By Tushar Agarwal:
I know the title of the post is not something you would like and admire. Do not be misled by it. 3 “more” blasts rocked Mumbai once again on 13th July 2011 and you start to feel that Mumbai is that vulnerable? Every now and then, you have news of some mayhem here. I do not think any other city in the world, as big as the name of Mumbai, the financial capital of India, has been a victim of so many attacks during the last two decades.
And every time one thing comes out of all this. The culprits are never caught and those who are caught are made to wait for the next hearing and taken care of even when their crime is well established and supported with strongest of the evidences. The government officials repeat the same words- “gunaahgaaro ko baksha ni jayga” (the wrong doers won’t be spared) and after a month of hush hush and some really promising speeches; there is a lull. And all we do is to salute the SPIRIT of MUMBAI which awakens only when something like this happens.
No, do not get me wrong. I too respect the spirit of Mumbai and salute the natives. They have been very strong to bear all this and still carry their tough memories with them along with their daily lives. That is not easy by any means. But this spirit is being misused. Yes, being misused by our “respectable politicians” who hide behind the SPIRIT of MUMBAI tag whenever terrorists struck. All they say is- “We salute the Mumbaikars who are strong to bear these act of cowardice. Let us tell them we won’t back off. We salute the SPIRIT of MUMBAI”
This is crap. No, come on people, how can they do this to us? Making fool of us right in front of our eyes and bloody hell, we accept that act of foolishness. Where is the icon of Young India, Honorable Rahul Gandhi? Is this is what we will keep on witnessing and be a part of it in coming years. Why are not we taking stern action against the criminals? Everybody knows who is it? Because we are afraid that “big daddy” won’t approve of it? Because we are afraid that taking any action would increase the number of attacks from them? Because we are content with what’s happening until and unless it happens to us?
There was news on television after the blasts- high alert being initiated at metros and police needs to be on constant vigil. My boss quipped on this- “every time there is a high alert, I wonder when they lower the levels. The news should be like, higher alert this time.” I just could not help but admire and ponder over his words. So true and so hurting, but only if people responsible for issuing alerts understands.
I really do not have any idea why we let this happen every time. Committees are formed, they submit their report and then they are dissolved. I wonder if the officials even know where those files are. Here, I must credit our government. They are very good at one thing- making false promises in such a way that we have to believe them. Believe that this won’t happen. I wish they can take actions in the same way, promising and averting these situations forever.
This is where I remember the movie “A Wednesday”. I am not getting “filmi” here but every word that Naseeruddin Shah said is true to the core. We have a problem that we get used to very easily. We shout for a month, we demonstrate and all that ends with time. We wait for these things to happen to blast our anger and frustration and then we go back into a shell, accumulate that anger inside us and then again vent out that when these things happen. To be honest, we really do not know whether we will be back to home or not today. Until it is not happening with us or our relatives, it is fine.
This is why I request all the Mumbaikars not to show any kind of spirit this time. Show them the pain, anger, the fury you go through when all these happen. And it is just not about the Mumbai’s spirit; it is time for us to unite and tell them, rather warn them, to DO SOMETHING SUSBTANTIAL. We have to show them that we are disappointed with the returns we are getting after showing so much faith in the leaders. It is time for the government to take a cue from the sports- let your performance speak more loudly than words. We have heard a lot these years. I was born in 1987 and since then, what I vaguely recollect, I have heard at least 10 terrorist strikes. Don’t you think that is too much in that short span?
Sometimes, I feel I am lucky that I am not living in a metro city. It’s time to convert those words into actions; the people of India are behind you.
Take example of USA. One terrorist strike a decade ago and they have been successful in averting the next one till date. There was a minor scare when a car was found in New York with explosives in it but other than that, it has all been fine.
A country just could not depend on the GDP figures for development. GDP figures never consider the satisfaction level of the citizens nor the terrorists strike in that era. And for a country like India, with huge boundaries adjacent to water, the easiest way to get in, it is very important to be very cautious.
Few days ago, PM remarked that he is not a weak PM. He can be tough and take actions that people won’t believe him to do. It is high time he proves this to every body- to his critics, to the world and to his dear citizens whom he owes a lot.
Hoping for a better future of India.
Tushar Agarwal from Dehradun, India is a banker presently posted in Delhi. He is a blogger and runs His own blog at http://www.fewsillyminds.com and hopes to bring a change in India with his pen.