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| Saturnino Rodrigues |
‘Social service’ sounds very pious and
respectfully puts one on a higher pedestal. Today, it is used to camouflage the
profession of politics as no one would like to introduce his profession as a
“politician” for lack of respect from the media to intellectuals to common
people for that profession.
Social service sounds different from the word
philanthropy whereas both have the very similar essence in all practical means.
Goans are used to the word ‘Social Worker’ and one could seldom see the mention
of the word ‘Philanthropist’. In fact, the social worker or a philanthropist’s
works with people and families to support them through difficult times makes
the effort or have inclination to increase the well-being of humankind. They
give money or gifts to charities, helps needy people in many ways with the love
of humanity in the sense of caring them. Our self declared social workers in
Goa seldom practice the actual meaning of the word but tag it to their names to
gain respect and call themselves as Social Worker.
Now, “Aaache Din” are back once again for the
seasoned self declared Social Workers from the nooks and corners of Goa. They
are once again appearing from long hibernation by feeling the heat of the
approaching elections. Knowingly that in India, politics is the most lucrative
profession, the social worker’s interest to operate on goodwill remains truly
political in nature until exposed before the time of elections. The newly
appeared social worker is now everywhere to show presence. One can see them through media displays via
self inserted greetings on their own birthdays in the name of various people or
establishments, in news on local dailies even to the context of full page
greetings or more. They are everywhere, from chief guests, special invitees, inaugurations,
local tiatrs, etc. Research has revealed that the name ‘social worker’ is used
to create a face value and therefore the expenses are silently met by self or
forced on someone. Goans at times wonder how come so many social workers
appeared like the pre-monsoon flies, they are countless just in the season of
the elections. Some of the people fail to understand that they are seasonal
opportunists since the elections are approaching nearer in Goa, they show their
presence so that probable candidates can take note of their existence and
contact them in garnering votes for a price. These social workers project
themselves as local mass leaders. It is advertising of their skills to increase
their face value, to make hay while the sun shines, extort as much as possible
from the paymasters – the candidates in exchange for local support extort money
in the name of the poor people.
It is indeed a shame to note that some of
these so called social workers are convicted criminals, some are out on bail
seeking appeals from one court of law to another, to delay the natural justice
to their victims, in many cases to twist and turn the justice. India’s twenty
percent of the politicians face one or the various criminal charges and so are
some of these self declared social workers. Most of these seasonal self
certified social workers are village illiterates having self-centered motive to
fool the people and loot in the guise of social work, they are social workers
without doing any social work in their life, many are not even gainfully
employed. Most of them possess the ill-reputation of being the village rowdy,
extortionists or a person with double standards, easy to be bought by the
politicians, a person without morals. Many of the stock of Goan politicians
appeared from this category and started their initial political career as a
panch or councilor winning elections disguised as a social worker, camouflaged
their real intentions and motives which were exposed later. Some turned
billionaires by way of corruption, some became Ministers and even Chief
Ministers from that platform. One common thing with these practicing social
workers is the denial that politics is their profession, indulging in
corruption is the intention. Education is the last thing needed for this profession.
The noble vocation of social work in the past
was more meaningful and self motivating. Groups or individuals collectively
were helping or reforming social causes dealing with poverty. Helping the
society was the main focus of early social work, it is intricately linked with
the idea of charity work, but it must now be understood in much more broader
terms into politics. Social work was about being there for the society in its
welfare, upliftment and improving the conditions of a family or of the area.
Today, it has become a brand name in Goa to fool people losing true meaning of
the words but used to socially thieving and looting.
One can notice around in Goa a large number
of huge hoardings with photographs of self declared social workers depicting
themselves as the mass leaders of the community. Many nooks and corners of Goa
are filled with these types of banners. Visitors or tourists visiting Goa must
be amazed and wonder how popular and charitable citizen he or she must be, as a
social worker. Intelligent Goans knows the reality that these so called social
workers are nothing but political aspirants, are having their fingers in every
dirty pie of self interest. What they are doing is not at all any kind of
social work but self upliftment to the chamber of politics to get publicity and
fame, to try the journey to the dirty altar of corruption. All what they have
in mind is to loot Goa through various modes along with the corrupt senior
politicians some of whom share common ground with them, they too were at the
same level once who now are raised to the higher status through much common
deceiving ways.
The real social workers have seldom displayed
their photographs with claims of achievements neither been active as chief
guests or special invitees as they feel that social work is not for publicity
of to become famous. Display of banners put up by these self declared social
workers is a sore to the eyes and distraction for road-users, the government
should tear down all these distractions from different spots especially at
those points where traffic hazards are of critical concern. The government is
reluctant to act as some of these social workers are the same criminals who
help the present politicians to survive and breathe. Hopefully, the people of Goa
will not fall prey to this new breed of Social Workers at election times.
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