It is indeed sad that my first blog is about something very sad, ugly and highly effective. I have to write about it as it is troubling my mind and has had me thinking about more questions than I can answer in a lifetime.
I woke up this morning to the unpleasant news of the terror attacks in Mumbai. At the moment there are more than a 100 people dead and close to 600 people wounded and there are two hostage situations that the cops are trying to resolve. I’ve stopped following the news to see what portion of my daily chores I can accomplish before going back to the television but I just can’t seem to get the incident out of my head.
Sitting in front of my computer I can’t help but reflect on the day’s happenings as I digest all I have viewed over the last hour or so about the crisis that is still unfolding in our financial capital. The flood of thoughts and emotions going through my mind at the moment are simply enormous. I am going to pen down a few thoughts as they come to me so I apologize, in advance, for any lack of flow in this piece.
For the benefit of those who may be reading this without being aware of what I am talking about, November26 and 27, 2008 witnessed a terrorist attack on Mumbai. A largely unknown group who call themselves the Deccan Mujahideen and they have orchestrated one of the bloodiest terror attacks witnessed by India the effects of which, in my opinion, are going to be felt for a long time to come. My only hope is that the political leaders do not manipulate this incident to gain political mileage.
I tried to get some information about the Deccan Mujahideen on the internet which proved futile. So I am going to assume they are somehow linked to the better known Indian Mujahideen who are one of the more dangerous terror groups in India.
What bothers me is that how a group, whose name is not even known, has carried out such a large scale attack without being detected. Who is funding these guys for this extremely expensive operation? How have they managed to keep this under wraps for this long?
An operation of this scale, seven attacks simultaneously with overwhelming fire power and with about 4 -5 people in each location must have taken at least 3 -4 months in preparation. More importantly, I am wondering how they managed to recruit people for this operation as it seems like a suicide mission. What did they think they were achieving by this terror attack? What motivated them to lay down their lives leaving behind families that will be tormented for life, should they ever be traced?
I can only imagine the mastermind behind this is either supremely intelligent to conceal the actual plot till the day of its execution or is a shrewd recruiter with exceptional motivational skills or a mixture of both. How is our government going to trace him and how are they going to try and stop him from executing further such terror attacks? How do we remove this partisan thinking? How do we stop further recruitments and further creation of such mindless terror outfits?
Being an Indian, one of the aspects that I’ve always prided myself with was the incredible tolerance of the average Indian. Personally I have visited temples of over 5 religious faiths and have more than 10 very good friends of every faith. I am certain that this is the case with most Indians, at the case with most Indians who have grown up and live in any of the major cities. Why are we losing this cultural dependence we have on each other? Are we going to be happy with a country that is extremely polar? It saddens me to see the rise of organizations that promote extremist views to religion in every major faith. When are we going to see the end of all this and return to living harmoniously?
There are a few questions I have for us, the general peace loving public. Where are we, as a society, going wrong? What acts of ours are helping these terror recruiters prey on people and motivate them to carry out such sinister attacks? Is the economic disparity leading to this or is it our handling of the Kashmir or any other issue? Are the minorities in our country made to feel unsafe? When are we going to speak out to promote brotherhood and condemn the politicians and the media that continues to sensationalize events like this one? How long are we going to treat this merely as a topic of conversation? Are we going to wait to act until the day it actually affects someone close to us? What action can we possibly take even if we wanted to do something about this situation?
We are the ones who taught the world the insurmountable power of non violence. Have we forgotten the very lessons that made us, us? I invite all those who read this to post your comment, however radical. I may not agree with you but I am still interested in seeing the world through your eyes. Please feel free to share any feedback you might have.
I again apologize for the lack of flow in this blog and I leave you guys with the lyrics of a Bob Dylan song that seems most apt for this moment. Just one last thought:
How are you going to change this world?
Blownin In The Wind by Bob Dylan
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend,
is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend,
is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend,
is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind
