The Mumbai Siege Ends: Or Does it??
They say the Mumbai siege has ended; all remaining hostages have been rescued. The hotels are now ‘in control’ of the Indian forces. From what were once ‘epitome of Mumbai’s riches’ have turned to mere ‘edifices of stone’. The face of Mumbai’s metropolitan area has changed; add to it the rashes of smoke with black spots on the Taj Mahal hotel that will remind us of this day for eons to come.
The event has seen the death of some of the bravest soldiers
Once again (as time and again has happened) “The spirit of Mumbai” continues to rule; people are back on the roads, back to their offices and back to business to overcome the gouge left behind by what has transpired over the last 3-4 days.
Once again, the Government sets-up meetings to review what has happened, to condemn the actions, urge people to “unite against terrorism” and to “take steps so that this does not repeat in the future”.
Once again, the opposition party takes full advantage of this moment, condemning the actions of the ruling party, ensuring that they gain maximum coverage and pinpoint the “irresponsibility” shown by the ruling party – it’s a different issue what actions they would have taken in similar circumstances had they been in power.
Is it the end of the story? Will something finally be done about the matter by those in power? Sadly, there seems to be no end to the phenomenal rise of the Jehadis across the globe. I am not a critic or an expert, but I feel the experts need to do something drastic; some unprecedented event needs to take place to take control of the situation.
Otherwise what is the “biggest act of terror in Indian history” will become the benchmark for many to come. Once again the sense of “déjà vu” will prevail in the minds of the Mumbaiites. From “hope it does not happen again” people will chant “hope I am not a part of it the next time it happens”. The world will never be free of all atrocities, but let us not become preachers of "Destiny" when there can be a more logical solution to it.
5 comments:
Absolutely true buddy.. terrorism should be handled beyond the realms of politics..
Great stuff Bhaiya, totally agree, it's really disappointing to hear the opposition using partisan tactics to cash in on this tragedy. Look forward to reading more..
great note... i think u have touched upon many important issues... the only thing i would like to add is that historically when ruling systems (today democracy - government) do absolutely nothing to actually address the problem/issues we have seen common man revolt or another power/ruler coming and taking the reins...
mumbai has seen too much in too short span of time.. people are growing weary as any of the following things
1. floods
2. shiv sena/raj with atleast 1 riot/quarter
3. dr.ambedkar/caste with one incident/year
4. road conditions/ delayed flyovers
5. trains and general unease of most people
6. festivile related adjustments
7. bomb blowing up - buses, trains, hotels, taxis.
8. so many more
and to add to all of the above... personal issues/attrocities...
i sense its all set for a mojor revolt soon
So what happened is unprecedented.... true.... it is unforeseeable.... true.... one cannot prepare for such rudimentary techniques of terror that involve hand grenades and AK-47s by a bunch of motivated radicals who open fire on the streets in what seems to be the most audacious attempt yet that struck the very heart of the city and its famous landmarks. Law and order forces cannot monitor such acts and cannot even patrol the seas for inflated boats that may come out of commercial ships. Their objective was to scare the citizens and foreigners. To the disbelief of the world, they have achieved great success. They want to make us feel helpless. They have achieved great success. So what do we do now? Politicians will start a blame-game that will become a central theme for the election campaign, the media will capitalize on the sentiments of people while remotely trying to instigate action, the citizens will helplessly move on with their lives because it is a fast city, a maximum city. A city that never sleeps and simply picks up its broken pieces and moves on diligently. Bombay is heading towards Baghdad and Kabul. These terrorists are starting to enjoy our state of fear and helplessness. They will strike repeatedly, year after year, taking advantage of our geographic, populous and passive vulnerabilities.
If they can be motivated by their radical leaders to commit such heinous crimes to the extent of sacrificing their lives to kill and instill fear, then what does it take to motivate the common man who has been subjected to these atrocities?
HERE'S AN IDEA - Stop lighting those candles in front of The Taj. Stop watching news to find out the final count of the dead. Stop reading about the reactions of Politicians and celebrities. Stop voicing your opinions to those who have heard enough already. Take a week off from work, gather about 300 agitated youth of this city, protest in front of the Parliament in New Delhi and demand for action. Be specific - "Within 2 days, we want the IAF to bombard those terrorist camps in Pakistan. If you really don't know where they are, ask the Americans. They know everything. Call up Zardari tomorrow morning and tell him that we are planning to bomb the camps on your soil, not with the intention to terrorize or kill civilians. We love you all but not those who step onto our soil with a mandate. We will strike with all we've got in 24 hours."
Too radical you think??
Completely agree - we can curse and complain, or we can each try to be the change we'd like to see.
-Mihir
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