We, The People...

There could not have been a worse start to the day. The only thing that I can say about is that it was a lot better than what some others would have had to endure. Like the people trapped in the Taj. Or the families of the police officers who would come home draped in the Tricolor. I called up my fiancee at around 7 AM and she asked me to switch on the television. And what I saw just numbed my senses. No, that is no overstatement. The impunity with which the terrorists stuck is mind-numbing. It was almost like they were mocking the entire security and intelligence set-up of the country. The latest terror attack dwarfed all the previous ones, and revived the memories of all the past ones - Mumbai train bombings, the blasts in Jaipur, the bombings in Bangalore, in Ahmedabad. How many more such bombings do we have to endure, I thought? All the people I know were safe, but yet the heart felt heavy. It felt as if those who died were in some way connected. That I knew them in some way. Do we have to wait, before, God Forbid, someone we 'know' is taken away from us? The heart just felt helpless, and yet there was a seething anger within. The anger was as much as the bastards who did not even spare a hospital as much as at the politicians and the government who just chooses to wait and watch. Watch as countless innocents die. Watch as the terrorists continue to mock them. Watch as the terrorists mock us collectively, as a nation. The US was subject to one of the worst terror bombings. But how many such incidents have occured since 9/11? Here, in India, on the other hand, wave after wave of terror attacks is launched, and the government does nothing. Well, perhaps I'm losing rationality and reason as a result of what just happened. It is easy to blame everything on the government. But it does seem like it is falling short on prevention. The intelligence agencies are utilized more for political espionage rather than actual intelligence gathering. Top postings are awarded on political clout rather than merit and suitability for the post. In this environment, how will the fight against terror be effective?
I cannot put my finger on it, but the latest terror attacks have something that have me shaken. Many of my friends I spoke to echoed this opinion. There is no guarantee that a person who steps out of his home will come back, they said. Well, that pretty much sums up the sentiment. But besides the anger and the resentment at the perpetrators of such heinous acts and the government, was helplessness at our own situation. All we can do is discuss about these incidents when they happen, and blow hot and cold about the terrorists, the government and just about anyone. But can we do anything concrete about it? Will we? Do we have the courage to rise from our stupor - yes, it is a stupor when such incidents barely make a mark on us if we do not lose a loved one? What can we do? And it was this feeling that made me, us, feel helpless. That there is little that we can do to thwart the terrorists in their goal. But if we think again, is there truly nothing that can be done? Well, how about creating awareness? About the politicians and the dirty games that they are playing. About the cancer that they are breeding through out the country? It is said that we get the leaders that we deserve. After all, the leaders are elected by the electorate. And so, the least that we can do is to generate awareness and create public opinion. Not against or for a particular community, but against those who exploit the weak amongst these communities for their selfish gains. Against those whose sole purpose is destruction - of life and property.
If we do not do something about this now, it may be too late. I'm reminded of something that was said in reference to the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. That all it takes for evil to spread is for the Good to stand there and do nothing. It is time for us to take a stand, not just stand there and do nothing. In whatever way we can - big or small. There are not any easy answers, but then for a problem like this, do we expect there will be?! Not many people read this blog, but for all that do, and for all who will read this post, please spare a moment to think about the situation before us today. The terrorists are reaching out and striking at will. The objective is clear - to strike fear in our hearts and create doubts and divisions in our mind. If we do not foil them now, it may be too late...

Update: After I wrote this post, I talked to some of my friends, and I thought about writing about some of what they had to say. One said that what will this (blogging) do, there are countless such blogs written about this, people rave and rant about it. Does it change anything? Another lunch table topic that revolved around this was about the blame game that plays itself out after every such incident. Blame is put not only on the government, the police, the intelligence agencies, but also on certain communities. This brings to light yet another observation - that even so-called cultured, rational, reasonable people with a broad-minded view have today become polarized. More than a few friends I talked with were of the view that these guys should just be eliminated. Blow up these guys they said. Well, is that going to be the solution? Really, that is besides the point. The point is, that whatever is happening - and the government's 'response'  - has unnerved people enough to think this way! And these are all people who are educated, some of the brightest minds, some of the people who've had exposure to multi-cultural societies. My fiancee had a totally different view. Why don't these guys (the terrorists) realize that they are ultimately spoiling their own community? She said that these guys took to arms because they were a deprived lot, because they were brainwashed, because they were exploited. But they do not seem to realize that their actions are in fact going to make it even more difficult for others of their ilk. It is they who would have to bear the brunt of the backlash - and there's no denying that there will be one. And so, she said, these people will stop these activities when they realize the consequences of what they are doing. "You are so naive, my dear", was my reaction to that. Yes, she is right about the cause. But I honestly do not believe that the terrorists would ever see that they are ultimately making it difficult for themselves. They are way too indoctrinated to see that.