CHANDIGARH- February 02, 2010: The Department of Life Long Learning & Extension (DLLLE), Panjab University organized a special lecture by Professor (Emeritus) Sehdev Kumar from the School of Continuing Studies, University of Toronto, Canada, on “Euthanasia: Right to Die, With or Without the Doctor” today in the Auditorium of the University Institute of Chemical Engineering & Technology (UICET), Panjab University, Chandigarh.
Professor Ajaib Singh, Director, DLLLE, while introducing the guest speaker, expressed apprehensions and doubts about the legitimacy and the legality of the ‘mercy killing’ and cautioned the audience, never ever to exercise this option of exit from this world. But, he asserted that the issue being very vital, he considered it quite apt for discussion and thanked Professor R.C. Sobti for facilitating a series of special lectures to be delivered by Prof. Kumar in various Departments of Panjab University. Prof. V.K. Rattan, Chairperson, UICET, welcomed the guests.
Responding and reacting to the observations made in the introductory address, Prof. Kumar dwelled on a wide spectrum of issues relating to the socio-cultural aspects in European and other countries vis-à-vis India, and quoted Malthus’s ‘Essay on Population’ in which he inscribed that the world population is increasing exponentially while the food production was increasing incrementally as the reason of all wars and skirmishes. With the life expectancy in most of the countries having increased from 33 years to above 80 years of age, the number of cases of old and fragile have also increased. Coupled with it is the will to live or conversely the will to die. Consequently, countries like Holland, Belgium and Switzerland have allowed mercy killing. In Switzerland, even the citizens of other countries can go to die willingly to be relieved of their painful existence by their relatives or by their free will.
But, this has led to series of debates both on ethical, religious and medical grounds whether to allow the concept of death by will or not, bur still Prof. Kumar endorsed the idea of Living Will. .He commended the Indian religions like Jainism and Buddhism as these second the idea of living by will and consider death only as a transitional phase, which amounts to celebrating death rather than considering it as an end. The interactive session was, all the more, interesting with Prof. Kumar revealing that whereas 20 million people worldwide try to commit suicide every year and only one million succeed.
Prof V K Rattan, Chairperson, UICET thanked Professor R.C. Sobti, Vice-Chancellor and Prof Ajaib Singh, the organizer and coordinator of this lecture series and also the faculty members of UICET, DLLLE and students and staff members for participating in the lecture in a large number according to Professor Ajaib Singh, Director, Dept. of Life Long Learning & Extension (DLLLE), P.U.