There are various kinds of impunity. One is the most sublime one, the mythical tales of immunity which are inspirational, the other is our kind of impunity from crime and punishment, and the third is the mock-heroic. There is not much difference between the last two but the difference is about origin and source. My brief write-up has a character who is very wise. Since Jahnavi-appa, my friend and guide, the academician, has gone hiding for a month or two, I have a mouse for conversation. We all know that mice are very intelligent beings.
Impunity has created heroes and heroines in the mythical narratives and historical tales. Once one is immune to death, for instance, one has led the army to resist the most powerful gods, saved humanity from perils, and fought for freedom and justice. Kagbhusundi, Hanuman, Aswathama from the Hindu myths, Prometheus, Sisyphus, the Sybil from the Greek myths are some of the immortals.
The consequence of impunity is a loud burp in contemporary Nepali times. Swallow, gulp, devour and all goes well inside you. No one dares to raise question. Life goes in peace under Nepali darkness! Dogs of my vicinity bark when the lights come. They are taken aback by something unusual, the light!
Kagbhusundi was an exceptional narrator. He used his impunity to revive the stories of the bygone pleasure and pains. The bird was cursed but the consequence of his curse was to heal the listeners: Narration is healing. Hanuman, the monkey-god lives forever but for imparting knowledge to humanity and teaching about devotion.
For most of them, impunity to death proved to be revolutionary. The Sybil was prophetic and lived as much as sand grains she held in her hands. She lived and at the same time grew old because she had forgotten to ask for the gift of eternal youth from Apollo. She still served the people with her prophetic power.
Sisyphus was cursed to be immortal but with eternal punishment. He was forced to push a boulder up the hill, and each time he reached the top, the massive boulder would roll back down, and he would have to start anew. He bore the eternal punishment and was thus immortal, but he did it for water, as Prometheus stole fire from heaven for humanity.
We too are immune to many things, not to death and punishment though. Political big people commit massive crimes and can resist any punishment. Impunity filters down to the streets from criminals to drivers, from businessmen to lawmakers, and from students to teachers. We all are free to do whatever we want to do. There are multiple examples of impunity from vegetable sellers to power-engineers. Since there is no point in talking about the immunities of the big people of the country, let us see how immune we are to what we “eat.”
Immunity is mock-heroic in dimension. It has mythical origin and that also comes to us from our divine location, unintentionally though. There was a mouse who was immune to pesticides. He would go and drink the whole bottle of insecticides every morning over his breakfast. A lean and thin mouse asked him one day, “How did you get this immunity?” “Legacy dear! All comes down from DNA, my remotest of great grandfather resisted such poisons, he was in the House of Kailash, in company with Shiva-Parvati family. When Shiva drank the poison, my father was nearby and learnt the secret. They say he passed down the secret to us.”
“How are the people immune to laws and punishment though I understand your mythical resistance theory?” The lean mouse asked and commented. The big mouse banged the table and explained, “You are bringing in false analogy. Ours is the bodily strength, it is a matter of DNA; men and women are institutionally immune. Internal administration, international organizations, modes of bureaucratic systems, political cultures collaborate to such impunity.”
“But how are the people immune to chemical-vegetables? They do not have your ancestry!” asked the thin one again. “You misrecognized me!” said the stout mouse. “Why and how?” asked the weak mouse. “I am the Nepali. I am no different to others. I can devour anything and nothing happens to me except a loud burp, and that is all.”
The thin mouse finally understood that the consequence of impunity is a loud burp in contemporary Nepali times. Swallow, gulp, devour and all goes well inside you. No one dares to raise question. Life goes in peace under Nepali darkness! Dogs of my vicinity bark when the lights come. They are taken aback by something unusual, the light!
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