JAPAN WILL, NO DOUBT, RISE LIKE PHOENIX

Parmanand Pandey

The enormity of death and destruction by horrific Tsunami and trembler in Japan is heartrending, to say the least. It is worst tragedy in the known history in terms of loss of men and material. It has again made us feel that man is helpless before the nature. Every scientific development has been claimed to be a victory of man over nature. Harnessing of the natural resources has been gloated over as the feat of man. But no modern man has ever imagined that the nature can be so ferocious and furious as to humble the man in a trice.

In fact, every natural calamity must spur the scientists to unravel the mysteries of the nature's boons and banes. We have been hearing for quite long time that very soon the science would be able to forecast the earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and other devastating incidents but that is still a mirage. It, however, does not mean that man should sit on his haunches and make no efforts for scientific inventions. It is said that the nature will manifest its wrath in many ways if it is disturbed beyond certain limits. But how to know the limits and contain them is another task before the scientists?

My heart goes out for the brave, courageous, sincere and industrious people of Japan in this hour of untold sufferings. I deeply mourn the death of hundreds of innocent people, whose lives have been snatched suddenly by the killer Tsunami. May their soul rest in peace and May God give strength to Japanese to rise again from the ashes like phoenix and continue to remain the world leader!

This Tsunami and earthquake must serve as a wake-up call for other countries. India as a developing country does not have the state-of-art technology for the fool-proof protection of her nuclear power plants. The example of Fukosima should be taken as an eye-opener and the safety of nuclear power-plants needs to be revisited. India being a densely populated country can ill afford the havoc of radiation emanating from the nuclear plants. The noxious gas leak of Bhopal in 1984 took the lives thousands of people and that reminds us that many generations of survivors would have to bear to brunt of that calamity; which was caused by the carelessness of the people who were manning the factory of Union Carbide.

Another important point is reconsideration of the nuclear liability bill. God forbid if something untoward happens the sufferers would get little compensation, which needs to be drastically revised and enhanced.