Give us some Relief from this Fund!

Calamities can strike big and destroy all in its wake. No matter how powerful man becomes, nature has a cruel way of justifying its presence. The recent floods in Uttarakhand further confirmed the hatred that mankind has been calling upon itself with the numerous sins we commit in the name of religion. Even the Gods couldn’t take it and finally unleashed their wrath on the unassuming pilgrims out on their chardham- one of the most coveted journeys undertaken by devout Hindus at least once in their lifetime. Old men and women, pregnant ladies, handicapped citizens, toddlers and newborns- none were excused as the raging rivers plundered and took away lives, saving little and sparing none. The damage caused is a testament to the fact that we are indeed more vulnerable than we think in the hands of fate. And yet, we don’t learn do we? If we go by the news, widespread corruption in the midst of funds trickling in, child trafficking and rape incidents are also feared apart from the outbreak of disease and loss of property earlier estimated in the state. There is no end to the evil in our disposition and in a dog-eat-dog world where every man is fighting for the survival of the fittest, it seems just another day in the life of India. 

In the face of such calamities, every citizen of this country is asked to take a stand. Donate for the cause of the victims’ rehabilitation. The Government we are told, is doing everything in its might to turn the tide and revive the livelihood and infrastructure as soon as possible which is an estimated three years. The Army is engaged in emergency operations to save as many lives as possible. And the ordinary citizens of the country are requested to pledge their support though financial contributions which will help the victims caught in the terrible quagmire. All is well as it may seem when it comes to disaster management. But hey wait, are we missing the bigger picture here? Why is it that time and again, whenever such natural calamities strike are we middle class people invoked to dispense with some cash? Pardon me if I seem to be sounding a tad too heartless but my intention is to know why we are a class that is taken for granted. 

A class that is learning to cope with the recent recession by probably being stuck in jobs we would love to give up but can’t because most of us are breadwinners. A class that is probably facing the worst inflationary situation in decades with the fluctuating rupee. A class that has to bear the brunt of rapidly increasing fuel prices everytime we take our car out. A class that must pay its bills after getting its meagre salary cut by taxes. A class which must pay heavy VAT charges everytime it drinks out. A class which must struggle for its pension after retirement. A class for which the current situation in the upper North region has already meant insanely escalating prices of vegetables and fruits, making it think twice about the next meal on the table. And yet, we are the class who are looked upon to save the victims of every flood, famine, storm, tsunami and what not. If poverty is like facing imminent death everyday, belonging to the middle class section of society is like a living curse daily. You are answerable for every expense you make, saving in the face of a zillion EMIs becomes an impossible task and the thought of retired parents, medical emergencies and family planning can send us in to a tizzy. And yet, we are the class that is considered to have the luxury of a surplus which we are supposed to shell out in the name of relief funds for the victims of so and so. This while corrupt politicians, indifferent billionaires and Bollywood celebrities sitting pretty in their 100 crore clubs in this country make merry while the sun shines.

Who is being victimized here, I want to know please. Or is victimizing one section of society to cope with the damage caused to another is this country’s accepted way of tackling with disasters of every nature? Please don’t assume my heart doesn’t go out to the flood ravaged citizens of Uttarakhand. Any help I can provide in person or in kind is my way of reaching out to them. But that’s about it as I myself am a daily victim of this very society we live in, disaster or no disaster and in the urban milieu, unfortunately, every man must look out for his own survival first and then the rest of the world. We live in such times and there is no escaping this fact. To be financially sound, one has to be financially able oneself and as far as that goes, judging by the economic uncertainty in this country, we are standing on unpredictable and rocky terrain at present so please, give me some relief from this fund!