www.timesofindia.com Balcony view: Sardines in a tin
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2002 9:13:54 PM ] PANAJI: The recent accident at Santa Cruz -- in which a mini-bus carrying over 50 people including women and many schoolchildren overturned, killing two -- has thrown up a serious problem. Is there a check on the number of passengers in such buses? The answer is ``no''. This happens on regular routes and one cannot understand how this is allowed to continue. The other such route is the Panaji bus stand-Dona Paula one. At Santa Cruz, there is virtually no check by the authorities concerned, with the respective drivers putting the commuters at their mercy; similar is the case on the other route, except that this is more supervised by the policemen, who apparently turn a blind eye. For those who travel by bus on the Santa Cruz route, mainly those staying in villages and those who go up to the Goa Medical College Hospital, they have to suffer the agony of rash driving during peak hours and practically crawling during the off-peak hours. With the schools having been reopened for the new academic year, the autorickshaws, too, are operating dangerously. They will have no less than 10 children with bags and one wonders what will happen if there were to be a mishap. This is not allowed. But they carry on unhindered. DEATH TRAPS The incessant rains have been creating havoc in the state. Not only are the trees uprooted and houses collapsing, but what is proving to be both a danger and a nuisance is the flooding of roads. One of the reasons for the accidents has been attributed to the deep trenches dug along the roads -- by the PWD, the electricity department or the municipality. Such death traps had been opened as a pre-monsoon exercise, but which has remained in that state even as it has started pouring. Strangely enough, no one seems to take the blame and the situation continues. This assumes importance, as this is the season when the dreaded malaria vectors are in full bloom, putting the citizens in peril of being bitten by the dreaded female of the falciparum variety. Thus far, there has not been any serious outbreak of the disease, but it would not be very far when reports of cases start pouring in. RAIN RHAPSODY In the coastal state of Goa where weather conditions change after every three months with the season, the people, too, change their style of living. During torrential rains, the rural people prefer not to move out except while going to work. Or, they are found busy working in their farms until the operations are complete. They all prefer spicy food and avoid chilled items to prevent cold and fever. Still, Goa is notorious for epidemics like dysentery, diarrhoea, bronchitis and other related ailments during monsoon season. Children need warm clothes and more care due to cold climate. For the tourism industry -- be it monsoon or summer -- the conditions are superb. The difficulty is that those involved in the industry of tourism cannot write any poem to entertain the guests. But the Gomantak Marathi Academy embarked on a unique exercise: It invited poets for a meet on a rainy day and chant poems on rain. The meet could not be held because rains were too heavy for the poets. Not just poets even ordinary mortals were scared when rain inundated their houses situated in low-lying areas. FISHY PROBLEM More on rain. Though Goa is known for good fish curry and rice, one would not find this dish during rains due to non-availability of fish in the Goan markets. During monsoon, fish catching is prohibited by law. Naturally, they go for broilers or goat meat. Believe it. Goa gets broilers even from cities like Kolhapur and Sindhudurga districts of Maharashtra. People also choose to consume dishes made out of dry fish, locally known as `kharem'. Otherwise, markets make no business during monsoon, thus affecting the state's economic profile. Even transport system remains affected. The socio-cultural life is, therefore, not visible when it rains. Well, the people have no choice than to enjoy these rains or keep watching a passenger flight hovering above their heads in the sky inside the clouds due to bad weather conditions not permitting it to land. No scope for any entertainment during rains. They prefer to stay inside and watch television programmes or listen to radio programmes. Playgrounds wear a deserted look since no sports is permissible. They choose indoor games. The tourism industry introduced something called `raindrop tourism' but it could not click because the concept was not sold in the right spirit to domestic and foreign tourists. But do you know that house-breaking and cases of theft increase during rains in Goa? You go to a relative or a friend and they will ask you to have a dish called `sukem' with traditional bread, `pav'. It could be a mixed dish of fish (if available) with spices or with dry fruits or vegetables with spicy taste. It could even be a dish cooked using cereals like `alsande' with latest spices available in the market. Then some of them play cards, carrom or snore during the day. Gambling is unofficially permitted by the Bharatiya Janata Party government which otherwise so often screamed at Congress governments for not curbing the menace. The people have their own ways and means to gamble at their chosen places and then they drink or learn to drink. In rural Goa, one can see people singing or they are on harmonium with accompanying tabla, getting ready for the state-level bhajan competition of the Kala Academy. Climate in Goa during monsoon is enjoyable and people wait for `barasatamen jab ayega Savan ka mahina'. There is more fun in store in the month of Sravana, which begins on August 10 this year. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
