Mercy Killing

Legendary Tamil writer Ms. Sivasankari has always been ahead of her times and a pioneer of sorts in the literary world. This is borne out by the topics that she chose for her novels-be it alcoholism, drug addiction, widow-remarriage or child abuse and working women problems, when such themes were either unheard of or taboo.

One more such topic that she dared to write about in the early 2000’s was Mercy Killing or Euthanasia, well before we Indians had even heard about it.

Her novel titled ‘Karunai Kolai’ or ‘Mercy Killing’ is based on the prickly and controversial topic and revolves around the life of the couple Sathya Prakash and Janani. Janani and Sathya share a beautiful relationship filled with mutual love, respect, and intellectual compatibility. Theirs is a blissful marital relationship bursting with humour, fun and banter. Janani a renowned Bharatanatyam dancer meets with a freak accident and slips into a coma for ten long months. She is one who believes passionately in the concept of Euthanasia or mercy killing and the right for every person to choose death with dignity.

Sathya is the editor of a reputed magazine and believes that we humans do not have the right to ‘play God’ and take anyone’s life. Hope is eternal and miracles are always possible. However, when all his untiring efforts to bring Janani back to normal fail, he is forced to take the tough decision to end her life and relieve Janani of her trauma. But Janani recovers miraculously just before Sathya brings his plan into action. Sivasankari raises all the pertinent questions in this pathbreaking novel and also explains complex medical terminology in easy-to-understand layman terms while she takes us on this emotional journey with Sathya and Janani. She questions who has the eventual right to take the correct decision that mercy killing should be executed-is it the patient, the family members, the spouse, the courts, the police or the government? Whoever takes the decision, it remains an eternal question mark as to whether it is the right thing to do-morally, ethically and legally.

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E-Kitap: 24 Nisan 2023