Aruna Shanbaug

Today Supreme Court has struck down the mercy killing plea of Aruna Shanbaug filed by Pinki Virani . But a debate on euthanasia. has started in the country. People are voicing their opinion on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter actively. Columinists like Bachi Karkaria and others are showing their outrage at the condition of Aruna Shanbaug.
As Sify News says, “Aruna Shanbhag, a nurse from Haldipur, Shimoga, Karnataka, was assaulted by a Sohanlal Bhartha Walmiki, a ward boy at Mumbai’s King Edward Memorial Hospital in 1973.”
Since then Aruna Shanbhug is living like a vegetable. The Nursing Staff of KEMH is taking care of for more than three decades. You can’t spot a minor sore in Aruna Shanbaug’s body. Aruna’s fiancé had waited for four years to improve her condition. But ultimately moved on with his life. Today he is happily married with grown up kids.
As petitioner Pinki Virani says, ” I worked like a woman possessed. Eventually, all the necessary documents found their way to me. I would make the effort, jump for it, die for it, and the damn file would turn up. That is how I got her personal file in KEM, her special neurological file and even the names and numbers of people who knew her.”

Actually my mind was not with Aruna Shanbaug but with Sohanlal Bhartha Walmiki. What happened to that guy? Was he punished? Had he suffered too? Or only Aruna Shanbaug was condemned to be imprisoned in her own body? What happened to the rapist? He was booked under robbery and served seven years in jail for the crime. THEN? He coolly served his sentence came out changed his name and city and worked in another hospital. Every pore of any conscious person will scream that’s so U-N-F-A-I-R.

What does current scenario tells about our society? We GO for the victim. Bachi Karkaria, Pinki Virani have done so much for Aruna Shanbaug someone else could have put the same effort and clout Pinki Virani has written a book Aruna’s Story. The part of the royalty from this book goes to Aruna Shanbaug and after her death it will go to some women’s organization.

But one question can’t escape my mind. Why no one tried to reopen the case and tried to punish the guilty? Even today we all are talking about Aruna Shanbaug’s death or right to live. A SURE SIGN OF A COWARD SOCIETY. We specialize in going for the victim. What about Aruna Shanbaug’s right to justice? What about punishing the aggressor? Actually we have not moved away much from the history. If aggressors used to abduct our women, put them in veils. If aggressors used to abduct brides, shift the wedding timings from dawn to night. If abductors defeated us, tell our women to perform Johar or Sati. We might have started frequenting pubs and discs but mentality is still more than six hundred centuries old.

Aruna Shanbaug we are sorry. We can’t give you justice but worry about your D-E-A-T-H. Why you chose to born in this cowardly society?

PS: Aruna Shanbaug died today on 18 May, 2015. She was world’s oldest comatose patient. May her soul rest in peace. Hope she is in a better place now.