I don’t know when and how the image of Udaipur as a serene town was stripped off by that of a budding metropolitan suffering from frenzied road traffic and the mounting crime situation. Over all, the saddest part is the nonchalant attitude of lawmakers, supplemented with our own indolent behavior.

Among the half a dozen of crime incidents reported last week, robbery has been so common, while murder for any small issue is just another growing evil that is being resorted to, by youth who never had any criminal past.

Roads are no safer for driving and certainly no footpaths are available any longer for pedestrians; still a helpless walker walks frightened and a biker urges to reach his destination safely before he gets bumped by another biker.

Besides, all that is happening in this lawfully governed-lawless state, multi storey towers and townships are popping up every day, malls are taking shape, Harleys and Rolls-Royce are running on the road. A devastating gap is broadening the difference between the rich and the poor.

Corruption is crunching compassion; laws are abiding for poor while the riche carry it in their wallets.

Students are getting influenced by a self-proclaimed teenage-bhai who is some small ex-college politician, again backed by some influential pin-up guy. This rare dominant chain plucks several more boils, viz. failing in subjects, girlfriend seeing someone else, no money for a daru party; dad cuts the pocket money and friends buying a new mobile.

Ego, jealously and frustration encourage petty crime and deepening the situation from bad to worst. Everybody is talking about the lawlessness, but no effective measures are being implemented, either by the authorities or by the citizens themselves.

From my little wisdom and far too much observation, I have tried to mull on the reasons behinds such mishaps and incidents.

Discrepancy in Society strikes Lack of Moral Value and that is the main cause of all the ill things going on in the City of Lakes.

The above mentioned causes later spread into several small grounds to make my observation precise and strong.

In an attempt to survive and earn a two time meal, everyone tries to wrench his rights by pulling down everyone else by whatever means possible.

Taking the smallest example, this attitude is practically observed on the road while walking and driving. No biker will discharge mercy on anyone riding ahead of him; so unnatural, but in fact it is the belief of survival.

Another example for a broader perspective; Pradeep Singh Bhati might not have killed Shekhar Panchal if he was not pressurized by the people who lent him money.

The college students might not have attempted robbery if they were not pressurized by the person who was asking them to pay money for increasing their marks, illicitly.

In both examples, PRESSURE is a common substance that pushed the convicts to do the offense and MONEY is the biggest reason for creating the pressure. Further, they lost their morality and took to the wrong way to solve their problems.

Don’t blame the police this time; blame the jeopardizing moral values which come from society and society consist of Parents, Teachers, Relatives and Friends. The way of education and source of earning are the other two main elements which governs the former four.

However it all looks confusing and looks like a web of several threads connecting with many other threads but it takes birth from social values and also ends with social values.

Our society believes in punishing the criminal rather than checking the cause of his crime and often cause relates the crime to society itself, which is obviously an unacceptable fact by and for society.

The need of the hour is not forcing it to turn into a favorable condition, but rather accept it as it is and check our own draw backs. We have already passed a long journey from the Gurukul to Guru-cool and now it is time to revert back to the basics – basic moral values.

Then no corruption will able to induce our soul; then no one will hit another to ensure survival. Society has to take the step firmly and inject the values of sacred texts written in the Bhagvad Gita, Quran, Bible and the Guru Granth Sahib, along with taking lessons from the teachings of great men.

photo by: Sayeed Ahmed