By Nidhi Khurana:
It was seven in the evening and finally a cumbersome day in the office had ended. This particular time gives me a peace of mind on a daily basis. The thought of reaching home in an hour was always soothing. Suddenly my phone beeped and my hands reached out for it.Annoyed by the plethora of people chattering around me, I wished it to be a message from some friend, so that I could kill some time. Surprisingly it was a news clipping, and it shockingly read, ‘Twin Blasts at Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad‘. My eyes stuck onto it, fingers swapped the screen as I uttered, “shit”.
It wasn’t peaceful anymore and lots of thoughts started coming to my mind. “Who is responsible for these blasts? Delhi might also be the target“, I said to myself. The thought that there could be a bomb in the metro too, making it my last journey, jolted me out of my comfort zone. The people around me seemed to be strangers no more. I started feeling sorry for the girl next to me who was happily talking to her boyfriend; and for others too, who, unaware of the tragedy were busy in their own activities. I started fiddling with my phone and to divert my mind I logged into Facebook. The news of the blast had spread online like a wild fire. Facebook asked me, “How are you doing, Nidhi?” And soon I updated my status “I feel terrorized“.
Work is done. Bomb blasts once again became successful in disrupting our lives and generating fear. It goes without saying that blasts are a routine activity happening all across the world. Terrorism is poking its ugly face every now and then, and there is hardly any magic formula to wane that terror that follows. This can also be said in the light of the recent blasts that occurred in Hyderabad on the 21st of February, 2013, devouring 16 lives and inflicting injuries to many. Necessary investigations are being done, but it seems that petty politics is hampering them. The usual blame game that follows breeds the partisan politics. The incident has unfortunately given a spark to the already existing communal tensions. Ministers like always have asked citizens to stay calm, and maintain peace. Well yes, that is what needs to be done, but until when, is the question. Life doesn’t come so cheap that it can be wasted on a bomb blast.
Haven’t bomb blasts become a part of our lives? It is assumed that the public will forget everything soon, and life will resume its natural course as people get back to their daily routines. The dehumanizing attempt by some power seekers is condemned, as we, as a nation try to stand hand in hand to face yet another national tragedy, but at the same time we want our lives to be secure. We don’t want to step out of our houses, with thoughts of never returning back, haunting our minds.
The faith in the government will be restored soon as our national security is stepped up but what about the mother who lost her only son? What about someone who got his limbs ripped off from his body? Who can bring justice to cries, tears and pain? Bomb blasts are for once, but suffering lasts a lifetime.