All Talk and No Action

It's been more than a week since the terror attacks shook Mumbai...

I have refrained from writing on the subject till now since all I felt were raw emotions...and all that would have come out would have been some blabber and lots of obscenities.

Now that I have felt shock, disbelief, helplessness, frustration and anger, not forgetting the meaningful and endless chats with my Dad (he is my anchor while it comes to venting anger against "the system")... I am ready to pen down a few of my thoughts on the tragedy and it's aftermath...

• I love Taj. It is a symbol of national pride for all Indians. We take our visitors to the Gateway of India and show off THE TAJ to all. While betting with friends, the takeaway prize often consists of a "treat" at the Taj. The common guy on the road wishes to take his family for a hearty meal at the Taj. My heart goes out to all the staff and their undying hospitality - safety of guests before self, politeness and sanity amidst murder and mayhem. I am sure this symbol of India's collective pride, the First 5 Star Hotel - By an Indian for all Indians - will stand up again - tall and mighty
• I love, admire and respect all our armed forces - the Police, the NSG and even our Firemen. These men fought to save people whose names they did not know ! They gave away ther lives for a country plagued with "Chalta Hai" attitude. They fought and won against a well prepared, better equipped enemy for people and polity who paid homage to the armed forces only on Kargil Divas and Martyrs Day
• We, the people, have unlimited power, IF only we were to realise it. No more "Chalta Hai", no more cynicism, no more blame games - we need to stand up and do all things that a citizen of a democracy is capable of. Remember Jessica Lal? It was public outcry against the system that led to a quasi national movement and brought the culprits to book. We have already seen the mass movements in Mumbai, Delhi, Banglore, Hyderabad, Chandigarh on December 3. Hope this spirit doesn't wither with time
• Mere rolling of heads won't satisfy us anymore. Bring in POTA, give more power to our state police and other machinery
  
• Stop being a soft state and making a mockery of our inherent "good". Stop chanting tunes of our resilience. We are not resilient. Why should we be??
• Give more benefits to our armed and police forces. Survival in one of the most competitive and expensive cities of India is NOT a Joke ! How and why do we expect these people not to accept favours and bribes? Don't they have families to feed, children to send to schools? Does a meagre pay (worse than what a BPO employee gets) suffice for their existence? Aren't we corrupt as a nation? Then why blame our police, coastal guards for lapses?
• Establish a central agency for Intelligence collection and dissemination. Inspite of IB & RAW, there is no way states share their intelligence inputs. Shouldn't Maharashtra know terrorists attacking Assam, Karnataka keep an eye for culprits attacking Gujarat?This is a national battle and not a state/religious/sectarian battle
• I won't stop visiting malls, watching movies or going to hotels with family
• I still love and respect my friends who happen to follow Islam. I won't fall prey to communal hatred and disharmony
• During those three days filled with despair and hatred, while channel zapping, I came across a breather...A Journo on INDIA TV mentioned in his calm, re-assuring voice - "...amidst mayhem and innocent lives being snatched away, amidst such inhuman and evil doing, not all is lost.We do have some glimmer of hope, some respite, a sliver of happiness at the end of the tunnel...We at INDIA TV are the first to tell you that - THE TEST MATCHES WILL BE PLAYED !......."
• I WILL NOT TOLERATE SUCH INSENSITIVE, BULLSHIT MEDIA DRAMA ANYMORE !
• It is said that it took more than 2 lakh lives at Kalinga battle for Ashoka to realise his folly. This in turn led to the spread f Buddhism. I hope, this attack makes India a strong, self sufficient, no-nonense nation according respect to her Armed Forces and ensuring safety for the common man on the roads