The siege of Mumbai has ended finally. The nation heaves a sigh of relief, but the scars are indelible. That these are not the first scars and will not be the last either (hope I am proved wrong on this last count) is a fact that every one of us have started to live with.60 hours later and after the loss of over 200 lives, many questions have cropped up after the sustained terror attack on Mumbai. Some unanswered questions need to be answered.
How many terrorists were there? Who was responsible? How long have they been planning - months, weeks and days before the attacks? How could they have carried so much ammunition with them? How did they have such an intimate knowledge of the terrain? Were there locals? The terrorists are said to have done extensive reconnaissance of the city. If they are Pakistanis, how did they get earlier entry to the city unnoticed? How did they come in by boat? Or did they use other routes to escape notice?
These are just a few questions, these and more will have to be answered and addressed by the Government!
But one question that rankles me to no end is: Were there locals involved?
The terrorists seem to have had extensive training and preparation, possibly on models of the places of attack and on enduring a long drawn battle with the military forces – this gets me to have an emphatic YES as an answer to the question – Were there locals? For they could not have succeeded in the suicide mission with out local ground support.
But then Why? Why would locals get involved in killing innocent countrymen? Hunger? Unemployment? Lack of opportunity? Jingoistic strife?
It could be anything – what drives these youth to get involved. I tried deliberating and found no particular answer.
We are a nation of lawlessness; I am not referring just to the governments and politicians in power, but to every single citizen who takes ample pride in breaking the law.
In NO way I am being cynical about the state of affairs when I say “the administrators of this country have for ages have been breeding corruption in all walks of life.” The corruption has percolated deeply into the very roots of society that was once known to be the most simplistic and god fearing about a century ago (we continue to be god fearing – more for the CURE than as prevention). The levels of corruption wary with need and the need grows with every opportunity. There ceases to be no reason for the want to lessen.
As the initial fear of doing wrong subsides, the pattern turns an avocation, a habit that slowly gains in momentum and turns into an addiction. An addiction that brings with it fruits of long lasting pleasures. Thus is born a way of life – that which has its foundation laid on unlawfulness.
The Society is NOW in a ROTTEN state. A state of NO return, we are witness to corruption, from simple road rules to the complex laws, the loopholes are first studied and exploited. Here laws are THE exception. Responsibility towards the nation is unheard of, towards the self is waning, and towards the society comes with a price. A price laid down by the corrupt law-makers.
Almost every individual gets into the blame game, blame the civic authorities, the government, the employers, the society at large and the recklessness of life – the basic fact is, each one of us are equally to be blamed – for we have contributed our might to the growth of the current filth.
Self introspection is the key – No amount of debates and discussions, blaming the media, the politicians, the law, the law enforcement agencies, the booming population can bring solution to this rut.
As the search for the answers continue – more seemingly gullible youth will fall prey to easy money unaware of the consequences, and even if aware – fall prey to the luster that brings with it presumptive prosperity - This malady needs a permenant cure.
A silent prayer for the innocent victims and a Salute to the scores of policemen, commandos and the unsung firemen.
4 comments:
Hi Venkat
Good blog. Most of the questions you have raised about India's lawlessness are relevant and need immediate attention but in this particular case the issues go far beyond India. Though the attacks happened on Indian soil, the prime targets appear to be Americans, Britons and Jews. So this is not India's problem alone and will need a larger alliance to tackle.
When I refer to an alliance, I am not talking of another war as America's lets-smoke-them-out-of-their-caves approach has indeed made the world more dangerous not less. The world should focus on the "hearts and minds" war for more than one reason. For one, it does not cost as much and in these days and times money is an issue. Secondly, we all have to make sincere efforts to understand why some people are willing to blow themselves and others up - perhaps it is poverty, perhaps it is brainwashing by a religious school. We need to go to these sources and tackle them else we will keep having these attacks.
Keep your pen (or should I say keyboard) flowing.
Bye
DP
Hi Venkat,
What is law.....
1) Man made...the simplers ones which have pages and pages of writings.
2) Nature: based on which many a man made laws are made.
Every time somebody steps in to defy the laws, there is a catastrophe else where. The recent terror attack is of a similar nature. The havenots have just ventured to express their anger of not being able to show their might.
We do this mistake time and again. The recent acquistion of prime agricultural land by the Tata's for their Nano plant is again a point to ponder. What are we doing in this excercise, removing food production and making way for vehicles production. While both are important, if vehicular production happens in uncultivable lands, you give the havenots jobs and prosperity.
My question to Mr. Tata, who is the most effected, other industrialist and man made law makers is, are you'll a cause of it?
Hi Venkat,
Nice entry - so what is India's problem? Lawlessness, which is due to poor administration, which is due to incapable people sitting in the seats of authority.
Your analysis reminds me of the book called "games indians play" - and incidentally, the book discusses things on the similar lines but goes one step further: reasons for incapable people holding authority in India.
And that is ... we the people. Indians... who are punjabis, tamils, jats, Sardars, telugus, Gujjars, Pandits, Dalits, ... everything but Indians.
The people holding office are chosen by us only. Chosen by the masses to be more precise. And until the masses are illiterate and subject to the manipulation by casteism and other fabulous lobbies that work only in India, we are going to be nowhere better than this.
Not only the illiterates, the educated ones also vote for a person from their caste, creed, religion.
While voting, we do not seek progress for the country or state, we seek personal favors. We vote for a person who will declare our caste as ST. We will vote for the person who will fight for the rights for our community.... we will vote for the person who will further the cause of our clan.
The day we start thinking about the country and not personal favors and start voting according to that, there are enough capable people in India who can take us where we, as a nation, ought to be... not where the different castes and in groups want to go.
What say?
Hi Venkat,
GOOD BLOG. BUT I STRONGLY FEEL THEY ARE NOT LOCALITES. MUST BE SOME OF THE PAKISTANIS COMING THROUGH THE SEA ROUTE. NICELY SAID BY ADMIRAL SIKKA YESTERDAY THAT THE NAVAL COMMAND IS VERY WEAK AND THIS IS BEEN INFORMED TO THE GOVERNMENT FROM MS.INDRA GANDHI TIME. AND THEN IT WAS ALSO MENTIONED CLEARLY THAT THERE WERE 10 MISTAKES DONE BY US TO PAY THIS HIGH PRICE OF HUMAN LIVES. CHALO KEEP WAKING UP THE HUMANITY THROUGH YOUR BLOG.
BYE...
RRA
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