I should have stopped after I watched the documentary on NANKING. I found myself crying seeing the old Chinese man telling how his mother was brutally killed, between sobs and wiping his eyes. The agony he felt was pouring out from the TV screen. The cruelty was unbelievable.
When I talked about this, someone asked, what about the Holocaust. I agree, there is no comparison in who were more atrocious or better in finding newer ways of torturing another human being. But when I talk about this particular story, I don’t want it to be distracted by other stories. That doesn’t mean I am being blind towards all other similar or even greater stories. Here I am only talking about The Rape of Nanking, happened in 1937, about the book I read, the documentary I saw . Nothing else. I know we don’t have to go all the way back to 1937’s or 71’s to find cruelty. We just have to look inside our own countries for all that.
Still, I read this book; saw the documentary and here I am, talking about this particular story.
It could be compared to the rape of Bangladesh. The cruelty shown towards Bengali women by Pakistani soldiers could be compared to the cruelty made by Japanese soldiers towards the Chinese women.
I don’t know what made me to go and get the book, The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang. As I was going through each pages, I had to stop several times. When I reached the parts of the torture the poor people were being subjected to, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. But the worst part I saw was, when I reached the end pages where they had black and white pictures of the dead people. There was one head, sitting on a barbed -wire barricade with a cigarette on his lips. The face all wounded and bloody. I closed the book. What could have gone through the minds of these poor people in their last moments? I am hoping they didn’t have to really feel all that pain and might have been blessed by death, before the real torture started. It’s so depressing and painful.
Today when my son’s friend came over, he is from China, he asked, oh you are reading this book; I saw the seriousness in his face...
It scares me to death when I realize that human beings are capable of doing these things. It seems so unreal, so very unreal…
7 comments:
@Meera
I have not read this book but it does make me curious. I too, read a very amazing book on the Holocaust. While the book that you read appears graphic. The Book that I read was for kids and was amazing. I even wrote about it in my blog last month. It called "The Boy in Striped Pyjamas".
Check the post, it is a very subtle book.
And I had the same feeling at the end of the book. It made me despise our capability for cruelty.
BTW, I have enumerated my favourite posts for you. :)
hey,thanks:)
Hi:)
Very gruesome story. Very shocking and heart breaking.
Man is biggest enemy of man.
In this world we have all sorts of people--- Religious fanatics, ideological fanatics, power mongers, sadists, communalists, racial fanatics and so on.
So far we are lucky to steer clear of them. Thank God!
Have a nice day:)
Joseph
i agree and am being grateful at the end of the day that,we've crossed one more day safe and sound.
I have read only one book on atrocities to mankind...Gulag Archipelago -- on Stalinist Russian concentration camps...
I was asked by my father (A founder member of CPI)to read the book when I joined the SFI at Engg College, and seemingly all set for a political career after studies. :)
Then Holocaust...world war treacheries...all came through as part of learning history...
one end to cruelty in this world, Meera!
wishes,
devika
i am talking to someone who witnessed history being made!its great.
i think if there are able leaders,ppl would supoort them without looking at the party.
i've never read that book,but would look for that in the library.
right now iam with a book,seems like a silly romantic book-the silent raga.i started reading it last year!may be will finish it this yr;).its a good book.but since its not from the library i dont feel like finishing it in a hurry:(
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