My roots are in the northern state of Punjab and the natives of the state are very proud of the heritage and culture. The state and its community has earned a massive reputation across the world and is regarded as one of the highly progressive communities. But not long ago there was a movie – UdtaPunjab, that brought to the light the chronic problem of drug abuse in the region. The feature film was the reflection of the rising problem of drug addiction amongst the youth and how it’s damaging the state’s health and the reputation. Beyond the law and enforcement measures, the state looked at certain other social and cultural interventions to curb this danger. Having a strong affinity to various sports, there were institutions and organizations who encouraged participation of children into sports activities as a way of countering the threat of drugs. The land of flying Sikh had taken a different flight altogether and sports seemed to have worked to bring the Udta Punjab back to the playgrounds.
Miles away from the fields of Punjab to the coasts of Goa, a similar danger seems to be lurking over this paradise on earth. The highs of drugs are seducing the young generation and millennial evil seems to be eclipsing the minds of the Goenkars. I have already come across a few articles in reputed publications that are sending warning signals on the ever growing drug menace right from villages, colleges as well as schools. It might not be a crisis now but we may be just a few years away from a calamity if the issue is not addressed on war footing basis. Goa has always been a soft target because of the floating population, many of whom choose to indulge in drugs.
Sadly, this leaves behind the traces of addictions in the communities in the state. Taking learnings from what worked in Punjab with the sports interventions,a similar approach could be a possible cure to the disease of drugs. Goa’s love for football can perhaps keep the youth away from falling for the highs of the substances. Football and the network of the coaches in football can really help the cause.
The participation of the kids and youth in football activities can definitely give a healthy dimension to their lives. The health consciousness can lead to the younger generation avoiding the pitfalls which otherwise could have been luring. Coaches can play an important role as their messaging sometimes is more powerful than even that of the parents.
A good concoction of football participation, messaging from coaches and developing essential life skills could be important not only to educate the youngsters about the perils of drug abuse but also give them a practical outlet to channelize their energies. It’s high time that we flag the drugs issue as a serious one and work on a systemic approach to counter this possible threat which can turn into disaster if left unattended. There are 200 villages that have a football groups and more than 400 schools who would love to promote football with a cause.
The Goa Football Association conducts more than 1500 matches through the year for teams from U-14 years to the senior level leagues. These footprints of football could be important to target the anti-drugs messaging from the school levels to the senior league levels. The messaging need to be visible through the branding and symbols as well as educational through the coaches who need to be equipped to deliver the messaging within the coaching programs. These additional efforts will go a long way if we believe that this is a serious problem. The much promised ‘new India’ can really fly into the future but hope this flight is of positive adventures and not the kinds that gives the state the tag of ‘Udta Goa’.
