I know hundreds of people are going to write, talk, debate about this episode. Let me be yet another person!
What has happened (in magnitude) is something that was not witnessed in India for a long long time. It was massive. Mumbai, a stamped resilient city, was hit this time harder than ever before, with only 1993 blasts coming close to this. There are many many questions that rise in our minds, each and every Mumbaite's, Indian's minds. Who is going to answer them? No one, as usual. There is no authority who claims responsibility for the security lapse. There is no one authority who takes decision in this kind of crisis situation. NSA - National Security Advisor is supposed to be the one who can deal with these kinds of situations but he is a 75 year old, theorist. He does not know the ground reality. Never had fought or lead a team in fights and wars. How can anyone expect such a person to react correctly, accurately, practically, rationally, and also emotionally humanly?
Pak is blamed. But no point in having another Bush in India bombing Pakistan. That is not the solution - innocent people for innocent people! Terrorists are not born. They are prepared. They are made to realise how important their mission is. How they can be the next messaiahs on earth! Lashkar-e-Taiba's marine wing, a group under Al-Qeda is pointed out as one behind these attacks. Maximum the world together can do is kill one and all from LeT, Al-Qeda and reign supreme. But what is the guarantee that such similar group will not take birth in future? If a stronger group exists somewhere else?
With about 20-30 terrorists (max), we had about thousands of security guards including policemen, MARCOS, NSGs, Army, RAFs needed with about 59hours from the Kaaleshwar. Now these terrorist groups are made of huge man-power, undoubtedly. Though there is no confirmation or authority on that, theres is a huge group. If there are even say, just about 1000 such individuals, they can simultaneously get into atleast one capital city of each state. That would mean about 900 terrorists would be able to carry out a similar terrorists attack in every state. To get similar help in all the states would mean getting thousands and thousands of security guards. Can that be handled by India alone? Can the guards at borders be relieved for this operation?
Whatever it maybe, it would be a definite chaos...mostly intolerable and positively uncontrollable. Now, assuming another postulate that they are more than 1000, if they attack one capital city of every country in this world, would the w-o-r-l-d a-r-m f-o-r-c-e-s be enough to tackle them?
Grooming in the dark, closing eyes in the bright sunlight are two different things. But currently both seem to be holding good for India, and world at large, with respect to terrorists.
Update (08th Dec 2008):
Very impressed with what Aamir has written on his blog. I think what we have been thinking over here, has been very cleanly and clearly put by him. Have a look here.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
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Let me comment only on this : [the rest i categorise as outpouring :) :) ]
ReplyDelete"But what is the guarantee that such similar group will not take birth in future?"
Which is why it is as important (or even more) to identify and heal (not kill) the roots of terrorism than to handle it post-facto. The roots are often Deprivation and Exploitation. Everyone knows equality is impossible, but the above two are the makings of men.
Even if we set aside Religion for a moment, things like police and army excesses on innocent homes, where the one who is supposed to protect himself becomes the exploiter is the case of proverbial fence eating the crop. May be, the movie Dil Se just dramatizes it, but if an average teenager is confronted with exploitation face to face and pushed to the wall, he would make an average pounce back. Just when he is ready, Pat enters the terror dhobi to brainwash him either into a perfect world or to make the world as imperfect as it treated him.
Unless, of course, one has the spiritual or whatever strength to understand the transient nature of difficulties and brush away the suffering as ephemeral and move on to make a positive contribution to the world.
The field is too complex to study and provide solutions. I don't know what is the antidote to terrorism that's already born, but as to that which is not yet born, here are my votes. The antidote to Deprivation is Sharing and the vaccine to prevent Exploitation is Human Values. It might take centuries, it would appear too slow that we think it's not working, but more good people, attempting to spread more and more goodness and more people consciously making righteousness-based choices will someday make a better world. Whether it's based on Love for God or Fear of Evil, goodness begets goodness. And, in due course, Order in Society.
I fully agree with you namaji.. just like the medicine takes a few hours or days to seep into the body's diseased area to do the curing so too the human values that have started seeping into the body which were given almost 50 years ago need time to seep in i.e the society needs some time to start working and the cure is bound to be there. if not immediately a few more years may have to pass. just taking the medicine is not enough but we should look to get the best results from any certain medication
ReplyDeleteon the evils of the society.... it is not possible to completely eradicate evil or fear or terror from the society. I don't think it is possible. and i don't think God would have wanted to create a perfect world . i don't think it his plan. just observe your human body, just as the good bacteria is present so too there is equal amount of bad bacteria present only if there is an imbalance will the body react to as boils, or rashes. you name it. if bad bacteria is not present then who who will do the cleaning work all the billions of cells that die daily in the body .... i don't think bad can ever be eliminated from the society. only it requires a balance.
Religion is not to be blamed after all religion is only a pre school to spirituality.
It is only the fundamentalist groups with explicit reactionary political agenda or fanatical nationalistic which are characterized by paranoia and xenophobia are those who have truly eroded the spiritual essence of any faith ( with within any religion who are responsible for bringing a bad name to the religion--- source power vs force by dawkins.
i am currently reading a book called power vs force is a must read for all those who want to get a better perspective of life on this earth. it is worth reading it at least scientifically proves the need for the hour is inculcation of human values and spiritual teachings.
on a note for all to think....
the maximum deaths in the world are due to lack of feeling of being loved by the fellow humans
love. almost 300 million people die every year with this feeling
the next is "lack of concern" for fellow humans in other words human touch that is why at least 40 to 50 million people in America and Europe suffer from clinical depression.
think about it!!!
I take both the points by Naams and Sai
ReplyDeleteBut there is a blockage in HVs - its Understanding. Let us be very clear. Its not easy to understand Human Values. It doesnt come naturally for many. This life gives such myriad points-of-views, its bound to be difficult to know, understand and follow 'correct path'. There is no clarity what exactly it means.
There can be loop-holes found in every human-value statement which can be used for one's own selfishness. It is very complex. Fortunate are few who can see things clearly and act accordingly.
But the bottom-line comes from what Sai has said - the 'Magic' of Human Touch. Human care and concern for others. Infact, one simple definition given to us is 'Culture is concern for others'. If these foundations are carried forward and lived by people, starting with parents, elders, then children are mute reciprocators. Its bound to reap huge rewards.
Blaming politicians, their resignation is no way going to help anyone around. We need people who can take 'proper' decisions and act accordingly, and also immediately. It needs people with correct understanding, and clearer goal. We have citizens who think they think correctly. There are complications before taking decisions. Why government, even a simple business company has enough parameters to think off, before taking a major decision. At the same time, people who can think 'correctly' do not position to take actions.
Its a vicious circle which easily helps one to believe Sai's point of view - World was not suppose to be perfect, thus it is what is supposed to be.
Another point of view can be: Multiple points-of-views, and argumentative capabilities were created and conferred so that people are engaged in some activity all the time...I dont know where I am leading to ...confused? Possibly me too! :)
Come on Rampy, you started off pretty well on the comment response,...why do you feel that you are confused?
ReplyDeleteThe point of concern about human values is of course the multiple stances that we can assume vis-a-vis a particular value; also the conflict whether we are looking at the values absolutely or relatively. The only way out of this seeming quagmire is by taking the support of a keen mind and a humane outlook.
Having said that, I also feel that assuming that values alone will achieve the ends over a period of time is more of a long-term plan. What about the short-term priorities? Yes, hatred cannot be eliminated by hatred. But we need to at least know the ground realities of what we are getting into and where needed, take affirmative action. Yes, agreed that the seeds for a possible future world sans strife have to be laid now and we should not falter in that. But in the process we should also recognise that we already have the antidotes to the terrorism that has already taken birth. A fine balance between rational judgment and humane outlook. Now this is a tall order, especially, when we have limited our worlds to our lives, our work, our career and do not peep into the rest of the world unless there is a disaster or a terror attack or an economic recession. Aren't we most of the time, like that Selfish Giant, who wouldn't let the children play in his garden because he construed that as an intrusion into his carefully ordered world, but realises his mistake when spring refuses to visit his garden? Face the facts, most of the times we are. And that attitude has to go for anything concrete to happen, in the present or in the future.