Photos: A gun salute in Kerala; A Japanese hearse; Dr. KPP Nambiar; Paul Zacharia
By
Shevlin Sebastian
Many
years ago when retired senior technocrat cum bureaucrat Dr. KPP
Nambiar worked in Tokyo, he would occasionally see a special vehicle
moving around. It was shaped like a Buddhist temple. “We could not
see its windows,” says Nambiar. “Since it was gorgeously
decorated and painted, I assumed that it must be a vehicle for the
emperor, who was regarded as a God, till the end of the second
world war.”
But
later, a Japanese friend of Nambiar told him that it was the hearse
that took the dead bodies for the funeral. “That was how the
Japanese showed respect to the dead,” says Nambiar.
But
when Nambiar returned to Kerala, after several years of service
abroad, he was taken aback to see what took place at the funerals of
prominent people. “It all began with the funeral of the novelist OV
Vijayan in 2005,” says Nambiar. “At this state funeral, there
were nine policemen who were shooting into the air.” The gun salute
also took place during the funeral of the film director
Lohithadas as well as noted writer, Kamala Das, who was buried at
Thiruvananthapuram, as well as many other notables.
“I
thought this shooting was the most ridiculous thing to do,
especially, for a writer, like Kamala Das,” says Nambiar. “It was
being held in a calm and serene atmosphere, with trees all around.”
Says
K. Kunhikrishnan, the former deputy director-general of Doordarshan:
“I remember during the gun salute for Kamala Das' funeral, the
birds in the trees got so frightened that they flew away in a panic.”
Nambiar
wrote an article on this in 'Samakalika Malayalam'. And there was a
swift response from several readers, including the late Justice VR
Krishna Iyer who wrote: 'Funeral
ceremonies should be conducted in a calm and serene atmosphere.
Firing guns in the name of an 'official funeral' must come to an
end.' Subsequently,
the writer Paul Zacharia and others wrote articles in support of
Nambiar’s viewpoint. Unfortunately,
despite Krishna Iyer's opposition, during his funeral, in December,
2014, he was also given a nine-gun salute.
Kunhikrishnan
had suggested the
use of bugles, because it is more suitable during such a solemn and
sad event.
Eventually,
the LDF government of Kerala decided to stop this practice of gun
salutes. “Instead of shooting, they begun using bugles, as
suggested by Kunhikrishnan,” says Nambiar. “Unfortunately, under
the current UDF rule, the practice of shooting has begun again. This
was seen during the recent funeral ceremony of a prominent leader.”
A
student of history, Nambiar did research to find out the reasons
behind this activity. “My studies revealed that this practice took
place during prehistoric times when tribal people used bows and
arrows,” he says. “Arrows were sent upwards to allow the enemy
enough time to remove the dead bodies.”
This
practice was also prevalent among warrior groups and armies. “When
people died fighting for a cause, respect was shown with a gun
salute,” says Nambiar. "But why is it necessary to do this in
the case of artistes or politicians?”
However,
not all are averse to the gun salute. One eminent leader told
Kunhikrishnan, “'We have not got one when we are alive, so why not
get one when we are dead. We can leave with a bang.'”
Kunhikrishnan
says, “This is just to stoke their vanity. I am sure the ordinary
person would prefer that the gun salute is done away with.”
Says
Zacharia: “The police is an oppressive force, especially in India.
They are against the democratic forces.The gun salute is a political
show. The aim is to increase the importance of the deceased person
and to reinforce power.”
No
writer or an artiste should ask for this. “Nor should the people in
a democracy accept this,” says Zacharia.
But
now that the gun salute is back in vogue, people are feeling
demoralised. “It is disheartening, to say the least,” says
Kunhikrishnan. Incidentally, the decision to accord a state funeral,
along with a gun salute, is made by the Chief Minister based on the
proposal sent by the protocol department of the government of Kerala.
(The New Indian Express, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram)
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