{ முகநூல் கருத்துக்கள்}{ட்விட்டர் கருத்துக்கள்}

A year ago, in early 2006, Kayalpatnam was up in arms. People were angry, agitating over dramatic decline in moral values. The collective action - which brought together men and women of different religious thoughts - was triggered by the missing of a young girl.

Stages were laid, speeches were made. Speeches were long - and fiery, punctuated - at appropriate places - with passages from the religious texts. For once, it seemed, people had woken up. Alas, it all has turned out to be just a mirage!

Even at that time, a year ago, there were many critics, sceptics should we say, who said it all is a passing fad; people would soon forget and move on. Many were not willing to accept that. How stupid of those who refused to see it through then, who believed every word that was said, even hoped that things were about to change for good.

In the twelve months that have just passed by, we could see no effort being taken to address the underlying causes. No serious effort has been taken to build/strengthen organisations that people could turn to - for help. No collective, result-oriented effort taken to educate people about decline in moral values and what is causing it (magazines, television, phone abuse etc). And no serious effort has been taken to address poverty, unemployment and under-employment issues.

All these talks of change - heard those heady months in early 2006 - have all come to naught, nothing. People who took the floor and the mikes then are now busy eating - eating their own words. Thank you, gentlemen, thank you for your speeches. It was very entertaining. Tell us a new story please, that the Emperor has new clothes may be. We all shall pretend to hear and believe.

Why those empty speeches, followed by very little, useful action? Hard to say. Perhaps those men had some personal axes to grind and used the situation to their advantage. Perhaps they were really incapable of acting upon their words, turning them to deeds. Perhaps there are many mysterious things we mortals cannot ever understand.

What ever it is though, do not be surprised if our inability to act when we should have decisively - comes back - in the form of a even bigger monster - to haunt us in the future.