Friends... Here we are, once again amidst a national crisis - a terror attack on Mumbai- the heart of our homeland. They say, "once bitten twice shy" but, in our case the same idiom would sound something like this: "Once bitten...twice bitten...thrice bitten....still not shy??". It is quite apparent, that we as Indians have not been learning from our mistakes. Why haven't we learnt from our mistakes? Are we stupid? No, that can't be right; we come from a fantastic, prosperous, intelligent, ancient civilization. Are we careless? Are we dreaming? I would say YES and YES! What follows is just my personal perception.
Subconsciously, we live in a dream where massive 9/11 scale massacres and terrorist attacks are things to worry only for nations like US and the UK. We need to acknowledge the fact that India is now in the league of these nations. With a GDP growth of approximately 9%, we indeed are the fastest growing economy in the world, paving our way in becoming a world economic super power. This alone is a good enough reason for India being a prime target. Again, this is just a personal view and I am just looking from another angle. I fully understand, there can be and there are a million different aspects to this issue.
Let's talk reality. No country, even with a mightiest military and intelligence can ever be 100% secure from threats like these. In a country like ours, with a population density of approximately 313/ square Km (2001 census) the picture tends to get even dirtier with the risk of larger human casualties. How easy is it to walk into a crowded sabzi mandi with a grenade in your pocket, while the area Police Hawaldaar sips his cutting chai at a near by shop?? Who will stop this person? While there is no denying the fact that serious measures need to be taken to audit, scrutinize and upgrade the national security policy, it's time our leaders step up to this challenge. No matter how much we improve our security, the liaison between Intelligence and our security agencies...the fact remains that we can never be immune to the deadly virus of terrorism. So what next? Are we ready to face the aftermath? Are we well equipped?
This, my friends, I believe is extremely crucial. Being ready! Being well equipped...to face the consequences, quickly and efficiently. "Teevra Chaukas" which is the motto of the Corps of Signals of the Indian Army, is what we need. In the case of recent Mumbai attacks, several questions remain unanswered and I am determined in pursuing them. Why were the commandos flown in from Delhi? How come the financial capital of the nation, doesn't have it's own commandos? Why do the commandos fly into Mumbai...but have to use buses to get the location of the attacks. Why didn't the commandos have a layout of the hotels? Does this all not mean, we aren't prepared? (In spite of specific Intelligence information?). Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of not being ready.
This whole incident might very well bring us on the verge of a war with our neighbors. "If war is what they want - a war is what they will get!"...I'm sure this sentiment is what echoes in the minds of many Indians. But do we really want a war? Don't get me wrong. I am a proud son of an Indian Army Officer and I share the anger as an Indian. But, I truly believe it is not a solution. According to the ICICI Securities and Finance Company, daily expenditure in Kargil was, by conservative estimates, Rs 400-500 million. Can we not use this to strengthen our preparedness? Can we not use this to improve security equipment, provide emergency first aid training, launch self defence initiatives for citizens? We as citizens need to ask these questions!! And ask them NOW!!
My heart goes out to all the families who suffered a loss of life in this tragedy. But, I am confident we will emerge as winners.
JAI HIND
Nikhil Gogate
