Beyond the Grave Looking back at: Mahabharata, Two Brothers, and Casinos For the week which passed (17/7/21-14) when I was alive on Planet Earth.
Have Goans forgotten the famous gambling story from the Mahabharata of the two brothers, Nala and Pushkara? I was reminded of it the other day when the news of the issue of moving the casinos from the polluted Mandovi River broke with a loud bang in the media. Is one of the casinos heading not far from Fort Aguada? Who is going to steer the boat - obviously an important and historic event! Minister Michael Lobo? Does the Mahabharata have a lesson to teach him and other promoters of gambling in Goa? In our global tourism war do we have to promote deceitfulness? Remember the gambling match in the Mahabharata? The great epic of India teaches us wickedness is not the hallmark of the true and great warrior. The project - Pollution Mandovi - is a great success! Anyone who swims in the river will fall ill. Is the Goa government going to start another project with a casino in the near future? Nothing succeeds like success? Development and progress never cease for a moment in Goa - the numero uno tourist state in India. A few years ago there was the shutdown of mining and casinos came into the spotlight as it became an important source of revenue to fill in the lacuna caused by the mining meltdown. At the time - two other brothers - not from the Mahabharata but the MGP’s Dhavalikar brothers were in the spotlight. They fumed against miniskirts, bikinis on the beaches and the pub culture which they said were examples of decadent Western cultural influence on Goans. What did they have to say about gambling - a burning social issue then - and today? They supported gambling enthusiastically. One report quoting Sudin Dhavalikar read, “ We are getting more than Rs.1 crore as revenue”! Is gambling good or bad in Hindu culture? How do Hindus feel about gambling? I think we have all heard of the story of the two brothers, Nala and Pushkar from the Mahabharata. How do Hindus (and also non-Hindus) feel about gambling, - and, in particular - gambling in Goa? How many Goans have to go bankrupt before the government wakes up and bans gambling? And, how many people have to die before we understand the importance of good roads and the danger of pot holes? The government lately has banned e-cigarettes. A good start? Are e-cigarettes more dangerous than pot holes on roads, gambling and regular cigarettes? Does a government have to be seen banning something? Is perception in political theory - which says it is important to be seen to be doing something - all that important? Is cosmetic surgery a cure for cancer? While the Chief Minister of Goa wants to ban Goans from casinos, is this realistic or even possible? Indians from all over India (Hindus and everyone else) are encouraged to come to Goa to gamble. People from all over India will not appreciate Goa government’s gambling policy which is step brotherly, and selfish. While the Chief Minister wants to protect Goans which is understandable the policy could backfire and give Goa a negative and anti-national image - and badly damage the tourism industry in future. When a gambler gets to the sad point of no return, the home drama does not end with the gambler but with other members of the gambler's family. More often than not, innocent children. Their lives are launched on an unstable trajectory of epic proportions … for Goans and Indians all over the country. A couple of years later - on hindsight - what do the Dhavalikar brothers’ voters and supporters have to say on the contentious issue of gambling? The story in the Mahabharata teaches us how the influence of Kali is dangerous! Are the brothers under his influence? Has Kali engulfed their souls, and refuses to let go? No, this is not Hindu Dharma. This is not the path of righteousness. Will the Dhavalikar brothers be separated from their voters in the next election? At present they have fallen from the pedestal of power politics and are living in a political wilderness. Do you see the hand of Kali at play? The brothers need to renounce immediately their support for gambling and return to the Hindu Dharma before it is too late for them, before they lose their fortunes, and voters, too. They need to ask Kali for forgiveness! They need to fight vigorously for a ban on gambling. That may be their only hope. The Congress Party introduced gambling into Goa, and where are they today? Has Kali taken over their lives? Is Kali diverting the Congress Party from the path of righteousness? Is their future in the dark hands of Kali? Has he blinded them, destroyed their awareness? Las Vegas, the most famous gambling city in the world was (and is) a desert. There was sand, more sand, and not much else. Goa also has sand on the beaches - and not much else? Is our government confusing the sand in the desert and on our world famous beaches? What other explanation is there? Babush Monserrate has promised to move the casinos from the Mandovi. And MLA Michael Lobo wants to welcome the casinos in Candolim? Is Kali going to teach both of them a lesson - will their fate be the same as the two other brothers? Goans (Hindus and non-Hindus) need to take the moral of the story from the Mahabharata seriously - and destroy this evil - before it destroys our Goa.
