Murder tourism

Yesterday, I was returning from market when I saw crowd gathered at local naala. It was a curious mix of policemen, ladies and small kids. I found it rather strange so got attracted towards it. Reaching the spot I found out that it was a murder and the cops had gathered there to take the body in their custody.

But what came as a shock was the people’s response. A few ladies, along with their kids, were anxiously looking for a perfect spot so that they can take a good look at the dead body. And they were telling their kids: "Aao tumhen laash dikhayen." I was stunned! When I first looked at the crowd I thought it's rural tourism, or eco-tourism where people are busy with some government-sponsored activity. But no, it was ‘murder tourism’ where they were enjoying the spectacle of death!

However, this is not the first time I’d seen this. A few months back when I visited Bhopal, I got that news that a 22-year-old engineering student, staying next to my apartment, had committed suicide by jumping from fourth floor. And instead of consoling his parents, one of the residents gathered there said: "Lucky lad! He died right in front of the temple!" Again, no words to describe how I felt.

Earlier, kids were asked to stay at home whenever there was a death in the neighbourhood. They were prevented from looking at the corpse. But today, call it the reality TV effect, everything has become the stuff of entertainment. Added to this are increasing individuality and growing number of nuclear families. People have become so self-centred that they do not care about someone else’s tragedy. For them, it’s just a source of amusement. I don’t know where will this end?