by MUKUL DUBE
The late Sunil Gangopadhyay had pledged his body to medical science. His son and perhaps other members of his family disregarded his wishes and opted for the cremation of his remains. Their argument was, apparently, that rights over his corpse vested in those who were charged with disposing of it.
I do not wish to argue absurdly that the dead man continued to own the body he once inhabited. I do say, however, that his family’s action is a slap in the face of all those who speak in favour of organ donation.
Medical science today is in a position to help many, many people by using organs retrieved (I dislike the term in use, “harvested”) from corpses. It is people like the younger Gangopadhyay who cause many to die because no kidneys are available for them and many to remain sightless because there are no corneas for them.
This mediaeval thinking is not tragic so much as it is disgusting. So what if it coincides with the supposed triumph of Good over Evil?
Mukul Dube can be reached at uthappam@gmail.com