Politics

Two Tragedies In Tamil Nadu Reveal The Stoic Dharmic Flame Amidst Dravidian Darkness

Aravindan Neelakandan

Nov 10, 2020, 07:31 PM | Updated 07:31 PM IST


Map of Tamil Nadu (TUBS/Wikimedia Commons)
Map of Tamil Nadu (TUBS/Wikimedia Commons)
  • The murder of a journalist, its reason, and the grace shown by the grieving parents of a young boy who lost his life on account of an accident, show that are still people willing to hold out against Dravidian monopoly on Tamil society and politics.
  • On 9 November, a young television journalist, Moses, was killed by criminal elements. Sri Manikandan, former Deputy City Editor, in his Facebook timeline, expressed his shock and grief at the demise of the journalist thus:

    Moses, Journalist of Tamilan TV hacked to death outside his home in Kundrathur in front of his father and sister. He had consistently written about the menace of criminal gangs in that belt and also about sand mining mafia. A young lad of few words. I have not had even 1 proper interaction with him. Details shared by media friends are just too shocking. He had made several broadcasts about the menace/impunity of organised criminal gangs and also about mafias, including sand mafia. A group reportedly facing the heat of his news coverage had issued death threats recently.

    The popular and young journalist Madan Ravichandran has pointed out that while many journalists of a particular persuasion abused Arnab Goswami, none of them cared to even express condolence for Moses — who was hacked to death in front of his father and sister.

    News Break about Moses being hacked to death by criminals. 
    News Break about Moses being hacked to death by criminals. 

    Kovai Ettimadai-based Vaideeswaran was just 17 and was studying +2 . He had an accident a few days back when he went to visit his relatives in a nearby village.

    After intense medical care on 5 November, the doctors announced that the boy was brain dead. The parents, Gopal and Vimala, despite their intense and unbearable grief, decided to donate his organs. His father said:

    My son was very spiritual. From a very tender age, he associated himself with the RSS. He was now in charge of the physical exercise wing and always insisted that his body parts should be donated.

    Nine organs from the boy's body including his heart, lungs, kidneys, eyes, skin and bones were taken and donated to various medical institutions.

    Vaideeswaran - the newspaper report on organs donation
    Vaideeswaran - the newspaper report on organs donation

    Both the tragedies show one thing: the indomitable light of Dharma shines even in the thick darkness of Dravidianism.

    That the young journalist, despite the threats to his life, chose to expose the criminals shows that real journalism and the Dharma of Journalism is still alive in the state where quite a lot of journalists face allegations of being sold out to a particular political group.

    It may not be shocking if eventually it comes to light that the criminal elements which hacked the young daring journalist had connections to some of the political peddlers of theatrical oratory opiate of the vitriolic kind.

    It is the bane of Tamil Nadu that cheap oratory skills have been taken by a significant number of gullible to mean 'sincerity of intent'.

    Meanwhile, the act of the student’s parents shows a determination of another scale.

    It is unimaginable that the parents, even at the time of such an unbearable tragedy, decided to live the values by which their son lived.

    The RSS does not have orators like the ones Dravidianists have. They impart Samskaras which represent the essence of Sanatana Dharma to its cadre. And how deep these values have gone is seen in such circumstances.

    It is through the acts of such great humans that a nation constantly renews its sacredness.

    We can only bow our heads in respect to the physically absent Vaideeswaran and his great parents.

    Their Dharmic will equals that of the Rishis and savants of yore.

    This tragedy also brings in another memory.

    Sri Danusu who donated his eyes : a beneficiary of his donation was a prominent person of anti-RSS Dravidiar Kazhagam.
    Sri Danusu who donated his eyes : a beneficiary of his donation was a prominent person of anti-RSS Dravidiar Kazhagam.

    Sri Danusu had been a Sangh Pracharak from 1955 onwards.

    In 1991, he became 'Prantha Vyavasta Pramukh'. He was known for his simplicity, discipline, sweet nature and punctuality. He also spearheaded the eye-donation movement. He died on 3 April 1998.

    His eyes were donated. One of the recipients of his eyes was a Dravida Kazhakam (DK) functionary. As many would be knowing, DK was started by the demagogue EVR, and was rabidly anti-Hindu and anti-Sangh.

    At times when the darkness is high in the state, a hope arises from the knowledge that there are souls superhumanly Dharmic and these warriors of light are fighting silently and steadily against the stranglehold of the adharmic Dravidianist forces who are suffocating the soul of Tamil Nadu.

    Only one wishes that we realise this fact, though not through such heart-wrenching tragedies.

    Aravindan is a contributing editor at Swarajya.


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