The other day I happened to be walking down the road when the man riding a big bike spat on the side and carried on coolly. I was totally disgusted with such barbaric behavior from fellow humans. As I walked a little ahead still deep in thought about such incidents, I was again encountered with a similar sight. A man dusted off some stuff on his palm which he happily chewed, his stained teeth a witness to his past activities. A moment later, out came a huge spray of red splattering the wall of house where he was standing. No sooner had this happened that a passing bus had a similar tale – a man poking his head out to make the area his washbasin. Pathetic!
I thought to myself that public spitting was banned and such behaviors could be fined. But there seemed to be no one willing to fine them or advise them or shout at them.
Our Goans may not engage in such cheap behaviors but they definitely rent their premises to the migrants who are notorious for such activities. Several grand a month from these migrants who are staying as tenants, and our Goans are only too happy to let more migrants cramp up in narrow and confined spaces giving hygiene and sanitation a grand miss. Migrants are happy that they have quarters to stay – for them, Goa is a paradise on Earth just as UK is a paradise for many of our Goans.
Many Goans grab the chance to go overseas and earn a fast buck forgetting that their sweet humble homes lie vacant. A better life is what they say! I would rather put it as ‘The grass looks greener on the other side.’ Just as they feel that their counterparts in foreign nations own wealthy limousines and bungalows, and their children have access to better quality of education, they don’t realize the outcome of their decisions.
Their well-built homes wait for the return of the owners. Their children who have stayed back in Goa wait for the return of their parents. A hatred for the boarding schools and hostels spurts out in their phone calls to their loved ones. Their academic scores plunge and the teachers work extra hard to up their performance.
Old ailing parents suffering from diseases have no one to cater to their needs. With instructions from their near ones, they spend their last days in old age homes. Their grown-up children exploring the high seas or far nations have forgotten about their aging parents who yearn to see them.
The houses, once called homes sweet homes now lie vacant and locked. Creepers and birds welcome such structures… A perfect opportunity for robbers to steal expensive goods in the midst of darkness…. Others scout the area to make such houses their homes. Locks are broken, and their entry which actually is forbidden by law and order is ignored by many. They start staying in these houses and make them their homes, while our Goans are making merry in European nations. Years pass, decades pass….. Goans are still in Europe; their houses their homes no more…. Taken over by others! A sad plight! A horrific tale! Such is the case of many of our Goans.
