Why the Titan disaster will be a beginning and not 'The End'

Kolkata: In case you are wondering that the Titan submersible disaster will be the end of such follies, that will be a Titanic error of judgement. For, in a decade or two, such expeditions may well become as safe as commercial flights. 

There are clearly two causes for this rather reckless observation. History being primary evidence that human greed to attain the unattainable is amplified significantly by mortality in pursuit. History again being supplementary evidence that the human race, at least occasionally, does learn from mistakes to rectify the future. 

A fine case is point is commercial aviation, the 'Dal Chawal' of today's travellers yesterday's 'Kachchi Biryani', elusive and not Swiggy. Jet travel was pioneered by the De Havilland Comet, circa 1952, whose passengers met The Maker in multiple accidents through the 1950s and 1960s, the BOAC crash in Calcutta fairly notable. Investigators considered it to be metal fatigue and every possible learning was adapted by the Boeing 707 to lead the safe air travel age. 

In 1937, as an appropriate flashback, Hindenburg crashed in New Jersey, to say sayonara to the airship era and welcome the aeroplane. As a compelling benchmark to date, the industry at large operates in a Disaster Learning mode, each incident making the future safer. A fine example is the Char Ki Dadri collision of Kazakhistan Airlines and Saudia, which instigated the DGCA and then many peers to install the airline equivalent of Kavach. 

No discussion on the perils of the expedition may be completed without mentioning Mallory the chronic Everest aspirant and Amundsen the Bi-Polar ( South and arguably North) snowfarer. Folks who perished in the journey and thus made the destination a beacon for civilisation, goals to be acquired whatever be the EMI. The Tutankhamun tomb expeditions add further credence to such theories as the gruesome turn of destinies ( serial deaths) would outwit every OTT concept creator. There are many such anecdotes but let me get to the clear point. 

Oceangate Expeditions may well bemoan their submerged fate as the deadly duo of litigation and public chastisement hijack the narrative. James Cameroon has already queered the pitch by damning the engineering and the whistle-blower fraternity is expanding swiftly. It is true that the craft did not encounter standard safety protocols and that is an inexcusable fallacy. Notwithstanding the matter of family grief, the number of five belying the magnitude of the tragedy. 

But this will certainly set in motion a far more serious endeavour to imprison Titanic, in terms of first-hand sight and not second-hand YouTube. Perhaps an enterprising Indian will identify the Godzilla potential, in terms of impact and not scalability, thus suggesting a solution. While there will be many candidates globally, armed with a penchant for adventure, who will attempt to professionalise the 'video game' control panels and insufficient hull (Titan) that are the preferred villains. Richard Branson may just be watching very closely. 

What will help the cause is the chronic schadenfreude of the human race when coupled with incorrigible affections for tweaking the narratives of civilisation. If people live easily when reaching the desired peaks, pun intended, the angst is stymied. Therefore we never witness a beeline for explorers to Victoria Falls or Machchu Pichchu, excellent outcomes but blessed with salubrious journeys. When there is peril and death, we wake up as a race and when batting conditions are friendly, we recede to our pubs.

The sinking of the Titanic led to iconic safety overhauls, including the presence of lifeboats for every passenger and not just a token representation. Along with an overhaul in radio communication protocols, ensuring 24-hour surveillance and response mechanisms. These were applicable not just for shipping but also for every form of civilian transportation, in mindset most vitally. Complacency was despatched to the boundary ropes as if a sinister half volley while respect for life became acceptably sacrosanct.

At this point in time, we must pay respect to the departed souls on Titan, adventurers making tomorrow a safer place. You may also consider them to be callow risk takers but that will be at your own peril. As they will inspire imminent actions, for those who must terminate every bar. Quite like Titanic, Titan's martyrs will live on as magnificent inspiration.