Photographing any remebrance day is emotional and touchy. Anzac Day (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) is no different. The living pay homage to the dead soldier. Always I had a question in my mind “why did they die?, for whom did they die, why couldn't they live longer, what would have happened to their wives, children and fmaily after their death and more imporantly who wanted the war?”. When I began to see the widening gap between news in the main stream and reality, I became more skeptical about such celebrations. Even in my early days of young adulthood I had a strong feeling there was a great degree of deception in the whole process of remembrance of war heros. Being war ravaged for decades and torn apart by youth rebillions, Sri Lanka's experince in this regard is second to none.
Australia has fought many wars in foreign lands in its modern history. Especially in the wars where UK and USA were taking the leading role, Australia was an active partner. On the Anzac Day, in Sydney, thousands of war veterans paraded and many thousands gathered to say "tank you" to the fallen soldier both known and unknown. It is a colourful annual event. Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought in majors wars which include World War I, World War II, Korean war and Vietnam war. Will a medal of galantry be able to compensate their lives and loved ones' private pain? Has this private pain ever become a genuine concern of the decision making elite? Are some stealing their lives? Are the public living in a big lie and made to continue to live in it?
During the fragile peace process in Sri Lanka which lasted only for a few years, I came a cross a quatation of Benjamin Franklin (1706~1790) appeared in a Sri Lankan daily, The Island - "there was never a good war, or a bad peace". I loved it for stating so much with so little. Recently, when I was surfing the net I found a fictitious quotation someone has done “on behalf of” Julius Caesar. It reads - "Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar." –Julius Caesar. How many Julius Caesars will the mankind experience?
0 comments:
Post a Comment