Combating Terror

What are we waiting for? What are our

The US had just one attack- the 9/11 in California. They have so far put the happenings behind them. The politicians have kept to their rhetoric and delivered a safer America. India has so much to fill volumes. So what are we waiting for? Ponders Shyamlal UV of M.Sc. Microbiology.

we have every possible mechanism available on paper as well as mechanisms to combat terror. There is no dearth of reports. Kargil Review and Girish Saxena Committees are just some of the innumerable attempts aimed at finding measures to contain terror. Terror forms a firm agenda of every political party.
Needless to say, this time round, elections will thronged with leaders having their say on terror. Bu the question remains. Are all these attempts meant to pacify the common man or part of the vote bank politics?
America had just one attack 9/11 and it will form a part of perhaps all the history books. India has so much to fill volumes. But the difference is there for all to see. 9/11 was enough for Americans to say no more terror attacks in our country. Politicians promised and they delivered a safer America. Back home, we Indians who proclaim to be the oldest victims of terror continue to live with it. It consumes hours of discussion and negotiations at international conferences. Treaties are signed for bilateral cooperation and sharing of information. Terrorism is said to be on a firm agenda of every foreign visit. They form headlines in newspapers. Unfortunately we have no results to show. Are we waiting for Armageddon to probably go and complain to God? Are we just waiting for the ranking of which attack was greater attacks? The attack on the Indian Parliament, the Temple of our Democracy, was touted to be the worst attack on Indian soil.
Now, after innumerable attacks, we have arrived at the conclusion that the Mumbai attacks are No.1 in ranking. We had attacks in Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahemadabad, Delhi, Gujarat, Manipur, Assam and finally Mumbai in a span of seven months. Bombs explode, people die but we still live on till we hear another explosion which stirs us at least temporarily, a bouncer in cricketing terms. Life just goes on again.
It is often said that Asians have better tolerance levels. We need to introspect whether it’s really tolerance or something else. Our fundamentals rights seem to be just on paper. Government after government comes and promises to deliver these very things. But that is what it boils down to. A promise!
When would we all wake up permanently never to dose off again? When would we stop blaming each other, blaming the system, blaming everything possible and not take our responsibility? When will each one of us say, I will stand up and do my bit however insignificant it may seem? When will we think about our fundamental duties?
TV channels compete with each other to show that they have got the maximum coverage or as they say, the inside story. Many of us are hooked to TV screens. TRPs rise and they feel vindicated. Then again a week passes, then a month, probably a year. Wounded memories heal and we forget. We still get hooked to TV but for our daily soaps, cricket matches or the never ending serials. The moments in which we engaged in heated debates, had tears in our eyes and became angry is lost and gone. One of the greatest strengths of human beings is considered to be the ability to forgive and forget. We do forget and get engrossed in our daily lives. TV channels find new stories to cover and grab the viewers’ attention. That is until on another day we hear another bang. Again the debate and the blame games start over again.
Until when will all this continue? Till when? When will we all stand up united to say nobody tortures our motherland or has the freedom to cause bruises on her body? When shall we all do our bit? When will the voices of the common man be heard? Why is it that every possible solution seems to be available but nothing is ever implemented? India, our motherland is a great to be but probably we Indians aren’t or seem to have forgotten our roles as citizens of the country.
In India, everybody blames the police force. The officers are depicted as corrupt and untrustworthy. But it’s an irony that it’s the very policemen who lay their lives down in these encounters. Then they are hailed as martyrs. An ace shooter who gets a Gold medal is given one crore by the government amongst other rewards. A shooter who lays down his life in combat is rewarded with Rs. 5 lakhs. And he is forgotten forever. Yes, there are evil elements within any system but we can’t generalize and call the entire force as bad. It is all about playing blame games. We make a fuss when subjected to a routine security check in our country but when we are scanned from head to foot and forced to leave the luggage we are carrying in a foreign country, we have no qualms about it. What are our priorities?
Why is it that the Mumbai blasts have to be called our 9/11? Certain sections of the media highlighted the attacks as our 9/11.At all international summits post 9/11 and before that too we have been claiming that we have been continuous victims of terror for ages but now we call it our 9/11. It’s justified when we compare something good to bad but why is it that in India anything and everything is overshadowed by an American or foreign image? Why are our assets compared to others? For instance our Niagra or Bollywood that is akin to Hollywood? We have our own Silicon Valley of India and what not. If all these were done with the objective of bringing improvements in our lives, then it would have made a lot of sense to me.
It is not that we are so very helpless. The vote is a weapon that the constitution provides us. If we elect our leaders sensibly, cast our votes and do not go on holiday trips on voting days, things might change. If we don’t put caste, creed and religion as priorities and instead put the country first, then we all know what can happen. We are strong country of 100 crore population.
If each one of us takes a pledge to do his or her bit, nothing and no country can stop us. Despite being plagued by so many problems, if we can reach where we find ourselves today, imagine the scenario if we all stand united. The tragedy of our country is that we all know what can be done and how it can be done but we don’t believe it’s possible. A happy India is just a belief away. It is said often that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Let us reach the light.
The attack should be a wake up call to all of us that we need to defeat all the forces of evil. Let us give the perpetrators of such acts a taste of their own medicine. Let us stand united so that India wins.
Jai Hind!