Shravan Kumar’s story from Ramayan is common in every household. This is the example that every parent gives their children at least once in their lives. It is a parent’s wish to have a son like him who can care for his parents well in their final stages of life when parents require the required support from their children. Even though every parent in the world expects their children to look after them in their old age, for some children, their parents are a burden. For many, senicide is the only way to get rid of their ailing parents. Senicide is the practice of killing an elderly person. Though such a practice was prevalent in some tribes, Heruli, a tribe from Germany, is one such example. In the twenty-first century, such a practice is condemned by society worldwide and violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But in reality, in the 21st century too, such a practice is prevalent, as in the name of Thalaikoothal.
Thalaikoothal is a custom that is practiced in some parts of Tamil Nadu. Thalaikoothal means “leisurely oil bath”, and it is a Tamil word. It’s a practice where a date is fixed by the relatives of the ailing elderly person to kill him in front of his family members and relatives. Consent does not matter here. What matters here is that the children wish to kill their parents. In most cases, it has been found that Thalaikoothal is done through a process where an extensive oil bath is given to an elderly person before daybreak. The rest of the day, he or she is given several glasses of cold, tender coconut water. After this, the temperature of the body falls suddenly, causing a high fever that leads to the death of the old person within 1–2 days. According to Dr. Ashok Kumar, a general practitioner in Madurai, “Tender coconut water is taken in excess causes renal failure”, and this method is found to be as fail-proof as the fact that “the elderly often do not have the immunity to survive the sudden fever”. This is the common practice of Thalaikoothal.
In addition to these, the children use other means to murder their parents. According to a TV sting operation, medicine is given to the parents which is used to kill snakes and pigs. One of the most painful methods of killing is when one has to swallow mud dissolved in water. Doing this, the person will suffer from indigestion and ultimately die as a result. According to Velayudham of Help Age India, “the families used to take mud from their land, if they had any, as it will make their soul happy”, and even if they survive, another treatment, i.e., milk treatment, is given to that person. In milk treatment, milk is poured by holding the nose tight, and sometimes the milk treatment is followed by starvation. Milk enters the respiratory tract when it is continuously poured into the mouth. As a result, the person died because a starved person cannot survive a single moment of suffocation.
For elderly parents, it is unfortunate that sometimes vehemently they have to choose Talaikoothal. On the other hand, some parents, out of generosity, request their children to perform Thalaikoothal so that their children’s hard-earned money can be saved from spending on medical treatment because money could be saved by killing them. If we talked about law, then it is important to mention here that law does not allow killing any person in the name of tradition or custom. According to the Indian Penal Code (IPC), it is murder. Even the IPC does not allow for suicide, as it is a crime to kill oneself. Our country’s constitution protects the right to life and does not mention the right to die. Until now, there has been no clear indication of when this practice was started. Even no accurate data related to this practice is available.
The Indian Government, from time to time, has made many policies for senior citizens and the poor. But somewhere, this practice shows that laws are not sufficient to deal with the issues of poverty. As has been discovered in all previous studies on these issues, poverty is the driving force behind such practices.
The theory of “survival of the fittest” actually applies to the people in such a case, which means that it is better to look after the young ones for their proper growth and leave the old ones to die as they are of no use. Such practices should be strictly stopped. This is not our culture. We are human beings. We had values and emotions too. Poverty is the reason behind most crimes, but here the crime is committed by a child against his or her parents. No complaint, no case. Most of the time, such incidents are not even reported to the police due to public awareness of the law. Our fast lives and busy schedules have created a veil between our lives and those of others, because of which we are unable to see the pain and agony suffered by others due to our activities. We only raised our voices when we suffered. This demonstrates that we have become stoic. Thalaikoothal is a crime in the name of tradition, but what we are doing with others is also a crime. Not understanding someone’s pain is morally wrong. Somewhere we are forgetting the truth about tit for tat. Whatever we are doing now with our parents the same thing can happen to us when we become aged.
Recently, a Tamil movie has been released on these issues, namely “Thalaikoothal”, directed by Jayaprakash Radhakrishnan. I think this movie will help us understand the seriousness and turmoil of the situation between the children who are forced to choose this and, on the same side, the parents who have opted for or are bound to opt for this for the sake of their children. World needs both the aged and young generations to live together irrespective of age, caste, status etc.
Dr Pyali Chatterjee is the HOD, Faculty of Law, ICFAI University, Raipur, Chhattisgarh