In rural India id est Bharat, a “marriage party” is a potential mass funeral.
Large, powerful vehicles stuffed to the gills with people, at the hands of poorly trained, drunken drivers, ploughing through the darkness at high speeds, stage a morbid dance with death that ministers, bureaucrats, police officers, road engineers et al applaud with their silence.
Thursday, 19 February 2009, was the last for these one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, yes 16 people, who perished on “national highway” 63 at Veerapura village near Bellary, when their jeep hit a tree.
Photograph: Karnataka Photo News
That’s a horrifying picture!
Except the people inside that van, nobody is responsible for it. How can 16 people allow a drunken guy to drive a van?
No need to go that far. In our own neighbourhood we have such a gateway to heaven. And that is called Mysore-Nanjangud road. No need to be drunk, no need to over speeding, no requirement that it should be in night, no need to be over crowded either. But still you will see accidents almost every day. And soon after that, you will see the road giving births to many unwanted road humps. Day is not so far when one can see nothing but road humps on that road. Widening the road seems to be the only viable option, but looks like, the government is just waiting for few more death counts, here and everywhere.
It is certainly horrifying to see and hear about this accident. I wonder how grown-ups can be so careless (about their lives) that they allow drunken night driving (and that too on bad roads). I guess, it is every individuals’ responsibility to care and fear for their lives! We cannot expect the government to monitor every vehicle on the road…….:)
Agreed ,VK. It is only Lord Srikanteshwara that must be taking of thousands of people travelling in this horrible road.
I would like to ask the photographer and esteemed publisher, including Churumuri, if anyone of their family members or friends were in this tragedy.
If they did, would they still splash this picture?
Splashing this picture was to make a point, this is equivalent to spitting four letter words to make a point. How about some semblence of respect for the dead and feelings of the relatives and friends. But that would be too much to ask from most of the India’s media who have lost balance in every sense.
thumba annyaya. nodidare bejaru aguthe, adare enu madodu. Idu common during marriage seasons. Driving barade iroru, bottle haki drive madidare hige agodu. Over loading and over speeding madthare night time nalli. ivarige police bhaya illa. Innocent people saythare. Foto dalli avarannu salagi malagisirodu nodidare, dead persons henavanna maratakke ittidare antha kanuthe. Sattavara jeevakke shanthi irali