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| May 8, 2000 | ||
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 For
us in India Today the current drought brings with it a terrible irony. Let
me explain. During the Kargil war last year we set up a Care Today fund,
giving readers an opportunity to contribute to the welfare of injured
soldiers or to the families of the fallen. When a savage cyclone struck
Orissa last year, we started a similar fund for people whose lives were
devastated. On both occasions the response was wonderfully generous.
Finally this week we decided to close both funds since each had totalled
contributions worth Rs 1 crore. Then last week as disaster came calling
again, it was time to open another fund. We at India Today, and you the
reader, are always glad to help. It's just a tragedy for India that we
have to keep doing so.
There is something about India that almost attracts calamity. We seem to stagger from one catastrophe to another. What is truly tragic is so much of it is man-made, a product of government indifference and official callousness. It is like some vicious cycle of misery with which we have been cursed. When the warnings come we ignore them. When disaster strikes we are unprepared. When an emergency is declared and relief trucks loaded, no one is sure if they reach the right people. It is like a bad play endlessly repeated. We sent out almost an army of reporters to not only assess the magnitude of the problem, but also to chart where officialdom had blundered. The stories they returned with were heart-rending. But it was a farmer who reflected best the cynicism and weariness with which India has come to face calamity. As he said: Akaal maa paydo laive Let's hope we learn from our mistakes. Else we will be destined to relive them. .
(Aroon Purie) |
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