Have coffin, we'll dance
Some communities of economically disadvantaged people sing and dance
at a funeral, and all the way to the burial or cremation, as they
consider death a final escape from the burdens of life.
I recall the story of a Negombo funeral many decades ago, where the
man who hired the brass band to lead the cortege was in his cups and did
not like the slow tempo of their music. He asked them to play something
brighter and they broke into "He's a jolly good fellow", and so they
jolly well went all the way to the burial.
Some Back to the Bible fundamentalist Christians, discourage any
weeping or mourning for the dead at their funerals, as they believe that
the one departed has gone to eternal happiness with one's Maker, so
there's no cause for sorrow but only greater joy.
None of these compare with what took place in Colombo last Monday,
when the Anti War Front, and those who support it, decided to have a
protest demonstration at the Town Hall Grounds and Vihara Maha Devi Park
over the assassination of Jaffna District TNA MP Nadaraja Raviraj.
Those at the vanguard of the protest, who were carrying the coffin
with the remains of Mr. Raviraj inside, had obviously forgotten what
their burden was or the declared purpose of their rallying. Though there
were no drummers present to set a beat, they stepped to their own crazed
rhythm, heaving the coffin, swinging it about and shouting themselves
hoarse with slogans.
There were times when some bystanders feared the coffin would open
throwing the remains of Mr. Raviraj out. The swing and sway of the flag
draped coffin in their hands was so big as to make Mr. Raviraj literally
turn many times over inside it. Had he been able to break open and
speak, up he would have put all those rowdy protest-mourners to shame
with some strong words of contempt for their ugly behaviour.
Dead bodies and coffins are very much the staple of politicians and
protests. We often see symbolic coffins being carried in protest
demonstrations, and even being cremated to drive home the point of
protest. There are politicians who are glad for an opportunity to go
round one's electorate, district or even the country carrying a coffin,
or weeping about a death to gather as much political capital as
possible. The politics of the coffin is very much part of our political
culture, as much as the "manaapey" and the liquor licence.
But last Monday's spectacle of contemptuous disregard for the dead
was a descent into the lowest depths of cheap politicking of the grave
digger type.
Many were surprised to see how people who talk with such an aura of
importance about them, when speaking of about human rights, respect for
human life and the dignity of man, peace, and conflict resolution, were
shouting and dancing about without the least respect for the dead;
heaping insult on the memory of the man whose killing they claimed to be
protesting.
Raucous worn-out Marxists, strident activists for women's rights,
politicians from the ranks of the green and blue, those always on a
dubious alert for profitable conflict resolution, and peace wallahs who
see violence only on one side of the armed divide, and many political
upstarts made up this motley collection of protest-mourners; so eager
for a chance to have their great day with a coffin.
At the end they all showed the pulpy stuff they were made of, when
sans any feeling for the bereaved family of Mr. Raviraj, they all faded
away, leaving the remains of the deceased to be taken back to the
funeral parlour by the grieving family members and a few close friends.
It was a far cry from respect for the dead and the traditional practices
of community participation in the final rites of a deceased.
Those who did that macabre dance of the dead, carrying Nadaraja
Raviraj's body on their shoulders, have easily made their mark among the
ranks of political ghouls. Next time you want them to dance, just throw
them a coffin; they'll do a spot dance to their own graveyard beat.
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