The recent tragedy in Mangalore makes us see two kinds of realities. One from a political framework by the politicians; the second of political comprehension from non-politicians, beginning to see more clearly ones place in society. A just recognition for a relatively just existence.
The authorities will never wake up. There have been many tragedies in India. We live tragedy, our people in India breathe it--and which on occasion has its great moments. What will happen somewhat grudgingly is that certain measures will be allowed to be put into place and be embraced by all parties. These measures as the word implies will range from safeguards, regulations, forms of transparency, benchmarks. Everything will be done to allow for loopholes. Not a few, but very many. Jobs may not necessarily be created. We too will have jobless growth, and many will believe and respond well to such a concept. People will be asked to resign, being told that they will be offered other contracts. More and more sweet-smelling women will be brought in by our businessmen to serve as Human Resource personnel and the old faithful workers be shunted out. But, it is in the dilution of anything, or more likely the nature and value that is placed on ones existence, as well as what one places on ones own being--that tends to wake people up in anguish that they are. Even the best scholars tend to be automatons. This is not my being negative, or pointing towards dire scenarios. We will get further bastardized in body, mind and spirit. Pitiful reasoning will not help, other than make many feel that they have made their baseline analogies. Those who are drawn towards helping their fellow beings will always be around, sounding alarms, pointing out weaknesses. In fact these are exactly the people who relate to modernity, many having accepted its path with all its blatant attitudes, yet also expecting a thoughtful approach in the manner of a "modern" India conducting affairs in the name of it's citizenry. Modernity is not merely wearing white--dotar/puddvem, pantaloon, chudidhar, safari or for that matter a ghagra; leave alone maintaining the style of creasing the sleeves (elbow down) of ones salvar with a cuttola (vessel--an ancient techniques). Moving further, ancient temples will be broken down, and new cement ones will be constructed by the political operatives and votaries of the same beliefs. Progress of sorts! But the Hindu mind is unique in that it is wired deeply to live and let live. It is the embittered blackmailing through wispy notions of peace; lacking constructive thinking, who will persist in emptying themselves and bleeding their rancor over all in sight. What is somewhat worthy in all of this is that their significant and varied attacking skills may be attributed to the Enlightenment. Think of this Haryana Police Inspector<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bZizjLfeuc>who spun the brains of a young woman, spun her around by her hair then dragged her to the police station also by her hair; only to be left wanting on what charges to book her on. Upon which he proceeded to further inflict pain on her and thrash her. THAT PAIN was really his internal pain, his own soul must have shrunk away from him, at who he had become. As many of us will become. That woman was an instrument who was turned into a visual manifestation of his deunchar/demons. Fighting his demons. Imagine. I see more and more people pulling a fast one on their own clans, or a quiet one and seeking solace in the arts (also various forms of solitude) whether via painting, drawing, embroidery, photography, writing, or living a narrow sliver of the life of an aesthete (figure out the meaning). Lokas shikve, lokas shikve ... There are ways out. That is to seek meaning from within. In Goa, a more simpler way is to start listening to people like Goa Suraj and Others whose talk hopefully matches their walk, but to make sure that if they are violating our minds---they get upended. The framework? One election cycle. venantius j pinto
