Sir,
Please accept this write-up of mine
and do publish it if found OK by your editorial standards.
Regards
PACHU MENON
117, SUPREME BOMBI PLAZA,
DAMODAR COLLEGE ROAD,
COMBA,
MARGAO,
GOA - 403 601.
Tel: 0832 - 2703040.
THE MONTH OF HADES
By PACHU MENON
In all religions there is a creator
and the opposite. Just as in ancient Greece, Hades was the opposite of Zeus;
similarly, Yama, Mara and Pluto are known all over the world by different
names, but all for one purpose – to reap the souls of the living!
There is life and then there is
death! Though the ultimate truth, nothing could be more ominous and sinister
than death. But if such quirks of fate were to be attributed to the
remorselessness of these Gods, it could well be said that the March of 2012
will go down in the history of Goa as that month when even the Almighty for
once decided to forsake the living mortals and dare allow the snatching away of
a few lovable ones from their midst.
And this shortcoming of providence
couldn’t have been more in evidence than in the untimely death of Matanhy
Saldanha, the state Tourism, Environment and Forest Minister!
Activists and politicians differ in
the sense that while the former fight for a cause and demand for it to be
brought to a logical conclusion; the later prefer to keep an issue alive so
that they could gloat in the glory of the unstinted publicity garnered. It
wouldn’t be wrong to say that Mathany Saldanha was an activist, a champion of
the underprivileged and the down trodden to his very last breath; who turned a
politician ‘by default'. A crusader who perceived that the road to a sensible
and amicable settlement of every issue depended solely on the arbitrariness of
the political class in the state, Mathany’s decision to get himself
‘politically baptized’ is an outcome of this deep realization.
The moving eulogy proffered by his
tearful niece “Goans don’t weep for me but weep for yourselves and your
children,” aptly sums up the legacy of dreams that Mathany had envisaged for the
state. Indeed Goa has lost a Niz Goemkar
and a man of principles! A teacher, an activist and an environmentalist; these
are the tags that will always live with him, even after his death!
All the good work Mathany did or
visualized should not just be restricted to glorious elegies and epitaphs. The
Goans should realize that it is not about publicizing how popular Mathany was
with the masses, but understanding that here then was a man whose zeal and
passion for restoring Goa to its true glory could never be undermined. The
greatest tribute to such a personality would be the selfless and sincere
endeavours by committed individuals to carry forward his bequest, fulfill his
dreams and make Goa a better place to live in for future generations to come.
Likewise, the unfortunate passing
away of writer, researcher and environmentalist, Dr. Kasturi Narayan Desai,
brings to fore another aspect of the cruel twists of kismet!
Associate Professor of Botany at
Farmagudi’s PES College, Dr. Desai is a familiar figure to those involved in
environmental issues in Goa. In her own words, “I am convinced that my prime
work as a teacher is to bring awareness about different aspects of nature and
natural resources to different sections of public besides school and college
students.”
Her area of expertise, and concern as
well, was the dwindling sand dune vegetation along the coastal belt. The dune
system is a fragile ecosystem which acts as barriers to storms and waves. If
this ecosystem is not protected the sea enters the land causing erosion of the
coast.
Though acknowledging that decision
making with regard to natural resources is left to the politicians and the
bureaucracy; but with a firm belief that there is very little awareness amongst
the masses about the importance of sand dunes with relation to the environment,
she set about traversing the length and breadth of the state educating the
people about the nuances of living in tune with nature.
It is all the more amazing to note
that Goa is Kasturi’s adopted state by virtue of her marriage to renowned
educationalist Narayan Desai. Her efforts have thus been seen as a noble effort
to bridge the cultural disparity between the states of Bengal and Goa. Her
achievement as a prize-winning translator, having won the Sahitya Akademi
Translation Award last year, is enough proof of this enterprise.
Nevertheless, defying all religious
mores and the unthinkable, it has been her posthumous wish to donate her body
for advancement of medical knowledge that has taken everyone by surprise!
However, having known her so well for the past several years, I can vouch for
that streak of emotional verve in her that makes her do the most unexpected at
times.
The loss of veteran Tiatrist Remmie
Colaco and noted industrialist and social worker Ashok Kare is another blow
that the state is yet to recover from. Never in the history of this tiny state
have so many eminent personalities departed for their heavenly abode in a
matter of days.
Having left indelible imprints on the
political, educational and socio-cultural heritage of the state, their passing
away has created the sort of void that is difficult to explain. Nevertheless,
the future generations should strive to keep alive their cherished memories.
May Lord the Almighty grant all of them eternal peace!
It is said that “death ends life, not
a relationship!”
-THE END-
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