Editor,
After reading the article “Good Friday and the Soul of India”, written by Bijoy A. Sangma, which appeared in Highland Post and perhaps in other print and digital media, I sensed that the write up has indeed touched the conscience of Indians even those that have lost their sense and sensibilities. The commemoration of Good Friday should indeed remind us how the poor humble innocent 33 years old Jesus the carpenter of Nazareth village of the time, who later became a brilliant moral teacher at the Synagogues and became most popular in the open amongst the commoners was falsely accused by the top Jewish religious leaders, the Pharisees and Saducees, just because he did not conform to their teachings and their schemes of things. He was brought before the Roman Governor of Judea, Pontius Pilatus, to be tried openly and publicly for the false accusations by them. Influenced by the Jewish top religious leaders the mob pressured the Roman Governor by shouting slogans to execute Jesus by crucifixion on the cross by hanging on calvary hill overlooking Jerusalem. The scene was pathetic indeed yet it was real.
Here we clearly see how the rich, the high and the mighty represented by the Roman Governor and the jewish Pharisees and Saducees condemned the poor, the weak and hapless Nazarene Jewish Jesus smack of justice, compassion and mercy just because he was alone, poor and defenceless. Where is justice, the human considerations, empathy, dignity and conscience gone? Just because he has nobody on his side vulnerable and in minority he can be trampled under feet and crushed and killed to get gratification out of it. We see the same thing being perpetrated in India today when the majority, the rich the high and mighty including the state oppressed the minorities, the poor the weak and marginalized lot; the poor are becoming poorer and the rich are becoming filthy richer by whatever means and at whatever costs, the chasm between the rich and the poor is becoming wider and wider with the times. No one cares for the poor, the weak and the marginalized any more. The religious majority persecuted and oppressed the religious minorities without any qualms of conscience for the conscience is dead. If Good Friday’s Commemoration has anything to reflect it is on these realities in today’s context.
Philip Marwein,
Sr. Journalist,
Shillong-2
