Substance abuse and the tale of a vagabond : Part II
Monday, 18 March 2013
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13 July, 2010: It was a hot, humid afternoon.
Except for the vehicles plying on the road, a deafening silence prevailed all
around. There was hardly any trace of and individual who could be stripped off
his possessions by Magan to purchase
the drugs his body craved for. Magan started
writhing with pain and trembling with anxiety as he failed to acquire his daily
quota of booze and drugs. He started scrounging for old syringes, shoe polish
cans, whitener enamel, adhesive solutions and rotten fruits in his bag. Most of
them had either dried up or had already been used so many times that they could
hardly provide him solace upon sniffing them. At last, he noticed a pedestrian
approaching the subway he was dwelling upon, a tall, well-built man. The very
glimpse of this man lit his eyes with brightness. After all he had a reason to
cheer about, he had found his victim.
Magan knew the fact that he could not harm
the man physically so he tried a different trick. In haste, he descended to the
feet of the man and started begging for money. On being offered resistance by
his victim, he started screaming and pelting stones at himself and even
threatened to cut his own veins with an old, rusted razor blade. The pedestrian
had no alternative than to succumb to the desire of Magan. Perhaps, he did not wish any harm to betide him and parted
with the money he had.
In a trice, the juvenile drug addict rushed towards a drug
peddler who had been catering to the needs of such vagabonds from the lower strata
of the society. Magan became ecstatic
upon receiving his pudia (pack of
narcotics) and started looking for an isolated corner where he could experience
a euphoria moment.
Everyday Magan has
been visiting bustling areas where activities like shoplifting and petty thefts
go unnoticed or has been shunting around religious places where he could beg
for alms. Even if he is caught by the Police and locked up in prison, his
burglary cum arson gang wreak vengeance either by molesting innocent
pedestrians or by threatening to commit suicide in the jail premises. This has
exposed the Police to public scorn and have been severely criticised by the
media for their lackadaisical approach in curbing this menace. Further, paucity
of treatment and rehabilitation centres has resulted in the relapse of
detoxified persons. Most of the juvenile drug addicts have either been
abandoned by their families or have fled from different states in search of a
livelihood. As a consequence, even if they are released from prison, they
revert to substance abuse and crime. Their erratic behaviour and hostile
circumstances compel them to enter this dark world all over again.
The need of the hour is to take cognisance of the magnanimity
of this issue and respond with necessary remedial steps. Primarily, we need to
develop more number of rehabilitation centres where drug addicts, especially
the juveniles can be detoxified. These centres may be run by the government or
by non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Secondly, the Police must crack the
whip on drug peddlers and suppliers who are responsible for providing an easy
access to the ‘substance’ and injecting this poison among the youth. It is
necessary to strengthen security within the subways, on footpaths et cetera for
the pedestrians and any complaint regarding the same must be taken seriously.
Isolated areas of the city must be prevented from becoming a haven for drug
addicts.
The menace of drug addiction must be stemmed at the
grassroots level before it assumes such proportions as to leave us at a loss
for a way to counter it.
JAI HIND
Categories:
activities,
childhood,
common man,
crime,
development,
dream,
drugs,
education,
emotions
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