There was this little bit of news that trickled in on Wednesday after around 10.30 pm that there were firing at Mumbai’s CST railway station, and later outside the Taj hotel. We have got so used to these sort for explosions and firings, and there wasn’t anything to suggest it would last so long.
It was so close to the deadline for my newspaper and my bosses decided to delay sending the front page to the press. After all, how could the next day’s paper not have anything on this sensational firing at the CST and outside the Taj?
We got to know from our colleagues in Mumbai, that they could hear the gunshots from their office. After that, events were unfolding at such rapid pace, it was virtually impossible to keep pace with them. When Marine Commandos entered the scene, and news came that Advani had spoken to the PM and that NSG commandos were being rushed, we knew that situation was getting serious. In the meanwhile, a photographer was took a picture of the youth with a gun. That was terrifying. At midnight itself we got to know that at least 80 had died, though TV channels were still showing somewhere between 16 and 25.
The biggest shock was the death of three top police officials — Karkare, Salaskar and Kamte. Sucha thing had never happened before. That was an indication of what the city was up against. When I went to bed around 3.30 am, I was wondering why even after so long the attackers couldn’t be put down.
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
When I got up on Thursday, I switched on the TV; then I knew that this was war; three locations and determined opponents who had sneaked into the country. For a war, it need not always be the conventional army, does it? Thoughts were going wild as to what surprises could be in store. I even fearfully thought if there would simultaneously be attacks on some other city. I just stopped thinking.
Shock gave way to anger and shame. There was fear about how insecure we are. Friday afternoon onwards everyone was saying the operation were ending. At 6 pm, it was said only one terrorist was in the Taj, at 3 am in the night, we were being told that there were four. Wasn’t this going to end?
All through some 60 hours, the Taj Hotel, the Oberoi Trident Hotel and Nariman House were held hostage; Mumbai was gripped with fear; India was anguished, hurt and angry; the world looked at us with concern.
This is not the first time we have gone through it; but this is the first time we have gone through it in such a scale. In fact, in many ways this was one of the worst such attacks anywhere in the world. Hopefully, this will be the last.
ANY REASONS FOR HOPE?
We are hopeful, but do we have reasons for hope? We should have learnt a number of lessons. Do we have any indications that we will at least now learn lessons?
I am not so much pessimistic as I am realistic. I am worried, because the way we are used to living — our “culture” — is so conducive for a tragic encore. Mere holding of meetings and review of security will not yield anything; unless actionable steps are identified, and more importantly implemented ruthlessly. Are we capable of that? Are we ready?
Our society is disorganised, disorderly and indisciplined (I comes before we); we hate to obey authority (Who are they to decide what we should do and how); we are insensitive to other human beings (Who cares, let them go to hell); institutions are weak (because people who run them are more bothered about themselves rather than the society or institutions)….
Sample two instances: Our inability to form a queue, and our reluctance to show our identity card when a security official asks for it. If at all we do these, it is with lot of cribbing and after lot of cynical comments.
Of course, there are plenty of examples that prove the contrary, but they are exceptions rather than the rule.
SO MUCH HAS TO CHANGE
You must be wondering why I am linking these trivial things to our security. My contention: basically our problem is attitude, which is reflected in our daily lives. If we can’t tackle small issues, how are we going to tackle bigger issues?
How quickly BJP and Congress got into blame game, even before the siege had ended. At least politicians have to be united when the country is under attack. If not, what hope do we have?
Why am I picking on politicians? Because, in a democracy they — from local corporator to prime minister — are the most important people. We elect them with the trust that our society and future are safe with them. In a democracy they take crucial decisions. For example, on Wednesday night, it was politicians (Maharashtra CM and Union home minister) who decided to call out the Army.
Let us remember this: Our society is only as good as our politicians. More than anyone else, the politicians themselves should know this.
Post-Taj, we can be sure that we have indeed turned a corner, only if we can see the changes in our basic approach to all issues: small and big.
Let us hope in the days ahead we will see that paradigm shift sweeping in….
Filed under: Politics - India, Society , Media, Nariman House, Oberoi, politicians, Taj, terror, terrorism
Yea.. change has to come from within. Along with courage to face the end of our life any time… on the road, inside a mall, in a cinema theatre or a roadside dhaba…
While the politicians are the showpieces of our collective impotence, there is a set of professionals namely the bureaucrats, behind each of these politicians, whose very purpose for existence is to define clarity, direction, correctness, appropriateness and consistency in our governance. They are required to have the wisdom, will and moral courage to dictate policy guidelines to their political bosses. And rightly they are the ones who should be taking the blames and the bouquets for their bosses actions.
Their collective silence and unaccountability post every national catastrophe defies logic !!
To make matters worse we Indians are highly individualistic and selfish in our approach. We recognize only individual brilliance and we hate working in teams. We are good at cleaning our interiors by spoling the exteriors.
This is a weakness in our culture which has been expolited down the centuries by the Ghaznis, Mughals, Dutch, Portugese and the Britishers. All of them have ruled us by pulling one king down by pushing another king up. The terrorists are just continuing to exploit this weakness. And we saw this weakness once again under the media glare among our forces, politicians and the men that mattered, post 26 /11.
The degree of our selfishness is amply exhibited by the unathenticated Swiss govt. report which says that the personal wealth of Indians lying hidden in the Swiss banks is worth a wopping 1500 billion dollars and is more than the sum total of the personal wealth deposited by the citizens of all other world nations together. And to imagine that a bulk of this wealth is actually looted from the hard working Aam Indian !! A percentage of that wealth is probably good enough to arm our police and security personnel with appropriate weapons. But who cares. All those crocodile tears by the rich and famous post 26/11 are a big bolt on our collective intelligence and security concern to say the least.
What we need today is :
i. A definite graduation away from the Son of the Soil concepts ( as being promoted by the self interested netas.)
ii. A single definition about the geographic and emotional boundaries of India in the minds of all Indians.
iii. Acceptance of national security as the responsibilty of each Indian.
iv. Recognition of team work and collective efforts at the schools and colleges.
Compulsory military training, retrieval of looted money from the foreign banks and recognition of team work and collective efforts at our schools and colleges could be few of the possible early solutions to our security dilemma.