Indifference.

Yesterday, the daily, reported that a woman was gangraped & burned by her spurned lover & his brothers & friends.This happened in a slum with none of the neighbours noticing anything or even hearing anything.The time was evening -just after sunset.

One can only think of the callous indifference of the neighbours & that too in such a crowded area. Moreover,it was not that it was midnight & all were deep in slumber & still, the accused ran away after setting her ablaze ! Really,this has all happened due to our collective apathy.But then how are you & me concerned ? We are,maybe not in this case directly, but surely, in some indirect manner.This apathy is what is so prevalent in a city like Mumbai where we all stay in matchboxes huddled together but care a damn about what happens next door.We keep crying for space -for privacy.

In a way,we are glad ,aren't we that there in so little a space, we learn about a death in our neighborhood from the Obituary column in the newspapers ?How does it bother us - a death,an accident ,a rape,a molestation et al ?It is only somebody else's problem & the police has to deal with it.But, even the police, need witnesses but, then, why waste our precious time & energy in such mundane matters ?

The problem with this approach, is that, other also think alike when a problem strikes me home & then I have to deal with it alone as I left them alone to deal with their problems.Unless,we collectively take up cudgels against such goondaism or for that matter in solving our problems ( not my problems,mind you),such episodes will continue.Even the State can be goaded into action only, when we all urge it to do so as a team -as a team has strength unlike one person.So let us share ,help & work together so that our Government,our netas can be made to serve us & not the other way around.Then only will we be kaamyaab.Then, we can sing in chorus,"Hum honge kaamyaab,..."