i felt like retching...
the incident hadn't affected me directly...or had it?and if it hadn't...shouldn't it have?
10 odd people come into my country,stage this horrible series of events for an unbearably long period of time and die,which according to them was,in peace...
they didn't deserve that easy an escape...
and then began the blame game,the contemporary dance performed by politicians,extending that hand of friendship every couple of days...and well,a hundred thousand different things which were very remotely connected to bringing about a soothing effect on the situation...
what happened to the victims?what happened to the families of the victims?what happened to the soldiers?what happened to the policemen?and what happened to the country?i don't have an answer...but somehow all i know is that mayawati trying to immortalise herself,rakhi sawant's "swayamvar" or the speculation whether aishwarya rai was carrying a baby became so much more important,besides,i wasn't really very surprised when some people from the school i go to,didn't even know that there was a massive flood down south wiping away chunks of population rapidly,or the massacre of the tamilians and how can i even forget to mention the generous donation of the maharashtra navmirman sena...everything that was important,took a backseat...I'm no where even near saying that i have the ultimate knowledge about global events,i don't think I'm even close...I'm not saying that i hold the secret to peace,if only...!all I'm trying to ask is...when are we going to stop taking things for granted and when are we all going to stop being so oblivious to everything around us?
everyone always says that we live only once,we'd rather live it for ourselves...I'd be a big phony if i said that i did anything otherwise...but well,don't you think its way past the time we should be taking strides in the direction of positive change? the smallest of things can make the biggest of difference...its like walking,i did not learn how to walk before i learned how to take a step...
there are so many different directions in which we can turn,all you and i need is some support to assure us that we wont fall flat on our faces,and even if we do,its going to be cushioned...
so...this is more or less an appeal to all those who wish to discover change...I'm not saying lets go and fight jihad or do something extraordinary or radical that we might not be able to reach...but lets at least start small...
I really like how you started with the light and sound metaphor..gripping! You know i was at CST 3 days before this happened.. Anyway..There's a lot of debate going on regarding if the terrorists hadnt attacked the Taj and the Trident.. whether all of the middle class and the upper class would've really been so shaken up..how many times in india have there been local train blasts? N wat do we do to make sure it doesnt happen again..
ReplyDeleteAnyway, There was a lot of talk then.. that it doesnt matter who comes into mumbai..whether it's a maharashtrian or an "outsider".. what matters is, is that people came from outside and attacked OUR COUNTRY.. The north indians,south indians,maharashtrians,bengali's everyone was together..didnt all of india come together for mumbai? How can we so easily forget that?
And so when you talk about making a small change..taking a positive step..I think we should all stand by each other..respect each other's lingual identities..n resolve lingual inter-state conflict through dignity and respect.. Yes, the local people are important..they should be given priority.. But yet.. India is one country :)
i can't exactly describe how this blog did so, but it really shook me. too much frustration in it, but still i like it.
ReplyDeleteAgain very well written. i still differ however!! i was out partying in COLABA that very night. Even after learning about the firing, I thought of it as possibly my last day to live and partied like never before. There was no fear of dying that night. Well obviously I or anyone else involved in that party gauged the intensity of the attacks. I also passed marine drive about half hour before Kasab was captured.
ReplyDeleteBut those attack definitely saw a change in attitude of the Mumbaikars. The never say die attitude, the 'common show us what you got' attitude was shaken. Personally i was saddened because of that. Probably the attitude changed because this was the 1st time the rich were targeted.
This was the 1st time I thought may be there will be a change. People were agitated, fuming, angry and what not. I had hoped this to be the time for change. People had a string belief this was a fire that will never exhaust its fuel. Many of my friends did that. People whom i knew on a very personal level. Candle light marches, marches against the government, Kasab idols were burnt and what not was done. Kasab and his leaders I am sure must have felt like celebrities with all the attention
Innumerable communities were started and were working well but again for 6 months. Rahul Bose had started one such community to lead the other communities. Something to the tune of community for the communities that too worked only for about 6 months. I really wished these communities could stick around. It was all over in less than 6 months. My friends who were voicing their opinions and all, tht fizzed out. Everyone got busy with their own work and their own life. Well I was no different and i feel ashamed. Infact i was worse or better than them in my own way. I never participated in any of the rallies or marches neither did i do anything else! (Not a personal jab at anyone) I am of the type who believes "Ive got one life and i want to live it for myself". Selfish inded. No second thoughts about that. I am bad.
Worse are those who said so much stuff back then and when they could do something, they had their 'own plans' Let me cite an example of a friend. These elections, my boss was supporting an organisation by the name JNM (Jagrut Nagrik Manch)http://www.jagrutnagrik.com/jnmhome.shtml which was started after the 26/11 fracas who weren't in my area. I was asked to gather volunteers who will help them in campaigning since i knew many people living in the Juhu area. I asked a few friends who were 'so agitated' post 26/11 and the reply i got was 'I cant do it. I have this I have that blah blah' I was pissed to no extent. Well I did not vote. I did not feel like. No one was worth it. But these JNM guys were and most of my friends who thought of doing 'something' guess what, they did not vote.
It (26/11) was indeed a huge blow and a real shame when the then CM Vilasrao Deshmukh comes in with his son for a movie apparently. I do not know if that is true or not but that is what was reported. I refuse to believe the seniros were murdered in such a casual way. There is definitely something more to it. I really do not know how many facts have been hidden from us the general public.
When you think about all this, your mind goes crazy. You really dont understand whats happening. What in the world is jihad? What are they going to achieve by turning everyone into islam? Again not a personal jab at any of my islamic friends. I am a non religious person. I just feel its crazy to kill people and i believe its crazier to make such young guys do it for them. There should be and end to all of this. How and all, I dont kno. But this mass killing should be stopped.
We do not need many communities. Just one, that help us erase these wounds the terrorists have created. Just one leader who is selfless (Obv someone not like me) and who shows the path well. It doesnt matter if s/he is a Gandhi type or a Hitler type. As long as the masses feel safe, s/he is welcome.
well...i dont really think you differ with what i have to say...you jus added to what i thought...m not saying we need to make a community or go and fight jihad,i dont really know what it means...i read verses from the quran and the geeta and this is what i interpreted...jihad is a defensive tactic...its opposing violence...not creating it,i guess...but this article is not about jihad or about forming communities or voting...it is about realising that its time to do something...even if it be in our own little way...doesnt really have to be against "Terrorism"...i dont think we have a shortage of problems to deal...i completely agree with you...yes we need a leader...but where are we going to find one?we need something that doesnt expire at the period of 6 months or less...i dont have any answers to this...and i dont really imagine that this blog will lead to one...all i'm saying is...why not start?in our own space...and keep in our mind that we are not the only ones working...believe that maybe someone somewhere,close or far is doing the same or hopefully better...bascically unite...even if we dont physically hold hands and walk in protests...
ReplyDelete@isha and thank you...m thrilled you see my point...@isha and vishal...the conspiracy theories are going to come and go...they are going to get more and more complicated and convinient for the ones making them...the problem is,it happened,didnt it???people lost their lives...for reasons totally unknown...some call it jihad,but im not going to disrespect a beautiful religion,by agreeing to that...we dont have a solution...maybe together we can find one...
ReplyDeletebesides the "never say die" attitude is an essential...living your life for yourself is also equally essential for having had felt alive,but then what about those who dont have the capacity to do that...???
Beautifully written...
ReplyDeleteCame across your blog quite by chance when I was mulling on what I should do to express the dampening sense of futility I felt on this day. Really good work. I was in Colaba for my interns when this happened. And what I came to realize is that it doesn’t much matter to us anymore. We have become numb to the sense of loss and danger, quite like the yellow plastic ducks you shoot at with air rifles at fairs. No matter how many you shoot, the others keep coming at u with a morbid mechanical regularity. 9/11, 7/7, 13/12, 26/11 have all become catch words and quite difficult to keep track of now. And the resilience of spirit of the people has proved to be nothing but a clever sham pulled over everybody to compensate for their abject apathy to act. In the galore of remembrance and kudos of valor and sacrifice we have really forgotten (or willfully avoided) asking the simple question: “why?”
@ ansh...you are absolutely right...
ReplyDeletewriting this...or reading what others have to say...is fairly easy for me...i didnt lose out on any people personally...or property...
and it might not matter to us...but it matters to those who have lost something...be it in any one of these events or a numerous others...
and well,i guess...rubber ducks or not...its time me stop avoiding the questions now...
i was watching the news today and all they were asking was "what has changed since 26/11?"...i was so frustrated...even though i wanted to watch...i just couldnt bring my self to doing it...i changed the channel and there was this another thing about bangkok where another some of people died and so on and so forth...and the only thing i thought was "what the hell is happening in the world?"
ReplyDeletei was travelling from andhra pradesh through maharashtra to come to nanded...there was a rasta roko andolan...for a separate telangana state...vidarbha in maharashtra did that smetime ago...why dont we all join in and make the properties we own into a separate state...that will help,wont it?
ReplyDelete