“The Death of Mollem”, this is one obituary we should never see. The battle of life rages on, the brave soldiers at the forefront are winning. But the worst decision now would be to give up in the middle of the fight, especially when victory seems imminent. It is time for all to join in and to battle to the end. For if we lose the fight to save Mollem, and indeed all of Goa, the loss will be irreparable, it will never be the same Goa again.
However, victory will signal to the entire nation that wanton destruction of forests, and rivers, and homes that date back to more and a hundred years, and farmlands that are the essential core of our survival, the immeasurable loss of life of the creatures of the air, the waters, the forests, the extinction of numerable endangered species by the forces of greed and corruption will never succeed.
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In the Cosmos, the powers of creation, sustenance and destruction are what control our existential and conscious lives. After millions of years of evolution, the human brain has attained its peak of development, a gift bestowed upon us by Nature, to be used as a weapon to counter whatever forces seek to reign destruction on our planet. We have at our disposal the highest levels of technology to solve every problem. It’s Mother Nature’s “User’s Manual” guiding us to a land of promise and peace. The complexity of human nature is a clue to the discovery of who we really are, an enigmatic blend of ego and emotions, of inspiration and intuition, intellect and ignorance, greed and groundless desires, corruption and chaos, all warring residents of the human psyche jostling for ascendance in determining our individual nature. Yet, with the wisdom we are already imbued with, the factors of destruction seem to find dominance, and co-opted by our worst enemy, ignorance.
By our own misgivings, we periodically elect leaders who instead of “following” the people who placed them in a position of “leadership”, are only intent on finding a path to satisfy their greed, prompted by ignorance and ego, to build an edifice of “power” and ill-gotten prosperity, totally blind to the destruction and suffering that follows their relentless quest for shallow fame and hollow glory.
What does this mean for us? It is only us humans who can permanently turn this circus around. Each of us must do what we can. What we cannot do, well, we can’t. But if there’s anything we can do, we absolutely must. For if we don’t do what we can, it becomes a crime against humanity. If we fail, it is us who must take the blame, it is us who must feel the shame.
Our ignorance has distorted our perception of who we really are. This bag of flesh and bones we constantly pamper and identify with, is really nothing but the soil that we have “borrowed” from mother earth to enable our existential being to experience the wonders of our universe. After we are done and it’s time to depart this mortal coil, it is promptly returned to the earth from whence we came. “Man, thou art dust….”. The law however, is cast in stone. The basic rule of our existence is to endeavor to live as long as we can, using the best means available, for ourselves and for everyone around us.
To live a life of joy instead of misery is our individual choice. To eliminate all worries, the answer is to stay aware and remain “full on” every waking moment. We need to stand up, in full battle array, step out to win this war that we cannot, should not, lose.
The newspaper you are reading will keep you abreast of what’s happening on all fronts. The Mollem battlefield, the serious menace of coal handling, the Wildlife sanctuaries, the ecological issues that could create unimaginable disaster, the unacceptable destruction of forests lands by the double rail project, the state of our high-risk roadways, the fight against the virus and the failings in our healthcare system, our schooling and education systems that are now in such turmoil, the unacceptable invasion by drug dealers and irresponsible outsiders, the escalation in the variety and degree of crime, the creation of jobs, the irregularities in our water and electricity supply and garbage collection systems, look for and be alert about all this and more. Problems than can forever disrupt and destroy our way of life.
This happened: (Written in a bit of jest, but to make a point for when the war has been won).
Once there was a fire and gunpowder war raging. The Commander at the frontline peered through his field glasses to access the situation. He then turned around to his Captain and bellowed a command: “Send up the reserves, we’re going to advance”. Captain in turn relayed the order in an equally booming full-throated shout to the Sergeant behind him. The Sergeant follows up with another loud command to be passed down to the last group of the Regiment.
With all the boom and roar of cannon and machine gun fire, the message progressively gets distorted, what the last Corporal heard was: “Send up the girls, we’re going to a dance”.
The point I wish to make: Don’t worry Goa, at the end of this bitter battle in which we find ourselves entangled on multiple fronts, when victory resounds from all directions, we will soon go back to the joyous and enviable “Goan Way of Life”: with a sparkle in every eye, a smile on every face, dancing with every step, a song on every lip and love in every happy heart.
(The author is now a permanent resident of Goa after many years of living in Mumbai, New York and London)
