Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Disaster Management

When crisis hits and you stare into the face of a disaster, that's when you get to see true courage and sensibility... you see humanity and humility... you see Integrity...

Although, I was not a live spectator of the Carlton Towers tragedy at Bangalore yet I was fortunate to read/watch the live coverage of the whole incident. When I saw what was happening and how things got messed up further and we lost 9 valuable lives, I asked myself, "Why are we always under prepared for crisis?? ". Why do all of us just take it for granted that our safety is someone else's responsibility and feel relieved that we were not one among the crisis hit! I would like to recall my article on New year where a small incident happened at my place and how people reacted with an Oh! and Moved On!

When someone gets dumped, they weep, scream, howl & make life miserable for everyone around them but when a life is lost in such an incident, they sigh in relief and Move On! Ironical isn't it, that our own mediocre thoughts leave us as a hapless victim.

When I read that a trapped man tweeted from the building that "Our rescue ladder. It'll only reach the fourth floor. We're on the fifth!"... Firefighters asked people on the top floors to jump, and that when they did, the safety net spread below couldn't take their landing!!!
Firefighters having a tough time reaching the building!! Why?? Well a known fact about Bangalore..large traffic jams! The double tinted glasses were impossible for people to break open, in-turn got themselves injured while trying. 

Is the lesson learnt? Are we prepared? Why were people unaware of the Emergency exit? How many of us actually learn our building map when we move to a new place? How many of us actually know that when there is heavy smoke around, a reasonably clean, wet handkerchief can save you? How many of us actually apply common sense and realize that smoke has a tendency to move upwards and when you face it, try sticking to the floor... Well, I understand that disaster management is not everyone's cup of tea, but does that mean that we hold someone else responsible for our lives? Tears rolled down when I read that a lady in her 20's with 2 kids at home, named Benzy, died as she jumped out of the building because she had a wheezing problem and no one could help her. She saw people holding a bed-sheet below and thought that she would survive... survive to go home but in vain; she fell flat on the ground and lay in a pool of blood. Was she completely responsible for her death? Her belief in the helpless mob standing below, was it wrong? Why aren't we asking questions?

Instead of shedding blood and committing suicides for demented reasons like a separate state; Why don't we work for a cause? A cause that will serve the purpose of helping people and not making a fool of the in-cognizant innocent students who have disregarded the fact that tomorrow when they stand on the other-side of the University gates, no state, no religion is going to serve them a career of their choice. Why do we never revolt for the Right reasons? Why were the fire-fighters nets small? Why were the ladders small? Why don't we have good infrastructure to save people? Is Benzy's life only Rs.2L worth? Why does the govt. only provoke issues which can be a cause for riots and not work "For the People"?
Why don't we ask "WHY"? WHY don't we ever draw a line and say, "I will not bear this anymore!"

2 comments:

  1. And what happens after you have said "I will not bear this anymore!" ????
    That is where lies all the answers to your qsts :)

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  2. Why do we never revolt for the Right reasons?
    Why were the fire-fighters nets small?
    Why were the ladders small?
    Why don't we have good infrastructure to save people?
    Why does the govt. only provoke issues which can be a cause for riots and not work "For the People"?

    Questions few said and many more left unsaid ..
    I was wondering to whom you are expecting to decide the right reason? n do you really thing they know what is right indeed? Do you know? Who knows? Who to decide the so called right thing? Let me tell you: There was a guy in his 20s, very young but with gloomy face. He was looking wretched, but still was hollering with the his full vigor along with the protagonists of telangana. I asked him, Why? Why do you want telangana? He replied "I will get a good job in telangana". I said "that's nice" and asked "but, how much is your qualification"? He said proudly "I studied till 8th grade".

    Tell me, Do you thing "He will get a nice job in telangana or in United Andhra? or anywhere else? until he works on it on his own. Such kind of ignorance we have in india and it forms the majority of it, more than 50%.

    There are simply two ways to win the election in democracy:
    * First one is to Work for the country which implies work for its peoples. Work with blocking reforms, open up the thigs to let the market grow and let nation flourish and enrich.
    It has far reaching effects and no immediate changes are visible so less prefered by politicians.
    * Another one is populist politics. You show some thing very luring, quick effecting and thats it! You won the election. As was practised by the Prakash Singh Badal during his 1997 election. He promised free electricity to farmers, won the election. He kept his promise (which is good) but his goodness bought disaster for the state and after few years state was not having enough tresury even to pay the salary of its workers.

    Unfortunately this is not restricted to only an individual. Illiteracy is what fills the wicked motives of the currupt governments.

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