Mumbai Burning

It was Thursday night , as I finished my dinner and settled in front of TV, I saw myself staring into the TV screen seeing the most elegant and majestic building in Mumbai bursting into flames. It took me a moment to digest that scene. Mumbai has witnessed a multitude of terrorist attacks in the past years..Right from the 1993 bomb blasts. Every time it happens the media again tries to brainwash the public into thinking about the ‘Spirit Of Mumbai’ ,and the common man continues to be resilient going about his business putting all that happened behind him. But how long can we Mumbaites allow ourselves to be trampled upon. Don’t we deserve freedom??-The freedom from the fear of being attacked the very next second.

We consider living each day a challenge , unaware of the fate that beholds us .. We never know when and where we might meet out fate..Could be in the train we catch daily to go to work , Could be the in the theater where we go to catch our weekly flicks. Till recently the so called elite society never imagined itself to bear the brunt of these attacks, as the rarely use public transport , go to the places which have the best security in the country . This attack on the Taj hotel made everyone realize that there is only so much you can do to protect yourself from highly motivated and remorseless terrorists.

The manner and the location of their attack seem to be different each time, thus taking our authorities by surprise each time. The Taj Mahal Hotel is not just any hotel but the symbol of Indian prestige. An architectural marvel of its time and still remains so. It is a monument erected in testimony of the start of industrialization in India. In spite of the repeated grenade attacks the external façade of the hotel is still intact . This shows that the grand old structure is as graceful as a palace and as sturdy as a fort.

There are many factors which cause India to be such a weak target.

· The Politicians

The ruling government is learning nothing whatsoever from the repeated terrorist strikes this country is facing. In spite of the recurrence of such incidents they have not yet enforced any strict law which deals with terrorism. The earlier law POTA which could have been effective had also been repealed.
It is in the country’s best interest to remain united. Yet many politicians continue to play divisive politics. Certain politicians propagate regionalism. Such actions distract the nation from the core issues plaguing us i.e.- terrorism, infiltration ,etc. There are also many who are involved with minority appeasement. Politicians are now never ‘for’ the people. It has become politicians’ v/s citizens.

The Police Forces

The police forces try to do their best for the cities, but it is now time to face the bitter truth – the force is neither trained nor equipped enough to handle such terrorists. You have these terrorists carrying the latest ammunition pitted against our cops who carry around rifles which look about a century old. Its just not fair to these cops.. For the sake of their security and ours the government should spend a little more of our tax money & provide them with better weapons atleast.

· Crisis Management

I honestly don’t know if the government has a plan for crisis management. But it sure doesn’t look like it. I just saw only one fire engine used to put out an inferno with a defunct hose pipe which could not even reach the fifth floor of the building. Such is the condition!

Indian Media

Whenever a crisis strikes India, the numerous TV News channels try to be one up on the other in televising not only the gory details of death but also compromising tbe identity of eye witnesses and the persons caught in the cross fire.If the media continues to report on this situation without any discretion ,they will continue to endanger the lives of the hostages and put the rescue operation of the armed forces in jeopardy...

· India’s Policy

India’s take on terrorism has always been defensive. Why should we always wait for something to happen & then react. Our only chance to save ourselves is to declare a war on terrorism and attack all the terrorist training camps in & around India, improve our intelligence services and stop infiltration. Only if we stop this at the source, we have a chance of resisting it.


I thus conclude by saluting all those brave jawans who have lost their lives trying to save our countrymen. We are proud of you! My sincere condolences to the families of all those people who have lost their lives. May their souls rest in peace.

Speak Out

How many times in our life have we suppressed our true feelings and settled for a more diplomatic alternative ? How many times have we reserved our comments on trivial issues just for the sake of avoiding hassles in our everyday life.It's the common perception of people that leading a clean life corresponds to a controversy free life.When your friends ask you to rate their new dress or when your loved one asks you to comment on their cooking ,most of us would give vague replies just to avoid confrontation.
This trait is common in most people.It is the trait of being diplomatic.This can be brushed aside as an insignificant issue as we lead very busy lives to be affected by them.But is this really of any good in relation to the problems affecting our society?It starts of with trivial issues and then it brings us to a state of indifference.
Injustice looms in our society.It may either affect us ,or someone we know or someone we don't know altogether.In either way it should not be downplayed.Rules are made and are (supposedly) safegaurded by the same people who break them.On a personal note,I find it extremely disturbing to see people puffing smoke on near me at bus stands,obscene scriblings in railway coaches ,girls being eve-teased,animals being hurt for the sake of pleasure,etc.
The worst part of this predicament is that the public has become so indifferent to the situations around them that they choose not to react or offer support.They just want to get along with their daily lives as if nothing has ever occured.Can we ever forget the chilling incident in which two innocent girls being killed in broad daylight by a lunatic in front of bystanders.
It disturbs me to witness the apathy that some people have towards the need of others.The people who do speak up do'nt have it easy either.I have encountered many incidents where people ask me,'Tumhaara Kya jaata hai?' when I do speak up.I remember the time when I confronted a group of guys hurling stones at dogs. The fact that I may be a lone crusader only encourages them to question me.
The only way we can save this country is by becoming more aware and actually responding to the things happening around us .The only thing we have to do is 'Speak Out'.