Mercy Killing

By Sivasankari

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pustaka Digital Media
• Release date: Feb 25, 2023
• ISBN: 6580501809546

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Mercy Killing

Author:

Sivasankari

For more books

Translated by

Subha Pande

https://www.pustaka.co.in/home/author/sivasankari-novels

Digital/Electronic Copyright © by Pustaka Digital Media Pvt. Ltd.

All other copyright © by Author.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion there of may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Table of contents

About the Author

About the translator - Subha Pande

EPISODE 1

EPISODE 2

EPISODE 3

EPISODE 4

EPISODE 5

EPISODE 6

EPISODE 7

EPISODE 8

EPISODE 9

EPISODE 10

EPISODE 11

EPISODE 12

EPISODE 13

EPISODE 14

EPISODE 15

EPISODE 16

EPISODE 17

EPISODE 18

EPISODE 19

EPISODE 20

EPISODE 21

EPISODE 22

EPISODE 23

EPISODE 24

EPISODE 25

EPISODE 26

EPISODE 27

About the Author

Legendary writer Sivasankari has been a leading light in Tamil literature for the past fifty-four years. She has contributed to almost every genre of writing, be it novels, short stories, travelogues or biographies. Her works are based on real-time, in-depth research conducted through personal interviews, travels and consultation with experts. Sivasankari believes strongly that writing should be constructive, guide readers and protect them from going on the path of self-destruction.

Her novels, stories and articles on social issues like eye-donation, senior citizens’ problems, drug addiction, alcoholism, child abuse and working women’s challenges have helped created wide awareness in society at large and helped readers to deal with such issues effectively.

Her ‘Knit India Through Literature’ is an important milestone in Indian literature where she travelled the length and breadth of the country and interviewed close to a hundred authors across eighteen states with a mission to introduce Indians to our diverse culture through the literary traditions of different states. Apart from interviews of different authors, this four-volume mega-project includes articles detailing the literary culture and history of each language. This epic work has been published in both English and Tamil.

A two-day symposium on Sivasankari’s works was held in the Madurai Kamaraj University where eight professors from five universities participated and till today, over eighty M. Phil and PhD students have researched her stories.

Sivasankari has received several reputed award and accolades in her illustrious career including the ‘Kasturi Srinivasan award’, the ‘Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar award’, the ‘Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad award’ from Kolkata, the ‘Premchand award’ among others.

She was recognized as one of the fifty women who influenced and impacted India by the golden jubilee commemorative issue of the English ‘Femina magazine’. She was voted the ‘Woman of the year 1999-2000’ by the International Women’s Association.

She has been honoured as one of the four writers whose works were recorded in their own voices for the Archives of U.S. Library of Congress to mark the Bicentennial Celebration of the Library in August 2000.

Sivasankari continues to be socially active, supporting a lot of causes through her charitable trust.

About the translator - Subha Pande

Subha Pande is a multilingual translator fluent in six Indian languages. Her flair and love for languages drew her to translation.

Her translated works include:

1. Kaajal Oza Vaidya’s Gujarati classic ‘Krishnayan’ and ‘Madhyabindu’ (A Bridge to Nowhere) into English (Zen Opus, Ahmedabad).

2. Kavita Kane’s best sellers ‘Sita’s Sister’ and ‘Fisher Queen’s Dynasty’ into Hindi (Rupa and Yatra books).

3. Seven novellas and a short story collection of iconic Tamil writer Sivasankari into English that have been bought out as Ebooks (Pustaka.co.in)

4. Vishwas Nangre Patil’s Marathi book ‘Kar Har Maidan Fateh’ into English (Harper Collins) in June 2022.

5. English translation of Girish Kuber’s Marathi book ‘Yuddha Jeevanche’ a fascinating historical account of biological and chemical warfare, is due to be published by Harper Collins in April, 2023.

Subha works extensively with Story tell, a Swedish company, as an independent translator and translates children’s audio books, short stories, serialized stories, fictional and non-fictional works from Marathi and Hindi to English and vice versa.

Subha Pande holds a Master’s degree in Pharmacy and has worked as a Professor of Analytical Chemistry for a decade in Bangalore. She is a certified spoken English examiner for all Cambridge English Qualifications. Subha has around fifteen years of experience as a corporate soft skills and English language trainer and has been associated as a trainer with several reputed multinational companies in India.

Subha is a certified Yoga instructor and teaches yoga. She lives in Vadodara with her writer husband, Vikrant Pande.

1

Janani lay in bed. She looked asleep at first glance.

Some people look grotesque while they sleep with their mouths open and jaws exposed; but Janani looked as calm and pleasant as she always did. It was as if she was watching a sweet dream and a smile waited to spread on her face.

But,

This wasn’t sleep but something different altogether.

She had been in this state for the past twenty-two hours, without moving a muscle... It could not be normal sleep...

It was something else...

Mr. Sathyakumar?

Sathya turned around.

The nurse informed me that you are here... I am the duty doctor here; when did you come?

Just now... two minutes back... How is she, doctor? You told me on the phone that she was unconscious... when will she regain consciousness?

There is nothing to worry, Mr. Sathyakumar. We took an X-ray in the morning... thankfully there is no fracture...

In that case, why is she still unconscious, doctor?

It is normal for people with head injuries to be unconscious like this... she will be alright very soon. Don’t worry.

Did you say head injury? Which part of the head is hurt? Was there a lot of bleeding?

There was slight bleeding... that is all! If you want any further details, please speak to the senior doctor. He had asked me to inform him of your arrival. I called him and then came to meet you. He will be here very soon...he stays nearby...

The duty doctor spoke softly, went close to Janani and placed the stethoscope on her chest. She checked her pulse and measured her blood pressure. She reduced the flow of the glucose drip and said to the nurse, Please be here, sister. She turned towards Sathya and said, I will come with the senior. and left the room.

Sathya moved close to Janani. When he looked at her carefully, he could see patches of the makeup she had applied for her performance on her face the previous evening. The tips of her fingers and her feet peeking out of her blanket were colored with red henna.

Her fingers were dainty and beautiful... like lotus petals...

He caressed her feet gently, stepped back and stood by the window as soon as he noticed the nurse turn her face away.

His mind was agitated and he felt restless.

It would be good if the senior doctor came soon and told him the details about Janani’s condition.

The next moment, his mind tried to convince him saying that since the nurse and the duty doctor were going about with their duties calmly, it must be a mild injury and there was nothing to worry.

It was five O’clock in the evening but it was still hot and sunny.

Doesn’t this nursing home have air-conditioned rooms, sister?

Yes, we do have two air conditioned rooms, but both are full.

Will they be free tomorrow?

I have no idea Sir; we have to ask the senior doctor... there are cardiac patients in both the rooms...

Not interested in saying anything more, Sathya turned his gaze outside the window.

He could see the hill fort far away...

Sathya, can you also come for the Trichy performance? We can visit the Brihadeeshwara Temple, see the paintings in the sanctum sanctorum and the stone carvings. You haven’t seen them yet, have you?

When Janani? Coming weekend... it will be difficult... I have to complete the April issue and there is a lot of work to do. You go with your troupe... we can go to the temple sometime later.

It was at eleven O’clock in the morning, while he was discussing some matter regarding the April magazine issue when he had received that phone call.

An urgent trunk call from Trichy...

‘What could it be about?

Is she going to tell me that she has planned to visit the Brihadeeshwara temple and will come back on Tuesday or Wednesday?’

He was sure that it would be Janani’s voice when he said ‘hello’, but it was Namagiri’s choked voice from the other end. She was the playback singer in Janani’s troupe.

Sir, please come to Trichy right away. An accident has taken place here... I have been trying to call you since last night but couldn’t get the connection. Please come fast Sir.

Sathya wondered who she was talking about as she struggled to give Sathya any clear details. He raised his eyebrows and replied,

Please tell me calmly, Namagiri... what is the matter? Where is Janani? Who is hurt? Please tell me everything...

She told him:

Janani had completed the ‘Varnam’ of her Bharatanatyam recital and as she greeted the audience and moved towards the wing, the ropes holding the curtains snapped and the heavy curtains along with the heavy bamboos came crashing down in a flash and fell on her. We took Janani madam to the hospital with the help of the Sabha Secretary and got her admitted. I called you last night to inform you about the accident but they said that the phone line was out of order. It would be good if you could reach here as soon as possible...

Sathya felt a slight choking in his throat. How is Janani now? Is the injury serious? He asked hurriedly.

Nothing like that... but she is unconscious... can you come fast? Your presence will give us a lot of strength Sir...

He controlled his agitation and left within the next fifteen minutes. He asked the driver to sit in the back seat and he drove all the way to Trichy without a single break and reached there by four thirty that evening.

Good evening, I am doctor Ramprasad. I had tried to call you yesterday but couldn’t get through. When did you come? Did you drive down?

The senior doctor, accompanied by the duty doctor and a couple of nurses, introduced himself and went to Janani’s bed and checked her. He instructed the duty doctor regarding the treatment regimen to be followed and said to Sathya, Come... let’s go to my office. Sathya followed the doctor to his cabin.

Sathya said nothing till the doctor called the ward boy and ordered two coffees.

I don’t think there is anything to worry, Mr. Sathyakumar. It is true that we were concerned till we saw the X-Rays. It is indeed a big relief that the Neurophysician has ruled out any fracture, seeing the X-ray report.

When will she regain consciousness?

Any minute... it could even happen as we speak...

Where is the injury? Is it only on the head or... anywhere else as well?

Since the heavy bamboo fell straight on her head, it is a head injury for sure. By the grace of God, there is not much of bleeding... We have put stitches at three places. As there are no further complications like fever... I think she should be better by tomorrow...

‘No... that was not to be...

Dr. Ramprasad’s conclusions were wrong.’ Janani developed a high fever early the next morning and the neurophysician had to be called in again.

She is still unconscious and her blood pressure too is low. It is better to understand her condition before starting any new line of treatment. Such symptoms are possible when there is internal bleeding and clotting inside the skull. It is important to take a ‘scan’ and diagnose the condition correctly. We do not have that facility here and I suggest that it would be better for you to take her to Madras...

Since there couldn’t be any jerks during the journey, it was decided to bring Janani to Madras by flight the same day.

They reached Madras and admitted her into a private hospital. A reputed neurosurgeon was called in and as he checked Janani and got the scan done, Sathya waited patiently and optimistically.

‘There was no need to worry about Janani being unconscious for three days. The bleeding too wasn’t severe. There was no skull fracture and hence it could be assumed that the injury was not very deep. And even if there were small clots, they would be visible clearly in the scan and they could be removed by surgery. Janani would be fine and back to normal. The medical field has advanced tremendously and there was no need for fear.’

As Sathya stood waiting, telling himself this repeatedly, the neurosurgeon came to him and shrugged his shoulders tiredly.

What is it, doctor?

Sorry Sathyakumar... the scan reports are not encouraging. Several blood vessels have been damaged and there are a lot of blood clots. It would be dangerous to touch the clots that are deep in her brain... if we try to operate on her brain cells, it could lead to serious after effects... sorry... we are really very sorry...

Sathya could feel butterflies in his stomach... he tried to calm himself and asked,

What does this mean?

We can’t operate on her Sathya... please try to understand...

That is ok, but when will Janani regain consciousness? At least tell me that doctor...

The doctor shook his head helplessly.

To tell you the truth, no doctor will be able to answer that question, Sathyakumar. Have you ever got hurt on your arm or your foot, had blood clots and seen the site of the injury turn blue? Sometimes the clots get repaired in two days while sometimes the blue skin takes months to heal. Similarly, the clots that had formed at the time of impact in Janani’s case will take time to dissolve and return to normal...

Sathya listened to the doctor carefully, trying to assimilate what he was saying. When he spoke again, his voice was trembling.

That means, it is not possible for us to say with certainty when Janani will regain consciousness, talk, be able to walk and become normal again... right?

"Sathyakumar, you are an educated man, an editor. You are mature and wise. I trust that you will be able to handle the truth and