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
7 comments:
i think half of the problems are beause of the corrupted politians in the country... how can the terrorits carry so much of amunitions in a hotel like TAJ without someone from there being involved???
Gote,
Good start but how long will sending emails to the PMO continue? One letter per week for how many weeks? We are bound to lose focus sometime in the future and carry on with our lives. Not only are we careless as a society but also gutless. Burning effigies of politicians and mass protests is not going to help a great deal. This is a knee-jerk reaction that is going to fade out. Eventually the "chalta hai" attitude is going to take over again. This sounds pessimistic but this is the way it has always been.
The only heartening thing is our economy. Not only because of the GDP but also because most of the growth has been fuelled by the masses. The Govt hasnt done anything out of the ordinary as far a policies are concerned, all they have is not interfere with the corporate world. One can only hope that this attitude that has driven the economy drives the politics as well. As the middle-class grows accountability should spread from the corporate world into governance.
We blame the politicians for not being responsive but didnt we always know that these incompetent, irresponsible buffoons arent going to do anything? Dont we always vote for the person whom we think can do the least damage? Its like choosing the tallest among the seven dwarfs. After the parliament attacks we thought Advani was bad but Shivraj Patil epitomizes incompetence. Not only do we need to be responsible as voters we also need to start co-operative movements. We all know that the current crop of politicians are lame; so it is basically up to us to. If we dont look after our interests nobody is going to. "Teevra Chaukas" should not be restricted to the Army it should be our motto as well. The vast population is not a liability but an asset if we can harness its power. Social awareness and vigilance is more important than ever.
Also I think war is not the solution but a part of the solution. As the political and economic instability in Pak grows such incidents are going to increase in number. War isnt a long term solution but a short term one. It is costly and more often than not unnecessary but this I think is a cost we have to bear. How much business was lost the day the BSE and NSE were closed? How is this going to affect the investor confidence? Is mental peace and freedom measurable in money? In the long term we may end up paying more without the war. If we can eradicate the militant base camps and madarsas that would give us the time we need to attack the root cause of militancy. For too long have we been in limbo. We have neither attacked the root cause nor gotten rid of the madarsas. We missed a golden opportunity when the parliament was attacked we should not do it again. But with PC as the new home minister and the elections around the corner, whether we go to war or not is any one's guess.
Dont get me wrong I am not discouraging Sanket's initiative, all I am saying is that though the intentions are good it might not be productive. We shouldnt wait to hear from the politicians but do things ourselves. Initiatives like Asha where we have minimum Govt involvement and dependency will be more productive. Asha is of course aimed at education, we need something on similar lines similar for social awareness and self-defense. We should all think about it and act swiftly.
Hi nicksie..
Nice work.. its a good time to start penning down stuff and sharing with others.
I support the point made by SGN to an extent that results to the effort of mailing out to the politicians once a week largely depends on the alertness, willingness and above all the conscience of politicians. So the initiative is good when it comes to writing a mail a week to media and others.
And we need to take matters into our own hands. No need to jump the gun. Think. Enuf of just acting in haste, carrying out rallies, handing out leaflets and making speeches. Its time to think now!! Not seriously but sincerely. Think wise, Think cautious. Think as if you were thinking for yourself!! After all you are..isn't this democracy!!
Following are some suggestions.
1. First of all it all starts with elections. With them around the corner, its a good time to think now. A large number of the common man cant contribute to working for the nation. He can only do so by paying taxes, and performing simple acts like cleanliness, maintaining law and order..etc. But since we cannot leave our livelihood and go about running the nation, we hire other people who are eligible, competent and willing. That is the true purpose behind elections. To elect someone who'd do the work exactly in the manner you;d do it. Who thinks the way you'd think. Unfortunately, this thought doesnt strike ppl. They merely appoint a representative, thats it!! No.. you need to elect an alter ego. Someone who can take your place there, since you cannot.
2. There has to be some amendments to the eligibility for elections. The candidate needn't be highly literate, but must definitely be learned. Knowledge of the problems, worries, the good-bad of the constituency must be there. Also, an aspiring candidate must renounce all offices of responsibility, interest and income before contesting the elections. No one can be a businessman and a govt.servant at the same time. This must be strictly introduced to see to it that the ppl in govt.posts and politics are only dependant on the salary that is fixed for them. This takes care of lethargy since there is already a rising income from personal investments or business. This format is followed in the UK, I think. Every politician- Ruling or Opposition strictly reports and performs duties only of his political chair and not of any personal interest for the 5 yrs tenure.
3. Its high time that politics and its influence/authority be separated from bureaucracy. I truly believe that a lot of our bureaucrats and other officers would want to help serve better if not for the fear of being mishandled by politicians. They must be freed from the control and authority of politicians. Every committee or ministry/Department must consist of the minister only to act as chief adviser who just advises and oversees and reports to the CM. In short, they act as helpers and translators of information. The main role of thinking and doing must be left to the bureaucrats with complete authority to take decisions. So each ministry comprises of a mixture of politicians and bureaucrat who have equal power and authority. This will ensure that officers don't get misused by politicians.
Now all this sounds gr8 here. But to be able to achieve even this much means a lot of deliberation and follow-up. And in most cases, this process would end up suggesting an amendment of the constitution to suit these suggestions. Now if that be so, I say go for it. Although it's said that 'No man is above the consitituion', We have to realise that this is democracy- Something that goes like 'By the people, of the people and for the people". So in which case the former slogan would have to be altered to 'No constitution is above the interests, development and true progress of the citizens of the Union.' If it is, then it expires its sole purpose which is to lay down laws that safeguard and protect the interests of its citizens!!
Cheers!!
Nicksieeeeeeeee
Finally your presence on the web is official. I think the best piece written on people's response to the mumbai attacks was by Vir Sanghvi in Hindustan times. He made a good point that there is a thin line between being angry and being reckless.
But coming to the point of the solution to the problem. I think the coming election is going to be the most important of our lives. An economy in recession and a nation whose security is questionable. I am already making plans of flying down around that time just to vote. I honestly believe this is the election that decides what country we leave behind in the future.
On another note, I would like to point out that our GDP maybe high but 60% of our population still lives below the poverty line. So a high GDP really doesnt account for much especially when 2/3rds of our revenue is from the agricultural sector. Given that statistic, I think its really crucial that we as citizens make our vote count.
I would really appreciate it if you could start showcasing some of the important politicians that are going to stand for elections. The work that they have done and the convictions to their name. I think its time we voted for politicians and not parties.
Ayan
Dhanashree:
Thanks for your comment. We need to understand that we have elected these politicians. But, I agree...once we have elected them...they need to step up and do their jobs.
Nicksie,
Just penned down some thoughts!
A Ray of Hope
I was acquainted with gravity of the term ‘bomblasts’ when I was in Class 4, the tensions on religious issues had escalated and led to the Mumbai riots in 1993. The scars of those riots and acts of violence which I saw with my own eyes still remain in my mind even after all those years. 2008, and here we are, yet again, in the midst of terrorism!
26 / 11, 2008, supposedly India’s 9/11. None of us ever dreamt to see our AMCHI MUMBAI facing such brutal and inhuman attacks of terrorism. I guess every Indian and a person who is even somewhat close to ‘human’ would have been shocked watching the pictures and videos of the attacks. It is somehow difficult to digest that human beings have started to behave worse than animals now. It seems like all those Bollywood flicks are becoming real. Three whole days of a battle, terrorists being killed, five brave people served as matyrs of our nation. But the story has probably just begun, I hope!
Technically, Mumbai has become so immune to bomblasts, that the so called ‘minor’ incidents of blasts in local trains and buses are easily forgotten the very next day itself! Probably this was a wake up signal to all of us middle class people who have taken LIFE in general for granted. It’s probably known that tolerance has been in the blood of us Indians, that’s what my grandfather says, but yeah, there is an end somewhere!
Personally, I have had mixed feelings after these atacks, and I am sure many of you would share the same sentiments! First and foremost, furious against our neighbouring country, all those peacetalks seem to have no meaning at all. I believe that an enemy should be probably treated as one. All Indians, at this point want a comprehensive investigation as to who was involved, be it the Pakistan army, be it an Indian Hindu or Muslim who supported these terrorists in any way whatsoever. Everyone is perceiving this as an war against terrorism and a fight for their right of security.
Secondly, I was somewhat glad to see for the first time, at least in my lifetime, public protests. Even if it was an immediate reflex reaction, it indicated that we stand united. For once, there was some awareness in masses. This should not fade away at any cost! A video sent by my friend shows the Pakistani media and leaders critisizing India but what’s more important is their unity. All their opposition parties stand united with the ruling one. In no way am I supporting Pakistan, but yes, probably at this time UNITY is probably going to be the biggest strength for us. This is not only Mumbaikars, but all Indians! I am saying this because people somehow feel like we Mumbaikars are somehow selfish to think only about Mumbai and not INDIA as a whole!
Also, we all have critized our politicians, thrown away some of them due to their incompetence, but yeah, probably we need some better replacements. We all hope that the fresh elections bring dynamic, YOUNG and EDUCATED leaders to represent our nation. Also, I found many of my own INDIAN friends very indifferent to this entire topic which kind of makes me feel sad. I understand we can’t really do much sitting here, in a totally different country, miles apart from our own nation, voice our opinions on blogs and write letters which we don’t even know are going to reach the right place! But yeah, have we lost our Indianness in just three years? Are we going to shun even thinking about this topic just with reasons like we are not interested in discussions about politics? Can’t we really contribute in any possible way we can? Are we really going to wait until our own near and dear ones fall prey to these acts of violence? Probably not! We can at least try and make a beginning somewhere. None of us can direct our prime minister and leaders what to do, but yes, the voice of every Indian is probably going to make difference somewhere! At this point, I thought that I make a beginning, at least to support my friends who have tried to bring up a platform to voice our opinion by sending a letter, I really hope this reaches the right place and the right people.
For those who lost their lives in this massacre, let their souls rest in peace! Hats off to all our commandos and the Taj Hotel staff! Lets pray for the families who lost their near and dear ones!
JAI HIND!
Sincerely,
Pooja Dhupkar
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