straight to the pump house in the garden and lied him on a cot. We did not want the Temple function to be stopped, not my Dad would wish. None from the village came to receive or see my Dad. Rather, a sanction has been whipped against those who would be going for the funeral, 'the unquoted verdict' by so called 'elders of the village'. Very few men and women defied the whip in the name of God to pay their respects at the burial.  We used to cremate, but were told that even the 'Vettiyan' who does it will not turn up and we had no other option but to bury him in our garden itself. An ultimatum was set by the 'elders' to complete the process before 5 pm. Family members from my Mom's side were communicating the decision by the 'elders' to me and forcing us to complete everything before my daughter (grand child whom my dad is fond of) arrived, the next day. We were under pressure in the name of the God, to dig up the earth on haste and bury him before the dusk.

That night none stayed with us. My self, my friend Raji and Mother, all three were alone on the death night. 

How should we react?

                                                      Against whom?

                                                                                                  Is God really there?

......even tears fail to roll out!