Ancestors
say that in the moments of injustice and crisis, we should recall the old
legends and stories and recite them out loud so that the people who have
forgotten the lessons of wisdom remember them and examine their conscience…
For
ten years Endean army besieged the Vale of Troy. Trampled its green, smudged
its beauty, dishonored its holy waters. Their war-shoes trampled the Chinar
leaves as well as bruised the young faces. They uprooted trees and clans
likewise. Crushed each and everything that came their way. For ten years they
kept Troy under curfew and turned its holy land into Kurukshetra. Their whole
culture spawned around the walls of vale. They marked its sacredness with
bullets and embraced it with pointed barbedness but, still could not break its
mighty wall. It stood before them undaunted. They could not mark its end nor
trace its beginning. Bewildered by their loss, they called upon Indra to give
them Achilles, the beloved of Zeus.
With
all the gods behind him and all the laws and all the constitutions of Endean
states, He represented the “collective conscience” of Endean people and this
mighty “collective conscience” which stood like Ares resolved very patiently
that the “collective conscience” can be satisfied only by killing innocent
Hector in a duel.
Hector
agreed on the condition that none among them will abuse anyone’s corpse. But,
Achilles mad with war rage and adamant on fulfilling his own conscience,
represented in the “collective conscience”, dishonored Hector’s body and soul
by spitting and abusing him before the fight.
Zeus
and Indra stood by Athena and asked her to please herself as she deems fit and
she in a presidential voice took Achilles as his favorite. But, brave Hector
could not be defeated. So, Athena disguised herself as a fellow Trojan and
prompted Hector to confess a brave fight. Hector had only one shot, so had
Achilles. Achilles missed Hector. Hector hit Achilles right in the heart but
was saved by ‘Amazing Force Sacrosanctly Protected Armor’
gifted by gods. The duel was balanced rightly. But, Athena in a moment of
deceit gave back Achilles his fallen spear and he slit Hector right by the
throat.
Hector
was dying. He kept asking Achilles to send his body back to his Mother and Wife
and Son and to fellow Trojans so that they can bury him with all the necessary
rites. But, Achilles proud of his AFSPA, with mind full of satisfied conscience
refused an honorable burial. He refused to give back his body. He invited all
the other Kauravas and they stabbed Abhimanyu’s young and beautiful body saying
that Hector is not evoking terror now.
Finally,
Achilles cut through the tendons of Hector and tied his legs to his chariot
with a rope and shamelessly dragged his innocent and lifeless body for twelve
days.
Hector’s
wife Andromache and mother Hecuba mourned his death. On Hecuba’s shoulders was
a weight many times heavier than that of Gandhari. She sung mournfully:
tcha kamu soni myani bram didh neonakho
tchay kihyo gai myani dayai
tchak trav dai malale wond china eewan
tchay kihyo gai myani dayai
nisaf raatan bar waith traie meo
saatha yekh na tche
phairi chune kinh ti phairi chuk pawaan
tchay kihyo gai myani dayai
When
the individual and collective consciences were satisfied, Achilles gave back
Hector’s body. But, by mistreating and dishonoring Hector’s body Achilles
revealed his weakness, his heel, and revealing also that his body as well as
his soul is like his heel.
And
heel has to kneel.
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