Goa has kicked off with a series of tragic, mysterious and mischievous
occurrences unfolding every single day. On the very first day, a Christian
Pastor had Goa’s uninvited secular cops for morning ‘darshan’ at his doorstep,
after a particular complaint sparked off their enthusiasm and diligence to
arrest their prey on grounds of indulging in black magic to convert persons.
This was followed by the most unexpected news of a dead and buried man walking
home after two months, in what turned out to be a case of a bungled police investigation.
The focus quickly shifted to a Bengaluru
mother who is accused of killing her 4-year-old son in a service apartment in
North Goa. Interspersed with these events, which have been extensively
sensationalised by the media, the State also witnessed several fatal road
accidents with young lives being snuffed out within the first fortnight. The
Sunburn controversy, which entertained and distracted the public towards
the fag end of 2023 and into the New Year, vanished overnight with a goodbye to
Goa from the event organisers.
Given the normalisation of anti-social and malevolent
behaviours, the most unexpected incidents are to be expected in such a
dysfunctional social and political climate. But what is very disturbing is the
level to which irrationality has overrun truth and reason in Goan society. The
public mentality has dipped to such a level that it gorges on spectacle and
trivia. Unpleasant incidents make exciting gossip material for ‘sosegado’
Goans, while they ignore the skeletons in their cupboards and do nothing to
remedy their own miserable situation. Gossip helps avoid other important ground
realities which require equal attention, if not more. All misery around is
nothing but a pass time for Goans with no lessons learnt for the betterment of
their society at large. In such a climate of glaring contradictions, why would
any government pay heed to occasional public tantrums and take its citizens
seriously?
It is heartening to
occasionally hear some isolated voices of sanity calling for reflection on the
health of our families and society to prevent tragedies. But again the
responses to crisis situations, if any, are all compartmentalised and
unconcerned of the multidimensional factors that contribute to a problem. With
reports on a rise in drug abuse and distressed homes we are witnessing a knee
jerk reaction from government and civil society groups. Recently there was a news report that an NGO
will train teachers to recognise mental health issues among students. But who
will address the mental health of adults in the home and teachers in the school
which impacts the child’s mental health? Is the economic development model
driven by the government and industry assessed for its impact on the mental
health of citizens? Or, will it again be
sick minds playing healer, teacher and statesman and going round in circles to
decorate their activity reports?
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Sadly, we can no more
expect reason and hard truth to appeal to a society which has degenerated into
a ‘bewildered herd’, a term applied to politically blinded masses by renowned
author and political analyst Walter Lipmann in his critique on democracy.
Public opinion in Goa is now the slave of media propaganda driven by the elite
class, and perhaps the writings of Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky in their
book ‘Manufacturing Consent’ could help throw some light on Goa’s crisis.
Asking questions is vital for survival of democracy but Goans have chosen to be
sheeple under the control of a dark leadership.
What’s disturbing is a growing cognitive dissonance in
citizens leading to incongruence in thought, words and actions. While citizens
relentlessly complain about the troubles and hardships they are facing because
of misgovernance and corruption, we hardly see and hear about community
processes initiated to understand and improve living conditions. Weekly markets
and cultural festivals are not going to reverse the rot in politics and remedy
the social chaos around. Instead these celebrations only enable the
dysfunctional systems by feeding the denial. This contradiction is demonstrated
by the survey findings with Goa’s government boasting of taking the first
position on the Happiness Index among small States.
The growing cynicism
and detachment among Goans when it comes to discussing civic issues is not necessarily
‘public apathy’. There is a ‘trust
deficit’ and ‘mental fatigue’ which has crept in over a period of time from an
overdose of protests with no tangible results. Social and political initiatives
lack inclusivity, transparency and accountability. These are not people’s
movements emerging from a grass-roots process, but more of a product branded
and marketed from AC chambers with perspectives and motives of some privileged
few. This lack of commitment and consistency in any social action becomes visible
no sooner elections are declared. “The health of a democratic society may be
measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens”, said
renowned political scientist and philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville.
Goykarponn and Goychi
Asmitai cannot survive in a society driven by individualism and materialism. In
a dysfunctional society nothing should be judged merely by its face value and
popularity. Every event in the community is patronised by the same ring
masters, jugglers and clowns who keep their audience enthralled and distracted
from the ground reality. The downfall of Goans has been their naivety,
emotionalism and impulsivity when it comes to politics. How can anyone expect
good governance and smart development by endorsing malevolent personality
traits as qualities of good leadership and vesting such individuals with
unchallenged power? With even religious and educational precincts being reduced
to markets and entertainment hubs, where is the time and space for any serious
critical thinking and introspection in the Goan community?
(The writer was a Counsellor at a Drug Prevention
and De-addiction Centre in Goa)
