Gloom Descends

Gloom descended in various ways in the recent past...

Raging Rain and Rivers:

 The incessant rain, cloud burst, illegal constructions, numerous dams, and possible neglect of warning, all created havoc like never before. A havoc that stranded more than a hundred thousand people, killing tens of thousands (contrary to official figures), and changing thousands of lives, for bad. TV channels have covered the disaster 24X7, bringing heart wrenching stories to your drawing rooms. Should people avoid going on pilgrimage? Perhaps everyone’s god is dear to them, so certainly no. Is it a man-made disaster? Partly yes, no one can be oblivious to the fact of early and abundant monsoon. Could the country be better prepared to face such disasters? A big yes definitely.

Manipal on Map:

The abduction and sexual assault of a student of medicine in Manipal created ripples of great magnitude. Criminal intent, security gaffes, increasing lawlessness, all contributed to an unfortunate, appalling, and cruel incident that gripped our university town. While the police should be lauded for nabbing the suspects, the people responsible for bringing the incident to the fore and not brushing it under carpet need equal appreciation. The incident showed how various government machineries can go on an overdrive, and how greatly manipulative and pest-like the media can be. Is Manipal safe? Yes, it is one of the safest campuses and the incident was one off. Does Manipal need greater security? Perhaps, and hopefully changes shall take place, and for good.

Rupee Risks

Non economic aficionados might not find it very interesting, but the falling Rupee breaching the 60 Rs mark for 1 dollar is a matter of deep concern. It has been quite some time that the rupee has been losing its value and the continued slide does not harbour good tidings for Indian economy. A withdrawal of a considerable amount of foreign investment is one of the reasons for such debacle. This is an extension of the failing faith in the economy; which has not been rectified by the government. Though the IT companies may be happy at this turnaround, the oil companies are not. And the latter’s woes shall be transferred as burden to the masses. Could the situation improve? Yes; only with a sustained effort to boost the economy.

Wimbledon Woes

Wimbledon saw the exit of its stars pretty early in the tournament, with shocking defeats and injuries. While upsets are hallmarks of any tournament, such high in number and one that involved blame game being played against the quality of tracks prepared, created a flutter in the tennis world. Lacklustre as the line up of player list appears now, while might cause emergence of new stars, does not bid well for the premier tournament. Does it even matter that stellar players exit early? Yes if seven injuries occur in first round.

Gloom is a part of life, as is sunshine. We would not be able to appreciate light without darkness. The art is in understanding ‘what is’. More on that later.