Why It's Unfair to Ridicule the "I am Mukesh" Ad (A Translation)

I recently came across this wonderful status update by a Tamilian who's very active on Facebook. Like the title of this post suggests, it was about how people mock at the Late Mukesh Harane when he's shown in the ad and how it's completely unfair and insensitive. I agree with his viewpoints. That's the reason I decided to translate the status update, which was in Tamil, into English.

Please find it below:

"Knowingly or unknowingly, the “I am Mukesh” ad has become the subject of humour and ridicule among people.

Even though Mukesh’s speech might make you laugh, it is the deathbed confession of a cancer patient. Though the voiceover (in Tamil) sounds similar to the funny ones you can find in Chinese movies dubbed into Tamil, the message the ad wants to put across is very much true.

Being someone who used to consume tobacco, marijuana, and liquor, I now keep talking about their ill-effects, on social media. Please try your best to spread cancer awareness among your dear ones.

If you can’t, at least try to not make a mockery of ads like the one mentioned, which are aimed at creating awareness.

Mukesh is certainly not a national hero. But he’d have agreed to record details of his hardships, just with the good intention that his death should be some kind of a lesson for others.

We should ask ourselves if it’s fair to mock at a deceased person for the noble message he wanted to convey. We can avoid becoming the next Mukesh if we heed the words of that poor soul.

Those who know how painful and low the voice of a person with throat or mouth cancer sounds will never mock at Mukesh’s confession.

One of my friends had recently gone to the cinema with her kids. It seems the audience clapped and jeered at the Mukesh ad when it was played. My friend told me that even her kids had a good laugh, saying, “Yay! Mukesh is dying.”

Let’s keep aside the issue of ignoring the awareness messages shared by a dying cancer patient. It is evident that it is we who are completely responsible for sowing the same attitude of ridiculing his deathbed confession, among children.

I have seen kind individuals who share “Let’s prevent cancer” messages to spread awareness, and those who voluntarily come to the aid of cancer patients. Our ridicule of the Mukesh ad might also lead to the danger of others’ ridiculing the service of these kind people.

I myself have referenced cancer-based movie comedy scenes during conversations with my friends, in the past.

But it’s when my mother suffered from cancer that I realized it isn’t a matter of joke.

If you have to laugh (at the ad), laugh within yourself. You might be a gutsy person who isn’t afraid of death. But please avoid making jokes about Mukesh in the public space.

Just think of how a cancer patient would be able to stay casual if he/she were sitting next to you in the movie theatre and found themselves in a situation where the ad is ridiculed.

The ad is one reason I don’t even think of taking my mother to the cinemas. But my fear worsens when I think of whether she’ll be able to bear the mockery of the ad that happens in the theatre. I slightly feel shaken when I think whether this mockery would shatter all the motivation we have given to help her fight cancer.

This is my request to all the tomorrow’s Mukeshes who make fun of yesterday’s Mukesh: Please spare a thought about it.

If you cannot, just consider this as an “over-hyped, over-reactive” status update that is begging for likes.

A special salute to the deceased Mukesh. My special prayers for him for the noble thought to portray his sufferings as a lesson to others.

Thanks."

PS: This is my humble attempt at translating a post that I personally felt made perfect sense and was completely necessary. I have tried my best to not distort the actual message anywhere. But I might have gone wrong somewhere. Please feel free to bring it to my notice if you feel so. Will make the corrections required.

Links:
For the original post: https://www.facebook.com/umamaheshwaran.panneerselvam/posts/10201614246831423

Also, there's been a misconception among some people that Mukesh Harane is alive even now. However, I found through Google that he's indeed no more. Here's a news article that proves it: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/dead-son-face-of-anticancer-fight-family-lives-in-penury/1049922/

And a majority of people hate the graphic images shown in the beginning of the ad. That's understandable. However, the government will soon replace the existing ads with a set of new ones. For more info: http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/new-anti-tobacco-audio-visuals-released-113100101180_1.html