So, don’t be quiet. Speak up. At least I would, for the most vulgar advertisement I have seen in the recent times, calls on people of the country to speak up, and puts the onus on its subscribers to help it donate for the Indian police.
But what do I speak – whether Kasab should be executed or whether the government failed to protect us or whether we are ready to tackle another such terror attack or worst of all whether we should attack Pakistan and annihilate it once for all?
Let’s save the quintessential five ‘W’ for a later time and indulge in hypothetical questions that must be answered in yes or no – only these make for interesting pastime that would strain our brain to reason out the dirty truths which will only put us in shame, that too only if remember some word that spells conscience.
Still reading?
Then just tell me one simple answer. Do you think Kasab is a terrorist? I don’t think so. At least I don’t think that the person in jail and whom Abbas Kazmi is defending in a special Mumbai court is a terrorist. For, if he is the same one who we have been seeing in the clipping taken from a CCTV camera taken during the Mumbai attack on November 26, 2008, what are we trying to do? Anyone who follows news and is not a Pakistani would have certainly seen the man in the clipping had gun in his hand and went around killing people. So he must be guilty.
But the court trial is still on.
In that case, have we been for the past over 300 days trying to prove whether the gunman on screen and the one in custody is the same? Else, if the government/police has confirmed that it is the same man, what have we been trying to prove or argue for so long?
Or are there still some people who think that Ajmal Kasab, an LeT operative from Pakistan, who was caught while on a killing spree, can be innocent and that by some mass illusion, we have misconstrued him to be a terrorist and caught him.
Or is it that we, being descendants of those who believed in ahimsa, don’t want to hang a man and so want to let him meet his natural death.
Because, otherwise it would make sense to me if he is in police custody and the sleuths are trying to get some valuable information from him through interrogation. But then, that is not the case and he lives (no more an ordinary unimportant soul that he was till setting foot on the shores of Mumbai) in a jail where his life is cared for.
But then, I am not saying hang him tomorrow. Just that convict him as early as possible and let him languish in a jail amidst bandits, serial killers and rapists, who would taunt and spit on him while passing by (let me stop and let your imagination fly high).
But punishing him would only end one chapter and not prevent another from happening. So, whom do I blame next (This is one thing we are very good at, for we don’t believe in doing anything, but just pointing fingers at others. Will come to this later).
What has the government done in the last one year to avert recurrence of such a mayhem? When the terrorist used planes, security was tightened at airports. Then when they targeted trains, we installed metal detectors at stations and posted police personnel to trains. And when the crowded places were targeted governments across the world started installing CCTVs at all public places. And finally when terrorists made use of the sea route, we started beefing up security along the coasts.
And then what the security agencies would do is in the name of conducting mock drills perform precisely an exercise that could have prevented the last attack.
I always thought intelligence agencies were supposed to be one step ahead of the enemies. But world over it seems, all that they are doing is carrying out the work of solving crimes. And follow the path set by terrorists.
Intelligence agencies? Oh no! The lesser we talk about them, the better it would be. The autopsy report of the RAW was published by the New Indian Express in a five part series last week, identifying the murderer in each of the report. If that is the real condition of the premier agency -- and worse, it is so pores that one could write a series – it inspires little confidence in the minds of the people as to how safe they really are.
But why blame them, when the people who really use them as puppets are the political powers that count. The great ruling class. If we were to go in for a reality check now, we would see that during the first anniversary of the country’s worst ever terrorist attack – as claimed by the recently sprouted news channels that the self-anointed voice of the middle class – the Prime Minister is on a tour of the US (No, Obama did not assume office before last year attack), while the President is busy Making a record flying in a Sukhoi on the eve of the first anniversary of the terror attacks. So neither of them visits Mumbai for the first anniversary of a national tragedy, but the Home Minister has all the time to give Live interviews to TV channels. (I always wondered whether politicians, actors and other celebrities gained something – if so how – by leaving all other work and making appearances on TV channels that won’t reach even one fifth of out country’s population. Why else should they contribute their services to increase the revenue of these channels watched mainly by the minority English-speaking middle class?)
Oh, yes, the third most important person, although only theoretically, the leader of the opposition in the House of the People, Lok Sabha, was very much available.
But, he, being a seasoned politician, made sure that he used the occasion to the fullest advantage. The fact that he prepared well and confronted the government in parliament Thursday on non-disbursal of compensation to the victims and their families, makes me wonder why he waited till the first anniversary to raise this question. Or, is it that he thought it was more important that the government was put on mat rather than the people get the compensation!
Wasn’t it his responsibility towards the people that the moment he learnt about this failure on the part of the government, that he should have called up the home minister or any other minister concerned and asked him/her to ensure that it is done by the first anniversary – it should not have been difficult to process the whole thing overnight.
But then, as Aristotle said ‘Every country gets the government it deserves’, what we are putting up with should also be a result/creation of our actions and attitudes. Because, thought a party that has in reality got only a minor share of votes in the election, forms government, are not playing a major role in its formation and sustenance?
Now, let me not get into the age-old rhetoric about our role in electing a proper government, lest you close the page. But our attitude? Now we take great pride in saying that Mumbai (or any terror struck city) never stops. It just paused and was on feet again. Others may take pride in this, but to me, it sounds very insensitive and derogatory.
Not caring about how the city was left maimed and how hundreds of people who lost their kin in the attacks is gross insensitivity. And if the city can just pause and wait for its people to recover, why would the government or others care for it, except for showing symbolic gestures, like on this first anniversary.
And remember, if we want others to care for us, we should be caring, sensitive to others – something that is missing in the world today.
So, isn’t our attitude, forget actions, the root cause for all these. Two small would explain everything.
Recently I was talking to a friend about how a real estate agent – they are colloquially called brokers – got upset and angry because I called him a broker. Immediately, my friend asked: ‘How else would you call a broker, when he is one?’
I had to ask him if it was ok to address him by his caste name. Only then it dawned on him, how even innocuous sounding words and actions can hurt people.
And today, in my office, some of my colleagues took the bag of a friend and hid it somewhere. Finally only after having some fun, and even some snacks, at his expense, did they return his return the bag. But, this was not the first day, and had played the joke on another guy yesterday and worse, they want to try it on someone else tomorrow also.
It may be fun to us and the onlookers, but for the one at the receiving end? In fact one of their friends have reduced meeting these guys during tea time, because of a similar prank they played on him two weeks back.
While narrating this to me, one of them said: “Sir, we have to make sure that these guys don’t join hands and gang up against us. Because if they unite, we are into trouble.”
Good. He understands that.
And wish everyone understood that how our individual actions and attitudes can be perceived as group behaviour that can be interpreted as being racist, communal, oppressive or even xenophobic and lead to tensions.
How is this related to terrorists? You may ask … but don’t you see tensions emerging in the Red corridor? Or didn’t you see what happened in Lanka till recently?
What may start as fun can lead to far more serious things, from which there may be no return.
But, hey, wait! Am not saying we are the reason for all the ailments of our world. However, are we sure, we are no way to blame for silly actions -- this may even allude to blind love for our caste/religion/language that may make others feel vulnerable or to evading payment of tax that could cripple our government or even to not following simple laws if not to our apathy to those in trouble -- that could contribute to the growth, spread and strengthening and growth of extremism?
Who cares! Pick up the phone and speak as the TV ad says or just SMS to TV news channels or better cheer for BCCI's cricket team and prove your love for the country.
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