In his last, and unfortunately also the first long sit down conversation with four journalists, he spoke at length about the Goa he was leaving behind.
While his love for Goa, the friendships that he made, which he called “long lasting” and his yearning to come back for quiet holidays, where he would keep miles away from the media, was evident, he also struck a sad discordant note when asked about issues he regretted. And these, unlike in the past had nothing to do with his importance or the equation he had with the Chief Minister. His areas of concern were simple and yet so special, issues which most of us talk about and yet don’t have solutions to because we are a part of the problem.
When he spoke, the small group of journalists including the Herald representative, were taken aback at the areas he flagged off — violence against women, garbage and increasing suicides. While many politicians have spoken about the garbage problem, the Governor raising it highlights the levels to which this issue has reached. But the surprises were the other two. Not a single minister in the government or an MLA of the ruling party or that of the opposition has spoken a word on the Camurlin rape and the series of incidents against women. No one has visited the victim in hospital or at home. The Chief Minister too, has not said a word in public and the police, as Herald has reported, has acted like a willing accomplice of the perpetrators and hardly a friend of the victim. In these circumstances, it takes a lot for the Governor to say with genuine sadness and humility that he hung his head in shame when he read reports of incidents like the Camurlim rape episode.
It speaks a lot of the man and even more about others in power who chose not to raise the issues Mr Wanchoo has. The other issue he flagged is equally serious, of suicides. For him to pick up stories from the papers, all of which he read thoroughly, and mark them for his farewell chat is important. While the issue stares us in the face, neither the government nor the police or welfare organisations have addressed this. While the number goes up due to the fact that many travellers from other states commit the act while they are here, cases of extreme loneliness and depression, especially in far flung villages, have led to many suicides, even of the elderly whose children have moved out.
In the multitude of issues like pumping in Rs 25,000 crores of investment and resuming mining, issues that are far more humane and therefore should be of concern of any civil society, get pushed to the backburner. That is why the outgoing Governor’s strong assertions on these issues assume significance.
The government needs to underline these and show a willingness towards engaging with society on these issues. The government’s attitude towards Women and Child Development is evident when it picks a man like Dilip Parulekar to be its minister. But he obviously is so engaged in being a travelling international tourist to think of a policy on improving the safety of women. He will obviously take the easy way out and say it’s a law and order issue.
For sensitization to happen on any of these issues, the government needs to be sensitised first. It is only then that society will respond. The government finds an easy way out by taking these cases away from the purview of police stations, where the crime is first suppressed and evidence destroyed, and handed over to the crime branch and then to the CBI. Barring the Tarun Tejpal molestation/rape case where the government had a specific agenda against the Tehelka editor who was open about his anti BJP beliefs in public which reflected in his magazine, cases of crimes against women don’t show any signs of closure. The Camurlim rape case will be one more addition to this list.
Your newspaper, as always, stands in the way of the government carrying on the way it wants to. We salute outgoing Governor Wanchoo for raising these issues and hope he had articulated these thoughts in his report to the Centre and his communication to the Chief Minister. But as a disciplined bureaucrat he still remains, he lets people do their job as he does his. The point is that, when governments don’t serve and protect their people, Governors like Wanchoo are deeply remembered and solely missed.
