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Happy New Year Twenty-Ten
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MISPLACED CONCERNS
By: Bennet Paes
Ads by Goa Traffic Police on front pages of HERALD say: “ Your safety is our
concern” (who will believe this anyway!)
They also say: “If you’re drunk, don’t drive”. This makes sense when one is not
drunk, yet. It also deserves to be taken seriously.
But when they say: “If you have to drive, don’t drink”, and literally exhibit
what looks like a glass of whisky in their ads, is rather questionable in my
opinion.
For example, in the days of old, Goans went to a wedding reception on foot.
Usually the functions used to be in the neighbourhood or within some walking
distances. Because marriages then were usually “arranged”, the process went
so far as delving into three generations of parental history, and that took
long enough to prepare the wedding couple to finally say: “I do”. Consequently
fewer functions took place in a year, outside of the period of lent.
Today, there is an explosion of marriage vows, come rain or shine, resulting
in a swell of celebrations that stretch over the length and breath of Goa.
Therefore, reaching out to meet those commitments , however selectively, is
possible only on wheels which the Goa Police seem to be so obsessive about.
Now, let me ask this. When people attend social functions, traditionally
alcoholic drinks are served to enhance the spirit of the occasion. So people
imbibe and celebrate, and soon it’s time to hit the road back home. Some
privileged ones, including politicians of course, afford the luxury of a
driver, but what about those that don’t? Should they leave their vehicles
behind and walk all the way home from ‘Blueberryhill’ with their partners in
tow?
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