Fake 'FAST UNTO DEATH' & how to effortlessly detect it

Dear Friends

The recent increase in the number of agitations in the name of ‘fast unto death’ is certainly a cause for concern for the Government.

There can be no doubt that the sacrifice of oneself for a cause is the highest human ideal. Satyagraha is therefore, the greatest form of protest available to an individual. The fact remains that India, our country, secured its political freedom from the British by a stead fasted adherence to the principle of Satyagraha.

Now, career politicians are increasingly threatening to ‘fast unto death’ for purposes that are not necessarily in anybody's interest except theirs. When a career politician sets out to ‘fast unto death’, the truthfulness behind such an agitation is rarely known to the world except to his close associates.

Yet, I am of the view that a Government should strive to ascertain if such agitations are ‘truthful’ at all. The Government ought to ask, ‘Has a fasting politician truly contemplated ‘death’?’

There is no greater dishonour for a country to witness an individual pretend to ‘fast unto death’ and compel his Government to accede to his demand in the absence of a moral foundation to the episode; the willingness of an individual to commit himself for a cause and the willingness of a Government to accede to his proposal on moral grounds.

A person who lives with a family and has secured material prosperity may not contemplate death with any degree of certainty. If he did, he would most definitely write a ‘will’ and execute it so as to meet his obligation to the members of his family.

Less than 1/10th of 1% of the population of India bothers to write and execute a ‘will’. The mainstream media is never tired of disclosing new episodes narrating the misfortune of the mighty and the wealthy who are driven to squabble on the streets largely because the family patriarch left no will or disclosed none to his family and a dubious will emerged from a stranger’s camp.

A career politician with substantial assets and a thriving dynasty who seeks to sacrifice himself to a cause will most likely write and execute a ‘will’ if only he is willing to move closer to ‘death’. As such, a career politician who threatens a ‘fast unto death’ may never need to be taken seriously unless he takes steps to write and execute a ‘will’.

Remember what U.G.Krishnamurthy, J.K.Krishnamurthi and Osho emphasised all of their life – the people of India aren’t spiritual at all; at least not as much as they claim. If they had no fear of death at all, they would never have surrendered to any power and yet, look to history and you will see that people were always willing and waiting to surrender to somebody or the other.

If you notice a career politician threatening to ‘fast unto death’, please do this country a favour. Ask that individual for a copy of his will. After all, if he has contemplated death with any degree of certainty, he should have authored and executed a ‘will’.

People with massive amounts of money in India rarely write a ‘will’. Why would they, anyway? It is easier to extract love and support from your loved ones by getting them to hope for a bigger reward in return for their love and support to you. Once you write and execute a ‘will’, your family members clearly learn how much they will receive upon your death and will therefore, see no need to disproportionately gratify you. If you are a career politician and have lots of ill-gotten wealth and plenty of family members who have their eye on your purses, the last thing you would want to do in your lifetime is to write a will and distance everybody from your life.

So, the next time a politician tells you that he will ‘fast unto death’, ask him for his will. If he has none, please publicise such absence to the world. You will be doing this country, a favour.

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Regards,

K.V. Dhananjay.
Advocate, Supreme Court of India
+91-99029-09390