Yes Hitech has got to do lots: 1. Two boats held together by wooden planks- do you think that is the standard of a boat that should operate in 21st century Kerala, as it is today? 2. Absolutely no safety measures like life belts/ life jackets....to Keralites these are indeed hitech. 3. No briefing given prior to starting on the journey as to what to do in case of emergency.Sounds crap to us, but happens everywhere in the civilised world where human life cannot be trivialised with. 4. Using mordern communication facilities to summon urgent help when the problem was first noticed. Instead of trying to unload water from the boat with cupped hands, there should have been mechanisms in place to get urgent help, if any emergency arose. 5.Lack of courage or leadership on the part of teachers to pull off the journey when they realised that the boat was being overloaded. Instead they chose to go ahead heeding to the words of the boat owners. Should be a lesson for everyone not to be a party to breaking rules, big or small. If someone had the courage to protest and say "look this is not right, this is dangerous, I will not be a party to it", may be a few more would have stayed back. He should be convinced that he is not a fool to think so even if the boat did not sink. Finally, our lives are only worth as much as we believe it is. If we think it is worthwhile "enjoying"a 20 minute boat-ride on an over-crowded boat, in pitch-darkness, with no facilities what-so-ever in case of an emergency, nobody can really avert such a catastrophe. There are things that we have to realise as free citiens of this country....that we are paying for the goods/services we get and that we have the right to question their safety/efficacy.That we have the right to complain if things are not done properly. That we can at least boycott things which are life threatening. If visitors said we are not going for sight-seeing in 19th century boats, things will change, slowly but surely. After all such things are not indispensible, for daily living.
