Fist of Fury

                                                              

Human violence

-Brian Mendonca

Picture this. You are on a routine trip to a departmental store to pick up your  groceries. You are almost done and you have to pay your bill. 

You don't have a clue what is going to happen next.

Joseph (54) didn't as well. It was another weekend. A Friday. His wife was standing in the queue to pay the bill. A man pushed her aside. When Joseph intervened, the man assaulted Joseph.

From the CCTV video one can see how crazed the man was. As Joseph moved to the parking lot to put the bags on his scooter he let fly at Joseph. Joseph blocked his parry with his hands. The second time the attacker did the same thing trying to injure Joseph at the stomach level. Joseph - who is a big man - blocked the attack again. 

The next time the attacker aimed high. Straight for Joseph's face. Swinging his arm as far back as possible the miscreant brought it down crashing on Joseph's face. He connected. Joseph slumped to the cement floor. He passed out. He suffered internal bleeding and was rushed to GMC where he passed on after being on ventilator support on September 20. 

The incident happened on September 3. Tired of waiting for justice the family decided to perform the last rites for Joseph two days back.

Learnings                                                                                                                   

1.) Knowing he was facing a hostile force, Joseph should have defended himself. Like a boxer, he should not have left his face vulnerable. 

2) The bystanders perhaps were too stunned to react - or did not want to. Witnesses say the attacker sported a ring on his fist which caused extensive damage.

3.) His wife saw everything. She could have had a sixth sense and intervened quickly to protect her spouse. 

None of this happened.

All this happened at Old Goa which has made Goa so famous. Because the relics of a saint lie interred nearby. 

The incident is all the more relevant today when we commemorate peace and non-violence. Our society is becoming more and more violent. And we need to wake up to recognize the signs. 

What is the use of prosecution now? Will it bring back Joseph Manuel Dias who looked so handsome in his deep mauve shirt, tie, and suit? To whom will his two daughters turn?

The Funeral Mass in Konkani was held at the Se Cathedral of Old Goa on 29th September 2021. As the celebrant said 'We all have to die. But when we die, where we die, how we die, no one knows.' 'Amcho bav okosmat moron gelo.' (29:04) was the way he put it. His daughter Leeann, in the funeral oration at the end of the Mass (1:12:40), recalled how her dad was her 'midnight-snack buddy.' She loved his amazing food  - he was a chef - and was thankful she learnt some things from him. At the end that is all that matters.

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CCTV coverage News of Goa (NOG). Vector icon of human violence courtesy dreamstime(dot)com. Obituary from Herald newspaper, Panjim, Goa dated 28 September 2021.  Updated 3 October 2021.