It is most regrettable that a former Chairman of the GCCI described as a “prominent citizen” by the Chief Minister, saw fit to file an FIR against Devu Chodankar for his anti Modi remarks posted on Facebook. While Devu’s opinion could have certainly been clothed in a bit more decorum, the “prominent citizen’s” action could also have done with some compassion and humanism. After all, it is a given that many youngsters of that age tend to be hot blooded and thoughtless. Stern warnings could have been a better option than filing an FIR against him, which might severely impact his life and future.
Our children do not only belong to their parents, but to the entire community. It would therefore be expected that elders of the community, especially those positioned as prominent citizens, would make every attempt to scold, warn and correct in an attempt to prod them on the right path. But to callously destroy one of our own youngsters by taking such a disproportionate action is shocking indeed. Did the complainant seriously believe that Devu exerted such influence on society that his post would succeed in inflaming a large section of the community? If we are to prosper as a community in all the various dimensions of our lives, we need to take on the effort of counselling, communicating, warning, correcting and imbuing our next generation with sound values. Yes, there is a time for calling in the police. But was this really that time?? Indeed, this entire incident epitomises the lack of connection and empathy between the generations in our community, that is fast resulting in a tragic erosion of human values. Diana Pinto
