What Surat Tragedy Tells Us About Life

Human beings are one of nature's best creation. We have achieved great things. Our way of living is much better than any species on the earth. Despite all of this we don't seem to value our life, especially in India.

The value of lives in India is very less. By value, I don't mean the cost of lives in money. It merely means how precious one's life is. In India, we don't care about it. The recent case of fire breaking out in Surat coaching centre is an example. There was no fire safety in that building. People who were present there said that the fire brigade arrived after 40-45 minutes. Shouldn't a coaching centre, having the future of the country focus more on the protection. Gujarat Chief Minister ordered a fire safety check of all public and commercial buildings after that. That's the problem. Why should people give their lives to get a focus on something? The government should be proactive rather than reactive.

The Surat case is not the only case of government negligence. In 2017, in Mumbai, the fire broke out in a rooftop restaurant. Fourteen people lost their lives. Likewise, a foot overbridge collapsed in Bombay this year in March. The bridge was labelled safe when an inspection was carried out the previous year. Almost every people lose their lives in the Monsoon season. Waterlogging problems occur in every part of the country. The safety of people is highly compromised during this time of the year. People lose their lives to collapse of buildings, electric shocks, motorway accidents etc. The ambulance and fire brigade services are not great in our country.

People too, don't care about their own lives. The students who went to the coaching centre and their parents also didn't check the fire safety methods. There are not many building in India with a fire escape. Not many of us check the safety of apartments before deciding to buy them. How many of us will wear a seat belt while seating in a car or a helmet while riding a motorcycle? If there is no police to check almost everyone will not use them.

Safety shouldn't be an accessory. It's a necessity. Humans are one of the most gifted species on the earth. Our civilisation, though still, a level-1 civilisation, has the potential to be the greatest of all time. For that to happen, we need to value ourselves more than what we currently do.