Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 11.
6. 23
Deadliest Train Accident in
Decades
On 2
June, Friday evening, three trains, with more than 2,200 people onboard, were
involved in the crash near Balasore in Odisha. It turned out to be the
deadliest such disaster in decades with nearly 300 people dead and over a
thousand injured.
It
happened at a time, when India was stepping on the speed of train communication
with new sleeker and faster trains like ‘Bande Bharat’ being introduced, even
as the number of accidents were coming down. In this situation, the regular
maintenance of tracks and equipment were neglected. Funding in this area came
down. Vacancies were not filled. Safety and security were not looked into with
the seriousness it deserved.
One
deadly accident and the tragic death of 300 people, men, women, and babies
showed us what could happen if safety and security is not taken seriously.
The
accident of this scale, with the general election just a year away, of course
created the expected political sandstorm. Conspiracy theories abound. Malicious
fake news did its rounds. Union Government ordered a CBI enquiry.
However, at the end, the accident underlined an old saying: Speed thrills, but safety first.
An unfinished Notebook
Any tragedy of a large scale leaves many poignant stories behind-
stories of pathos and sorrow and also of heroic feat, stories of crushed life
and lingering hope. Here is one such story that wrung my heart.
A note book with drawings in red,
blue, green and violet on the left pages and handwritten poems of love on the
right stood out among the tattered remains of personal belongings strewn on the
tracks at Bahanaga, the site of Friday's tragic three-train pile-up.
One of poems in Bengali scrawled in neat handwriting goes like this:
"Olpo olpo megh theke bristi shristi hoi,
chotto chotto golpo theke bhalobasha shristi hoi"
(small clouds create rain,
small tales create love)
The unclaimed notebook found near a backpack and a waist pouch does not
mention the poet's name, neither makes any reference. The verses are addressed
to no one in particular. Page after page, the poet wrote on love and yearning,
trying to address the ups and downs of a relationship,
Is the author alive? Nobody can tell! But love is alive in the valley of
death.
Dog Meat
Recently
the Gauhati High Court's Kohima bench has quashed a Nagaland government ban on
commercial import, trading of dogs and sale of dog meat in markets and dine-in
restaurants, saying it “appears an accepted norm
and food among people of Nagaland, even in modern times”.
In Nagaland several tribes eat dog meat. Black dogs are
considered auspicious meat among certain tribes and are a must for special
occasions. Dog meat is commonly consumed in many parts of China and all of
Korea.
Now look at the
proliferating number of stray dogs and the problems it is creating across the
country. It has turned into a menace in many states including Odisha. which has 17.34 lakh canines. Odisha, has the country’s second highest number of stray
dogs after Uttar Pradesh, which has over 20 lakh as per 2019 Livestock census.
India has 36% of all rabies deaths in the world. India also has the largest number of stray dogs in the world, along with the highest cases
of rabies deaths. Most rabies deaths are unreported.
However the laws related to stray dogs are very strict in
India. Stray dogs cannot be killed. As per the Animal Birth Control (Dogs)
Rules, 2001, dogs cannot be
relocated or removed from their territory.
Now, can a mid-way be created? In the light of the recent HC
verdict, can commercial dog-firming for dog-meat like goatary (or goat-firming)
be done? That eventually could take care of stray dog menace.
Tail piece: Antology
1. 5 ants + 5 ants = Tenants.
2. To bring ant from
another country into your country = Important.
3. Ant that's looking
for a job = Applicant.
4. A spy ant =
Informant.
5. A big ant = Elephant
6. A very little ant =
Infant.
7. Ant that has a gun =
Militant 8. Ant that is a specialist = Consultant
9. A proud ant =
Arrogant
10. Ant that is cruel
and oppressive = Tyrant
11. Ant that is
friendly and lovely = Coolant
12. Ant that changed
from evil to good deeds = Repentant
13. Ant that
accumulated so much food in winter for summer = Abundant
14. Ant that opposes
change: Reluctant
15. An ant that keeps
accounts = Accountant
16. Ant that occupies a
place = Occupant.
17. A dirty ant =
Pollutant.
18. An unlikeable ant =
Irritant.
19. A green ant =
Verdant
20. Ant that is
important = Significant
21. A sarcastic Ant =
Mordant
22. An extremely fast
ant = Instant
23. Shouting Ant = Rant
24. An ant that doesn't
keep moving = Constant.
25. An enthusiastic ant
= Exuberant.
26. An ant that has
changed into a different form = Mutant.
(Courtesy: Mrityunjjay
Chatterjee)
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