|
Saving
Bali
Anand Krishna*
 Bali
is Beautiful," Beautiful with big "B",
capital "B"..... Yes, Bali is
indeed Beautiful. I believe in it not because
people say so, but because I have always
felt the beauty. I love Bali. And, I can
never differentiate between love and beauty.
They are synonym.
But, when I passed by the monument that
stands on what they call "Ground Zero"
– suddenly the feelings of love and
beauty in my heart gave away to hatred and
ugliness. What came to my mind at the time
were faces of those criminals generally
identified as terrorists, those criminals
who tried to destroy Indonesia by bombing
Bali. I was, as if, watching again all those
footages that I saw on television screen
years back.
And, the feelings of love and beauty were
instantly replaced by those of remorse.
Sudden sadness enveloped me, enveloped my
total being.
I wonder now, if my experience was mine
own….. I truly hope so, I hope the
experience is mine own, and no-one else
feels the same way. For the first time in
my life, I hope and pray that others are
not sensitive enough. Not as sensitive as
me, at least.
The question is - what if I am wrong? What
if others are as sensitive as me? What is
they are more sensitive than me? What about
those people whose kith and kin, whose family
members died in the incidents? Will they
return to Bali? Will they ever come to Bali
for holidays?
Yes, perhaps they will return. Perhaps they
come back to Bali, albeit not for holidays.
They come back to pay respect to their loved
ones. They come back to refresh their memories
about the bombings in Bali.
The monument at Ground Zero in Kuta Bali,
is indeed no ordinary monument. It can draw
you back in time to 2002 when Bali was bombed
for the first time. And, then to 2005 when
it was bombed for the second time. It is
kind of time tunnel. A Tunnel that leads
you back to only one time – the time
of death, of destruction, of crime and death,
the time of sadness grief and hopelessness.
So, I try to take another tunnel, that at
Peace Monument in New Delhi India –
where the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi are preserved
for eternity. What do I feel there? I felt
my spirit uplifted. I do not quite see eye
to eye with The Great Soul. I do not quite
agree with the Mahatma on all the issues
– but yet, in spite of that, the monument
has always been an inspiration to me.
Both, the Bali monument as well the monument
at Rajghat New Delhi, are somehow connected
with death. The victims of Bali bombings
were killed by a bunch of fanatics, Gandhi
was killed by a fanatic too. But again,
in spite of all those similarities –
Kuta is Kuta and Rajghat is Rajghat. The
vibes at Rajghat are very uplifting…..
Mahatma’s belief in Truth and Non-Violence
can be felt in the air. Whereas the vibes
at Kuta’s Ground Zero drain our souls.
The air is so heavy with man’s helplessness
and sense of insecurity.
Last time when I passed by the monument,
just a week ago, I thought the situation
must be changed. Bali can change it. Whatever
dirt has been thrown on its beautiful face
– Bali is still Beautiful with capital
"B", with big "B". It
still has enough beauty to clean its face.
It still has enough love to drown all hatred
and ill feelings towards those criminals
who tried to destroy Bali.
What do we do? What can be done? First,
the image of Ground Zero must be changed
completely. So, I suggested to our friends
there to conduct prayer meeting every week.
A weekly prayer meeting conducted at that
very point, Ground Zero. Let people of different
faiths pray in their own languages and according
to their beliefs, their religions. And,
then the meeting is closed with some uplifting
songs - songs of love, peace, harmony and
friendship amongst nations - songs that
celebrate pluralism and multiculturalism,
and finally lead us beyond all kind of isms.
The vibes at Ground Zero must be changed…..
They must be transformed from draining to
uplifting. The monument there must be known
and recognized as Monument for Peace. The
Ground Zero must be renamed as Ground for
Peace, Ground for Love, for Harmony.
Secondly, stop calling those criminals terrorists.
Stop them from terrorizing you mentally.
Erase their identity as such from your mind.
They are not terrorists. They cannot terrorize
us. Call them criminals. They are just street
criminals. And, they belong to no religion.
A criminal has gone against the very teaching
of religion by committing such heinous acts
of crime. Those who support and defend them
are equally criminals. They too, belong
to no religion. They cannot claim to be
defendant of religion. They cannot defend
any religion by killing people, innocent
or otherwise. Capital punishment is state’s
prerogative, not theirs.
Third, Bali must preserve its cultural identity.
That is Bali’s charm. That is Bali’s
wealth. Let not a presidential visit by
a middle easterner force you to drop your
kabaya in favor of another type of dress.
A guest is honored, yes…. And Bali
knows very well how to honor a guest. But,
it does not mean that Bali should make unnecessary
compromises that may kill its very identity.
Fourth, the high cost economy and living
that is forcing Balinese to sell their lands
– must be stopped. While preserving
its culture, Bali must also learn to simplify
ceremonies and rituals that is costing more
than what they can presently earn. Many
of the new landowners in Bali do not at
all appreciate Balinese culture. They are
there just to make quick money. Unfortunately
however, they also bring with them, their
own belief-systems that are not in line
with Balinese Culture – Culture that
has its roots deep in history of the archipelago
- Culture that goes back to thousands of
years before the birth of Christ.
Fifth – something that must be done
by the local authorities. They must be one
hundred percent pro-people. It is only when
you are pro-people that you can be pro-nation.
Nation is made of people, and State is the
building that houses them. This inter-connection
must be understood properly. But, for this
the local authorities must not be confronted.
No ugly and violent demonstration. They
are our brothers, our sisters. They must
be persuaded to see things as they are.
We must learn to help our government function
properly. We must also learn to do our part
responsibly.
Bali must be saved…… rather,
Bali must save itself. And, for that what
is immediately required is awareness, awareness
amongst Balinese. Bali must not only be
aware of its place in the archipelago, but
its role as the Last Resort of Indonesia’s
Indigenous Culture - where culture is still
alive and part of life.
Bali has not reacted criminally to the acts
of crime – that is Bali. That is the
culture of Bali. That is the true identity
of Indonesia. We are peace loving, and therefore
we do not allow anyone to destroy our peace.
Criminals have never been part of our society,
and we have to make sure that they will
never ever be. We do not hate them, for
they are sick. They need some rehabilitation,
so we put them in the hospitals made for
them. Our love is not an emotional upsurge.
Our love is responsible love.
Bali, wake up….. Wake up to the Glorious
Future - that is your destiny…. Destiny
that has been delayed, but can never be
changed. Learn from your past mistakes,
repeat them not and continue your journey
towards Love, Light, Peace and Harmony.
|
