A New Year with the same old Goan circus - soter

 Published as Lead article in oHeraldo on 22 Jan 2024

The New Year 2024 in Goa has kicked off with a series of tragic, mysterious and mischievous occurrences unfolding every single day. On the very first day, a Christian Pastor had Goa’s uninvited secular cops for morning ‘darshan’ at his doorstep, after a particular complaint sparked off their enthusiasm and diligence to arrest their prey on grounds of indulging in black magic to convert persons. This was followed by the most unexpected news of a dead and buried man walking home after two months, in what turned out to be a case of a bungled police investigation. The focus quickly shifted to

a Bengaluru mother who is accused of killing her 4-year-old son in a service apartment in North Goa. Interspersed with these events, which have been extensively sensationalised by the media, the State also witnessed several fatal road accidents with young lives being snuffed out within the first fortnight. The Sunburn controversy, which entertained and distracted the public towards the fag end of 2023 and into the New Year, vanished overnight with a goodbye to Goa from the event organisers.

Given the normalisation of anti-social and malevolent behaviours, the most unexpected incidents are to be expected in such a dysfunctional social and political climate. But what is very disturbing is the level to which irrationality has overrun truth and reason in Goan society. The public mentality has dipped to such a level that it gorges on spectacle and trivia. Unpleasant incidents make exciting gossip material for ‘sosegado’ Goans, while they ignore the skeletons in their cupboards and do nothing to remedy their own miserable situation. Gossip helps avoid other important ground realities which require equal attention, if not more. All misery around is nothing but a pass time for Goans with no lessons learnt for the betterment of their society at large. In such a climate of glaring contradictions, why would any government pay heed to occasional public tantrums and take its citizens seriously?

It is heartening to occasionally hear some isolated voices of sanity calling for reflection on the health of our families and society to prevent tragedies. But again the responses to crisis situations, if any, are all compartmentalised and unconcerned of the multidimensional factors that contribute to a problem. With reports on a rise in drug abuse and distressed homes we are witnessing a knee jerk reaction from government and civil society groups. Recently there was a news report that an NGO will train teachers to recognise mental health issues among students. But who will address the mental health of adults in the home and teachers in the school which impacts the child’s mental health? Is the economic development model driven by the government and industry assessed for its impact on the mental health of citizens? Or, will it again be sick minds playing healer, teacher and statesman and going round in circles to decorate their activity reports?

Sadly, we can no more expect reason and hard truth to appeal to a society which has degenerated into a ‘bewildered herd’, a term applied to politically blinded masses by renowned author and political analyst Walter Lipmann in his critique on democracy. Public opinion in Goa is now the slave of media propaganda driven by the elite class, and perhaps the writings of Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky in their book ‘Manufacturing Consent’ could help throw some light on Goa’s crisis. Asking questions is vital for survival of democracy but Goans have chosen to be sheeple under the control of a dark leadership.

What’s disturbing is a growing cognitive dissonance in citizens leading to incongruence in thought, words and actions. While citizens relentlessly complain about the troubles and hardships they are facing because of misgovernance and corruption, we hardly see and hear about community processes initiated to understand and improve living conditions. Weekly markets and cultural festivals are not going to reverse the rot in politics and remedy the social chaos around. Instead these celebrations only enable the dysfunctional systems by feeding the denial. This contradiction is demonstrated by the survey findings with Goa’s government boasting of taking the first position on the Happiness Index among small States.

The growing cynicism and detachment among Goans when it comes to discussing civic issues is not necessarily ‘public apathy’. There is a ‘trust deficit’ and ‘mental fatigue’ which has crept in over a period of time from an overdose of protests with no tangible results. Social and political initiatives lack inclusivity, transparency and accountability. These are not people’s movements emerging from a grass-roots process, but more of a product branded and marketed from AC chambers with perspectives and motives of some privileged few. This lack of commitment and consistency in any social action becomes visible no sooner elections are declared. “The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens”, said renowned political scientist and philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville.

Goykarponn and Goychi Asmitai cannot survive in a society driven by individualism and materialism. In a dysfunctional society nothing should be judged merely by its face value and popularity. Every event in the community is patronised by the same ring masters, jugglers and clowns who keep their audience enthralled and distracted from the ground reality. The downfall of Goans has been their naivety, emotionalism and impulsivity when it comes to politics. How can anyone expect good governance and smart development by endorsing malevolent personality traits as qualities of good leadership and vesting such individuals with unchallenged power? With even religious and educational precincts being reduced to markets and entertainment hubs, where is the time and space for any serious critical thinking and introspection in the Goan community?

(The writer was a Counsellor at a Drug Prevention and De-addiction Centre in Goa)

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