Death be not proud
JOSE MARIA MIRANDA
The ever increasing number of unnatural deaths as also what could perhaps be termed as avoidable deaths, ought to be a matter of grave concern to all of us. While every human life is precious, the death toll of the young in such tragedies should weigh on the conscience of each one of us. The disturbing scenario of such deaths, be it by murder, suicide or road accidents, in a small state like Goa, should wake us up not only from our slumber but from being unconcerned about an alarming situation.
The number of deaths by suicide, even among teenagers, should awaken us all. Parents bring up their children with immense love and untold sacrifices. Perhaps conflicts arise due to some misunderstandings but they certainly do not warrant such extreme steps. Yet there have been a few such cases which have led to suicide. Many youngsters today resort to ending their lives out of frustration. Failure in exams, love relationships gone awry, unemployment and loss of jobs have been some of the reasons for suicides. Even older people have found this as a way out of their desperation in meeting their financial needs.
Peer pressure often leads many youngsters to make unreasonable demands on their elders, which the latter are unable to fulfill due to their financial condition or other reasonable grounds. Parents are often in a dilemma whether to satisfy their children’s demands or face a possible tragedy. Counseling is needed in such cases and the Government and citizens ought to join hands in this task. The Church and the teachers could be of immense help in this endeavour. A sincere and vigorous drive is, however, urgently needed in this direction to avoid more lives being lost. With the rise in emigration of Goans to other countries, particularly by young people in search of jobs or better opportunities, several elderly people have been staying in their homes all by themselves. They deserve our special attention.
The uncontrolled influx of all types of people, including criminals, who find a safe haven in Goa for their nefarious activities, has put the lives of many Goans in danger. The inefficiency of the police is all too evident. Even if a crime is detected, it either takes several years for the perpetrators to be punished or they are acquitted due to faulty investigations. The faith of the people in their efficiency has been totally eroded. Several bodies are being found in various parts of Goa and the police is only too keen on labeling these deaths as either suicide or where no foul play is suspected. Certainly we cannot expect the police to anticipate crimes, but it is their failure in enforcing the law and conducting thorough investigations that have led to the present scenario. Just last week a teenage girl was reportedly kidnapped and murdered in Colva and a senior citizen done to death in his house. We were never safe on our roads. Now we are not safe even in our homes. And things are just getting worse by the day, with the Home Minister preferring to be a silent spectator instead of pulling up the police.
Finally, we come to fatalities on the roads, which have become endemic and regularly bring untold misery and agony to hundreds of families. I wonder what should happen to those who are responsible for such deaths caused by reckless driving. But such deaths have become routine. No Government has ever paid any attention to this extremely serious problem that is eliminating precious and young lives every day. Shortly we will have another Road Safety Week, which is a farce held annually with no serious intent. So long as the Traffic Police concentrates only on licences, crash helmets and seat belts – which undoubtedly is a good step – and overlooks speeding, dangerous overtaking, sudden stoppage of vehicles, particularly buses, parking on turns blocking the view, use of full beam lights, failure to use indicators and particularly the recklessness of young bikers, accidents and deaths will continue to occur. Perhaps the Traffic Police is not even aware of rules on these aspects of driving, which are actually the main cause of accidents.
Let our New Year resolution be to respect other road users, particularly pedestrians and to be deeply concerned about young and reckless two wheeler riders. Let us be happy that we have not caused injury or death to anyone instead of living with the eternal remorse of having maimed or taken a life.
