Beginning Anew

Unforeseen contingencies dictate the lives of people globally, and 2020 has been anything but predictable. From a virus wreaking havoc throughout the world to the Indian government continuing its insensitivity in the times of the pandemic, we have been living in times of constant uncertainty. 2020 was not all bad, as the U.S presidential elections offered good news for the whole world. Even amidst the diverse issues which lead to widespread protests, several factors continue to offer a ray of hope. Though a few of the recent protests took the name of Save Mollem campaign, and the farmer protests, India is no stranger to destruction arising from selfish interests.

The project that resulted in Aarey protests was another recent example of selfishness rearing its ugly head. While news channels like NDTV continue to be excellent sources of information, in modern times technological innovations too have emerged as alternative sources of news. Though the issues itself are disheartening, the sheer amount of people that continue to be involved in these protests are the light at end of a dark tunnel.  As diverse sections of Goans unleash their creativity in the ongoing protests to save Mollem, these are a glimpse of what we can achieve when we stand united. Eventually this movement garnered support from several parts of the world, as well as India.

 This blog was created about a year ago out of love for Goa, but people have been continuously exploring methods to portray their selflessness. ‘Cecille Lee Rodrigues’ has come up with several initiatives including a Youtube channel under her name to highlight her efforts to clean up Goa. Despite having a son of 10 years named ‘Jake’, she isn’t afraid to travel the extra mile for Goa. In addition to raising issues, her videos did an excellent job of informing Goans about two budding female footballers of Goa who made it into the national squad.  Making a mark in the community by the ‘Rostogoa’ campaign which involves road safety initiatives like painting the speed breakers, she got inspired by an unfortunate accident due to which she has a metal plate in her back.

Rostogoa volunteers

She later began a Google search about previous accidents arising from unpainted speed breakers in Goa. The campaign kicked off with a song after multiple complaints were ignored. During the pandemic too she and a group of brave volunteers have carefully chalked out a plan where a few would be involved in painting the speed breakers, while others would be involved with the distribution of groceries to the needy. She and her team of volunteers have submitted accurate pictures of the locations of roads with the help of Google Earth that need to be fixed. Technological innovations can be used by people to either destroy or make lives. ‘Pinit’ is an application that enables greater participation levels for improving road safety conditions in Goa. Using Pinit, Cecille and the volunteers of the ‘Rostogoa’ campaign marked the bad roads, and linked it with the data of Google Earth, making the task of the Panchayat easier to get the accurate location of the potholes.

 

A glimpse of the 'Pinit' application

As much as protests are required to generate awareness, we also can get creative about it, and Cecille brilliantly portrayed it. Along with spending some quality time with her son, it was also a learning process for the future generation. While Jake and his friends enjoyed the beautiful sceneries of the flora and fauna in Mollem, they also had a personal experience of what Mollem meant for Goa. 

Jake and Cecille at Mollem

While convential thinking restricted change to merely political parties and activists, modern society can go beyond it, as is portrayed by Myra D’Costa. Encouraged by her supportive parents, she currently thrives as an Emcee for several events and weddings. Apart from a satisfying career she also garners sufficient time to upload videos which has diverse values, on her Youtube channel ‘Emcee Myra D’Costa’.

Emcee Myra D'Costa

 
The world which we live in is certainly not ideal and at times we may feel a sense of despair creeping in but people like these have been the cause for inspirations. When an issue starts gaining momentum owing to a united display, it has the power to make governments afraid. History has taught us that constantly. The ongoing farmer’s protests are reminiscent of this, as not only prominent Indian personalities but several representatives of various countries including Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau expressed their solidarity with the farmers.  It’s highly possible the momentum behind these protests have fueled the ongoing talks between the centre and the farmers.

Such unity is mandatory in modern times especially as the government is redefining the constitution by imposing the dietary habits of a few on the public, in a scenario where multiple religions exist in India.   If this sounds strange to my readers I encourage people to Google the atrocities carried out on Dalits in Madhya Pradesh. Though I don’t trust AAP because of shady tactics like ridiculing Rahul Gandhi on his New Year greeting, I strongly believe in their candidate Cecille because of her devotion towards Goa. We need such people who are capable of going beyond party lines. May we go beyond protesting, and fully comprehend the importance of our votes in the new year, as we have the potential of restoring democracy.