Anupam- The Dreamer

The humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza is assuming alarming proportions! With more than 60,000 confirmed deaths in Gaza (the actual numbers could be much larger) and more than 1000 deaths in Israel, this protracted war doesn’t seem to be ending too soon. The talks for peace process are announced but before the talks even begin, they break down. On the cursory glance, it seems that the solution is simple- a two-state solution! But, the problem here is not that simple for both the warring sides. What I essentially see is that this is not just a war for domination and control, rather it is a war being fought for “self-pride even if it results in sure death” on the one side, or else “live life while facing humiliation at the hands of enemy” on the other side.

Let’s compare this situation with the Great War of Mahabharat, which was also fought for the possession and control of land. The legendary poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar has immortalized the epic war in his one of the greatest works of today’s times “रश्मिरथी”. Some of the lines are as follows:

मैत्री की राह बताने को,
सबको सुमार्ग पर लाने को,
दुर्योधन को समझाने को,
भीषण विध्वंस बचाने को,
भगवान् हस्तिनापुर आये,
पांडव का संदेशा लाये।

दो न्याय अगर तो आधा दो,
पर, इसमें भी यदि बाधा हो,
तो दे दो केवल पाँच ग्राम,
रक्खो अपनी धरती तमाम।
हम वहीं खुशी से खायेंगे,
परिजन पर असि न उठायेंगे!

दुर्योधन वह भी दे ना सका,
आशीष समाज की ले न सका,
उलटे, हरि को बाँधने चला,
जो था असाध्य, साधने चला।
जब नाश मनुज पर छाता है,
पहले विवेक मर जाता है।

The Lord Krishna earlier asked for half of the kingdom as justice, which is nothing but a two-state solution (similar to what is envisaged now for Israel-Palestine)! But, he then seeks to compromise to avoid war, when he asks Duryodhan on behalf of Pandavas for the land of just 5 villages from his vast kingdom. However, Duryodhan refused to even give away the land of the size equaling the tip of the needle. And we all know what entailed after that. The Pandavas did not ask for huge amount of land, rather a small portion on which they could sustain themselves. This war was fought for the self-pride of Pandavas, which could have resulted in their death also. But, they chose self-pride over living a life of perpetual humiliation and agony.

Similar is the situation of the Palestine and Israel. Israel formed a nation on a land which it believed belonged to their kingdom long ago, by displacing the people of Palestine. Now, the people of Palestine have two choices- whether to fight for self-pride even if it results in sure death, or else live life while facing humiliation at the hands of enemy. The people of Palestine have chosen former, most of the times, and therefore, they (or their leaders) don’t back out even if they lose thousands of lives. For them, it seems that the pride in their identity and their homeland comes first before anything else. And they want all of their land without compromise, which they believe has been taken forcefully from them by Israel.

The perspective of Israel is not much different either. Since its formation in 1948, Israel is faced with existential dilemma of either fighting a perpetual war or face annihilation at the hands of Arab nations. It chose to fight a perpetual war and one by one, it defeated most neighbouring Arab nations in the last few decades. For Israelis, this is a fight for their self-pride and their “promised land”, which they don’t want to compromise at any cost. They have also chosen pride and death over life of humiliation.

What’s the solution? Actually, there is no easy solution! Maybe, both have to compromise on their pride a little and look for the realistic solutions if they want peace and prosperity for their people. But the ethical dilemma they both face is glaring- “Is the pride worth compromising for life or death is a better solution”? Just look at the situation of Mahabharat, when the pride is hurt, no side wants to arrive at any compromise! I leave you with this mind-boggling question- “What is more valuable to you- your pride or your life?”

Till next time….