A must read for Mumbaiite: Part 3
I had taken a self-control measure of not laying my hands on a keypad until my more urgent responsibilities are taken care of which result from me being a mother, daughter, sister, wife, etc. etc. but….. the recent happenings in my country and my city have woken me up from my hibernation and….. while I rub my sleep laden somber eyes I have a few questions to ask…… which may range from innocent to stupid to hilarious to even anti-national, but….. as we say if curiosity is to be appeased, let it be expressed and not suppressed.
I will not repeat what the others, the intellectuals have already said like the spirit of Mumbai, why again Mumbai, and even why not again India. These are my personal queries which have resulted from my personal ignorance. And I put them before you in their most amateur form with a sincere request to all those high and mighty to please not to take any offence (….. as if they are actually going to read it!!!!) but still its better to be safe than rubbing any influential soul the wrong way. So, with an interim sorry on my lips and a deep rooted fear in my heart here goes my list:
Why did the terrorists took the care to track, hunt and shoot the ATS chief, (an encounter specialist and an ACP as well)? and…. that too at the very peak of their operations?, they being in limited numbers could have been used elsewhere to increase the headcount of casualties at some other prominent places. How come an Indian officer who had become a pain to a mainstream Indian political party become so important target to the terrorists? Was not it a ‘you help me and I will let help come to you” type of case? After all they were connected to their bosses through satellite phones and all lucrative options were open to them any of which could have easily resulted in more chaos and confusion? What other motive could have guided them to their seemingly preplanned target hunting????
What role did media think it was playing during those critical hours of NSG and army operations??? It was clearly established that the terrorists were connected to the outside world through modern means of communications, and were receiving directions and inputs from the outside, still they continued showing “live telecasts” of the happenings, putting the success of the operations at peril!!! Whose side they think they actually were???? Are we as Indians so numb and dumb and adventure craving that what should have taken hours took days, to be put to a conclusive end, simply because we were dying to see everything before our eyes??? I think for the sake of ‘lives’ those ‘live’ telecast should not have occurred!!
At least we can learn it as an experience for our 'future reference'. I know I should like all other patriotic Indians tell myself that such an incident will not be allowed to happen again, just like USA ensured it, and so there should not be any question of 'future references' We have after all become an expert at forgetting the things not worth remembering.
Please forgive me, I am not anti-national but I am not over-optimistic either!!!!
Before I end…..I would like to take the opportunity to state conclusively that we are a numb and dumb nationality who is so adventure starved that we never think twice before putting our lives at peril for the sake of some adrenalin rushing entertainment.
Otherwise how can we explain the rushing out of people to the Nariman House even before the army operations were over in such numbers that the police had to resort to lathicharge!!!!
Also….that when all terrorists are dead (or captured), and we have engaged ourselves in inventory counting and stock taking, as a dire pessimist I feel (and I am extremely sorry to feel so….) that yes….the army has succeeded and we as a nation have failed to protect ourselves and our prestige as a secure nation but…..the terrorists have failed too…….They have failed to create optimum damage. We were so ill-prepared and vulnerable that what they have achieved for their bosses is nothing in comparison to what they could have done to us. It is not our valour that saved us but their self-contentment of targets that limited the damage to where it stands. As for us, we seem to continue to follow the teachings of Gandhiji….if someone slaps you on one cheek offer him the other one….only with the adaptation of bombs and suicide attacks in place of slaps to respect the development of technology…….
So, we soon will get ready with our other cheek….I mean city…..just let us know when you are prepared ,literally.
I will not repeat what the others, the intellectuals have already said like the spirit of Mumbai, why again Mumbai, and even why not again India. These are my personal queries which have resulted from my personal ignorance. And I put them before you in their most amateur form with a sincere request to all those high and mighty to please not to take any offence (….. as if they are actually going to read it!!!!) but still its better to be safe than rubbing any influential soul the wrong way. So, with an interim sorry on my lips and a deep rooted fear in my heart here goes my list:
Why did the terrorists took the care to track, hunt and shoot the ATS chief, (an encounter specialist and an ACP as well)? and…. that too at the very peak of their operations?, they being in limited numbers could have been used elsewhere to increase the headcount of casualties at some other prominent places. How come an Indian officer who had become a pain to a mainstream Indian political party become so important target to the terrorists? Was not it a ‘you help me and I will let help come to you” type of case? After all they were connected to their bosses through satellite phones and all lucrative options were open to them any of which could have easily resulted in more chaos and confusion? What other motive could have guided them to their seemingly preplanned target hunting????
What role did media think it was playing during those critical hours of NSG and army operations??? It was clearly established that the terrorists were connected to the outside world through modern means of communications, and were receiving directions and inputs from the outside, still they continued showing “live telecasts” of the happenings, putting the success of the operations at peril!!! Whose side they think they actually were???? Are we as Indians so numb and dumb and adventure craving that what should have taken hours took days, to be put to a conclusive end, simply because we were dying to see everything before our eyes??? I think for the sake of ‘lives’ those ‘live’ telecast should not have occurred!!
At least we can learn it as an experience for our 'future reference'. I know I should like all other patriotic Indians tell myself that such an incident will not be allowed to happen again, just like USA ensured it, and so there should not be any question of 'future references' We have after all become an expert at forgetting the things not worth remembering.
Please forgive me, I am not anti-national but I am not over-optimistic either!!!!
Before I end…..I would like to take the opportunity to state conclusively that we are a numb and dumb nationality who is so adventure starved that we never think twice before putting our lives at peril for the sake of some adrenalin rushing entertainment.
Otherwise how can we explain the rushing out of people to the Nariman House even before the army operations were over in such numbers that the police had to resort to lathicharge!!!!
Also….that when all terrorists are dead (or captured), and we have engaged ourselves in inventory counting and stock taking, as a dire pessimist I feel (and I am extremely sorry to feel so….) that yes….the army has succeeded and we as a nation have failed to protect ourselves and our prestige as a secure nation but…..the terrorists have failed too…….They have failed to create optimum damage. We were so ill-prepared and vulnerable that what they have achieved for their bosses is nothing in comparison to what they could have done to us. It is not our valour that saved us but their self-contentment of targets that limited the damage to where it stands. As for us, we seem to continue to follow the teachings of Gandhiji….if someone slaps you on one cheek offer him the other one….only with the adaptation of bombs and suicide attacks in place of slaps to respect the development of technology…….
So, we soon will get ready with our other cheek….I mean city…..just let us know when you are prepared ,literally.
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