The Wisdom in Preparing for the Worst

I am always surprised at the surprise evinced by so many when godawful things go down with clockwork-like regularity.

- Anuja Chandramouli Author and new age classicist

Recently a stampede claimed 11 lives and injured many more following a cricketing triumph. Lack of crowd control, non-existent planning or organisation for the victory parade caused the tragedy. In a country where overcrowding is the norm across every overpopulated inch of it, how did we not see this coming? This year alone, many lives were claimed in similar stampedes at North Goa's Shirgao village, a New Delhi railway station, at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh where lakhs of pilgrims had gathered for a dip, and the Venkateshwara temple in Tirumala Hills. And let us not forget the theatre in Hyderabad where fans were killed in the mad dash to catch a glimpse of a film star. Yet, we are bewildered when calamitous mishaps happen on account of deliberate blindness and a lackadaisical attitude towards ensuring the safety of our fellow citizens.