SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024
Alexandre Moniz Barbosa
It is the month of April, hot and humid, and the mangoes are ripening on the tree, but there are few willing to scramble up and pluck it. It is getting time for the April coconut harvest but the coconut plucker may be hard to find. It is summer, the season when the Goenkar goes to the beach – the elders for the annual sea water bath, the youth for a jolly time on the sands. It is the time for picnics on the sands, it is the time to soak up the sun, but the beaches are desolate. If not for the palm trees swaying in the winds and the waves of the Arabian Sea lapping on the sands, the pictures of Colva, Calangute and Miramar beaches could well appear to be that of desert sands flattened by the wind with no footprints and where nobody ventures.
Goa is staying home and staying safe. There is no doubt that the people have realised the perils of the virus. They are keeping indoors to fight the spread of COVID-19 that has seared the world, creating more devastation than any other in recent memory. When was the last time that the world came to a standstill? Not that anyone can remember. From this, there have been lessons learnt, and there will be lessons that will still be learnt, there have been experiences gained and others that will be gained, as we have not seen the end of it. But, what we have seen is the best among the people of Goa, and sadly at times also the worst. This is not about the the rush at the grocery stores, this is about something else.
In the midst of the current lockdown, especially in the first few days when many stores were closed and supplies of goods were short in various places across the State, there were a large number of people who went out of their way to help their neighbours and even strangers in collecting essentials and then distributing where they were needed. Faced with a crisis that current generations have not seen before and hadn’t expected to experience anytime soon, Goa that is known to be the gracious host, rediscovered what it means to be neighbourly in these past few days. The lockdown has brought out the best in some, but then there were also those others who decided to use this opportunity to promote themsleves and their ‘acts of generosity’. They did so by getting themselves photographed distributing the essentials and posting the pictures on social media platforms for whoever was interested in seeing them.
It is unfortunate that in these very trying times that we are currently living in, some of the elected representatives also sought to gain political mileage by going around the wards or constituencies they represent with bags of goods. If their doing so was merely to be of service to the people, then they deserve to be complimented. But, one has to pause and ask what exactly was the purpose of some of these acts? Was it a service to the people or was it a means to gain a few political brownie points and more supporters? There have been scattered complaints from people that only certain sections of the electorate were being provided with bags of essentials and that too only on the recommendation of the local ward representative. Is this how people should be differentiated during such times? It shouldn’t have been that way.
During the last few days, when news became scarce as people remained confined – and still are – to their homes and there are restrictions on movement, newspaper offices have been almost flooded with releases of many ‘selfless acts’ by politicians, social workers and activists doing the rounds of homes with bags full of groceries. It is painful to see that there are those who have actually grabbed the opportunity to promote themselves as serving their people and they attempting to get the pictures published in newspapers. In the midst of such a crisis, when people are not leaving their homes for fear of getting infected by the virus, is this how the political class acts?
But while there may be some who are distributing essentials for selfish reasons, there are others, who have volunteered to deliver goods to the elderly, and are doing it selflessly and doing a great work. It is commendable that among these are a number of youth who have taken up the challenge. It is, however, not just the people who need help, but also the stray animals, and it has not been uncommon in these days to see people feeding stray dogs on the streets. These animals that otherwise foraged outside markets and restaurants were left without anything to eat due to the lockdown, and so required help from humans. In this, the humans did not fail and reached out to the strays.
There are still days to go before the lockdown is lifted. People will remain in their homes and will need help from their neighbours and from others. There are examples across the State of neighbourhoods and housing societies setting up systems to ensure that all in the vicinity or within the gated complex where they live, have got the required supplies. There are lists being made of what is required and individuals put in charge of procuring certain items that are then distributed to those who require it. The system is working, and more housing complexes and village wards could replicate these in the days ahead during which Goa remains in lockdown. It helps not only in ensuring that everyone has their needs, but in also fewer people moving out of their homes – which is the purpose of the lockdown.
While the Goan summer is taking a departure from the normal, there is a neighbourliness that has re-emerged in the State. People are sharing what they have in their kitchen cupboards and what they have cooked. Wasn’t that what Goa was known for? In a manner, the lockdown has allowed us to reclaim that idea of Goa – of a friendly neighbourhood, where everyone helped each other and life went on in that susegad way of life that identified Goem, Goenkar and Goenkarponn.
