Usually, I would have spectacularly dissed Singh, Advani, Sonia, Deshmukh etc and the so-called intelligence officers, I would have cursed and abused them freely with no editor around to censor my cuss words, but I won’t. Because I am no longer furious, I have lost that emotion. I feel humiliated, depressed, mind-fucked and impotent.
Not just because it’s one more massacre of my city, but also because of the places that have been brutalised. The Taj and The Oberoi are hotels I have grown up with, they have been a part of my life, as I am sure is the case with many of you fellow Bombayites. I have dated inside their romantic restaurants. I have fallen in love inside them. I have held and participated in events and ceremonies inside their glittering halls. I have shopped in their happening arcades. I have done many interviews inside their corporate offices. I have surreptitiously gone to pee inside their glitzy loos on broke evenings. I had my first ciggie on the steps of the Taj on a rainy night. Hell, I almost signed up at the Taj as a management trainee, but opted for the ad world. So when I see these two members of my ‘family’ burn, I burn inside. There is no rage, only a sense of mourning, the loss of a loved one, the rape of a loved one.
There’s another reason for loss of anger: I have now concluded our mantris and our spies are not competent to handle the terror issue. Which is why we get impudently attacked every other day. They are irrelevant to the solution to this menace. In fact, they compound it further by politicising every bomb and every bullet. But we cannot change our political system for now as there is mass illiteracy in this nation, and till such time the masses become more educated and aware, we will continue to be ruled by these jokers.
My belief is there is only one way forward: we need to set ego and pride aside, admit that we cannot deal with terror, and we need to invite the Yank, the Brit and the Israeli specialists to come and take charge of the anti-terror wing of the nation for a couple of years. They lead, they take decisions, we follow and learn, as simple as that. Sounds blasphemous and crazy? Not really. If we can have their CEOs to run companies in India, if we can have their coaches to run our sports, if we boast of a global world, why can’t we extend that to terror, especially since we clearly aren’t capable in that field. That America has not been hit for seven years, tells us why they seem to know this gig better. Just as the Mumbai police could not handle these criminals, and the NSG had to be called in, why don’t we use the same diagram on a larger, international scale?
There’s one more reason I suggest this: If the world finally discovers first-hand that it is Pakistan that’s directly behind terror in India (right now no one believes that claim, because Advani blames the Pakis when he finds a frickin fly in his tomato soup), they are more likely to support us in a full and frontal conflict with our neighbour. Which, at some point, could become an inevitability.
If you agree with this idea, write to me, will help launch a pressure campaign on the government to make this happen. We have the power to do at least that. To put pressure.
There is no point getting furious and all worked-up. It’s time to find hard solutions, to act. We must. Because our netas won’t on their own.
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57 comments:
Sir,
I fully agree with wat u said. I wud like to add the following points.
1) The reason we are in this mess is becoz we are having incompetent leaders at the helm of things. The reason for this is becoz none of them is qualified for the job. Heck..most of our leaders are barely literate..have absolutely no skills..Eg..our Defence Minister. Wat kind of qualifications has he got to head the Defence Ministry?? Is he an army man or having experience as an Intelligence cop?? NO..!! Then how is he capable of reacting and dealing with such an attack situation??
Every single politician..is having some criminal background..no educational qualifications..some are unable to read and speak English too!! We need educated people to lead us..not some bunch of illiterate buffoons..!!
2) The coast guards who let these people enter our waters..someone shud find out who did it..and how much was he "paid" to allow them in?? I am drawing a parallel to the corrupt people who allowed RDX to land on our shores during previous terror strikes.
3) One theory abt how the ammunition got stored in the hotels. I believe..the hotel housekeeping cud not have known abt this.bcoz..it cud easily have been stored inside suitcases..and housekeeping staff DO NOT open the luggages of "guests". It is possible that over a period of time many different "guests" came to the place and stayed there..and stocked up. Also yes..some digruntled employee of the hotel cud have helped the terrorists in many ways..provided them routes/maps of the layout of the hotels..etc. Some sort of revenge.
At present..my mind is in so much of shock...I am unable to think of more to say. I will add more later when am able to recollect things to say. At the time of writing this..am still watching news showing that ops in Nariman House have finally concluded.
Yes Anil, I fully agree with u n support u on this.
Also i know this is not the times to say this but can't help myself.
How come Raj Thakeray is not insisting now that only the marathi manoos should fight the terrorists? Why is he silent as people from all over our country are helping us Maharashtrians fight these killers? Where are his brave MNS chamchas?
Hey Anil,
I totally agree with you, lets do whatever it takes to show the frigging politicians and the terrorist that what we mumbaikars are capable of. I even suggest lets all stand united and give of one member of a family to be trained and form a support anti terror group. Like Mr Bose had said "give me blood and I will give you freedom", lets do it for our motherland.
I am with you, please let me know whats the next step.
i seriously agree with what you have said and what Kamal and Ajay have commented, there is no point in me really repeating what has been said, so what i want to say at this point is that Anil please let us know what the next step is, "I'm on".i hope raj thackeray
(or atleast one of his "goondas") reads this to figure out where on earth they are when they call themselves the sons of the soil! boss (to raj thackeray)your mumbaikars are looked after by the NSG commandos who are not marathi mannoos but are north indians and they are here because your so called son of the soils are probably wearing bangles at this time and are under hiding or waiting for the next available opportunnty for hoodlism and "goondagardi". its a pity that such happening marathi manoos have contributed to bring this city to where it is today!!
Anil,
What should we do? What can we do to go beyond blogs and expressing anger, anguish etc.?
What is the pressure campaign you want to launch? What pressure should we exert on whom, to do what?
I am with you. Count me in. Enough is enough.
The coast guard and navy is the most corrupt sector. And as for our ministers and political leaders - the less said the better.
Our Chief Minister is more like a piece of junk jewelery adorning the walls of the house. He'd be better off joining his actor son, running around trees in bollywood movies or better still - in Marathi movies!!
Hey Anil,
The last days have been completely devastating. Like you I too have some fond memories with The Taj Hotel. Seeing its state I'm totally at loss of words!
I completely agree with you. I think we really need to exert pressure on our so called leaders.
If thats the only way we can ward off terrorism then be it.
So count me in.
Regards,
Amrita
I'd like to ask one question: here was Afzal Guru who was declared guilty, he had the death sentence awarded by no less than the Supreme Court, and where is this man today? Even if the law takes the guilty man in, and the justice system does its bit, why is there a dithering on this subject?
If we want to see some clear messages given to the terrorists, let's start by speaking in one voice about terrorists and their punishment. It's not too much to ask, and yet, Sonia and the President and their cronies find this subject worthy of long and deep thought, making a mockery of the whole law and order system.
So are you Anil going to start with Afzal Guru who wanted to destroy our entire democratically elected Parliament and cause chaos enough so that Pakistan could step in?
Start with Afzal Guru, then let's take it from there.
what you say is right...but instead of pointing at who has done whatever I think we should see what we are doing..It might be the Pakistanis,it might not be..we should make our own home secure..we should see what we can do and do that.....
Its high time India change its way....
the last time I had taken a train from New Jalpaiguri to Kolkotta(both in WB)...after some time a group of people came in and started opening the cealing light.After that they actually started removing stuff covered in newspapers from inside the A/C duct...they said it was electronic goods...I wanted to do something but could not...later I tried to write to the railway but the complaint procedure was so difficult that I had to give it up.The TTE the DRIVER everyone knew bout it for they could not have done it without their help....I am writing this so you may be able to do something about it.....and now in one way I have a lill guilt somewhere coz you never know what was it that they had got(5 big sacks)
Your heart seems to Bleed for the Taj and the Oberoi hotels as your precious memories are linked there.
There is no mention of the massacare of innocents at the CST. Or the innocents killed at Metro or the 22 killed at Nariman house in your emotional blog. Or do the two 'Members of your family' (Inanimate hotels) have more value than a fellow breathing human who was silently waiting for the train to take him to his gaon. Where he would be meeting his family after a year saving every nia paise he has for the journey. Or for the lady with the small baby who screamed in terror to sheild her child and was shot and so was her baby. Doesnt that move your heart then some stupid first cigarete you had on the steps and some silly heart break in the restraunt. Wake up.
If you want the change be the change you want to see. We have hundreds of guys giving advice and trashing the netas and the system You are part of the system lets find out first WHAT ARE YOU DOING.
Moaning like a fool about some silly memories.
You sound very much like the south Bombay spoilt Babalog type bemoaning so pathethicaly about the hotels only because this time it is closer home and in your backyard.
Yes Anil I agree with u. WE HAVE ALWAYS REACTED its time now for us to act. In this blame game, i blame our intelligence system which has failed again. Prior to Kargil war when Pakistan purchased snow shoes unlimited our intelligence slept over it. And so many soldiers died waiting for Orders. And now its this...
Good for the Indian spirit that in crisis we are one...alll came and stood by the Marathi Manoos..
It is indeed time for us, the public to act. We have to keep mischief mongers like Advani and other saffron troublemakers from entering Mumbai. Kick them out the way Laloo did not allow this charlatan to enter Bihar with his rath yatra.
The continuous spewing of hatred aganst muslims by the saffron brigade has to stop. And do not take help from Israel. They are more spiteful and hate driven than the jihadis.
Hi anil
Read your blog................
i do support your idea that we should take the Country and especially the Politicians to task ..............and i do agree with your logic that if we can have Foreign CEOs and coachs then why not ask for help in getting proper protection from Terrorism................
regarding it being Pakistan involved I think thats a long shot as we will never be able to prove it Like we still havent been able to get the "D" man from them knowing he is there and their to be PM Benazir was shot dead inside the country
I also feel thet we should put pressure on the Government for the very unfair 6th Pay commison ...........in the end for all that was said it was the Army Navy and Airforce that helped overcome this Situation
regards
Chitra
Yes, Anil! I m with u..... Sign me up.... In fact thats pretty much what i wrote in a note on my FB profile.. http://www.facebook.com/editalbum.php?aid=85397&add=1#/profile.php?id=613875165&ref=profile
thanks for taking this initiative.... sensible as usual...
jkd
Yes. Besides all that u did at Taj, i had my first hair cut there and
left behind my long strands of hair there at the Taj saloon. I have
also grown numb. In fact I was wondering what has Anil got to say and
here it is....
Hi Anil,
First of all, I understand when people express sentiments and emotion towards the Taj.
But the Taj is the Taj because of the training provided to the staff. And the service that they, in turn, provided to the patrons. Warmth and consideration. It gives great memories not because its a great structure but because its staff make it a great experience.
However, when there are certain wealthy people who cry outrage at the Oberoi or Taj being destroyed, either because they had a shop there or because" it was their second home", I will speak up.
When Mumbai had the train blasts two years ago ( already long forgotten !! ) middle class and lower class people lost their lives and the wealthy and influential were NOT OUTRAGED. No one was sitting in Tv studios expressing their wrath/ fury/ anger etc. People who die in trains and buses are unknown to the movers and shakers that constitute page 3.
The parties and the crazy obsession with being "seen socially" continues unabated.
Unknown, poor, people can die and no one sheds a tear except their own immediate friends and family. I knew a family whose son' s head was found, with a little bit of shoulder ....the rest of the body must have been blown to smithereens. ...
You are welcome to disagree.
Now, to come to the serious issue.
I am no expert but I believe that
1) we need the army out in Mumbai to first of all provide security.
2) policemen need to be trained to manage any / all kinds of emergencies.
3) citizens need to be also trained in basic ways to report incidents/ be more alert etc.
4) India has to BEHAVE A NATION. No state wise segregation. "Its their problem" mentality.
5) the coast guards need to be doing their jobs effectively and
6) the retired army/ navy men should be heading think tanks and action groups ( empowered by the GOVT. ) because no one understands security related matters and combat issues and terrainand strategy better than they do.
will write more once I hear from you.
cheers
Lorraine
p.s. I too have been romanced by men at the Zodiac Grill and the Apollo Bar and trust me, I have a recollection of a great meal but I found the men boring. I eventually married a man who spoke to my heart.
Anil,
If you are serious, we can start an action group. Get all the influential people involved and let them put their clout to good use.
I look at it this way.
You can die anytime, anywhere. Death can come suddenly.
why not put our life to good use ?
Each one using the talents they possess ?
I find it useless to get angry or outraged. Such a waste of energy.
All the time, I'm watching the longest horror movie, I'm thinking of what can be done to prevent such tragedies in the future...
cheers
Lorraine
Anil,
Such a beautifully written piece.
My thoughts, exactly, on the Taj and the Oberoi.
If only I could find the words.
Freddy
Hi Anil,
I fully share your emotions and sentiments. I was crying within myself when i saw the pictures of Taj and Oberoi getting hit by bombs. It was as if my own family member is being tortured in front my eyes and I am helpless. Yes, it is proved beyond doubts that our political leadership is clueless and lacks leadership. Yes there is a need for such a movement to Save Bombay and India at this hour.
I wish to add further, why our country should keep quiet now. By now we should have launched a counter attack on all PoK militants and send troops to border and declare war on Pakistan not on their people but on the elements of militants outfit like the US did after 9/11.
We should also execute the order of Hanging Afzal at this moment to send a strong signal to the world. Will they do it?. I doubt.
VK
Anil, I agree with you. Taj,CST and Oberoi are our heritage and our heritage was attacked. These are landmarks we have grown up with. One can now understand what the americans went thru on 9/11. that time it seemed far.... now the reality has hit home. it's a wake up call. every citizan should be given training to handle a crisis situation. in these times there are more rumours which circulate than actual facts. the media covered the whole op but here too there was oneupmanship.. how my channel is giving you the exclusive.... do we need that when mumbai is burning.... also these were places frequented by the richie-rich.... when the trains got bombed... the spirit of mumbai was praised.... why because those people cant afford to sit home a single day....
I may not be a fan of Raj Thackeray's politics but don't dismiss the marathi manoos... the 3 martyrs who led from the front: Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar were from maharashtra....
This whole incident was a complete intelligence failure for which the govt should take moral responsibility and resign.
Hi Anil,
I agree with you that we need to change the system as the one we currently follow is of no use and the politicians are to be blamed for this mess and not to mention the corrupt people of our country who will fall for a dime to let us down.
I hope and pray that we will one day be able to stand up and choose a right government who is working for the people, by the people.
May the Lord grant peace to all the families who have lost their loved ones in the attack and forgive those who caused this to happen.
Regards
MCV
please lets reject calls of bandhs by useless politicians as bandhs dont ever achieve anything.
yes we need to bring in experts to handle the situation(they could be from any country)
yes we need to keep the politicians absolutely out.
yes a forum needs to be started and sustained till solutions are found.
Hi Anil,
I totally agree with you. But raving and ranting against our incompetent politicians is not going to help us....don't forget, we are the ones who voted for them!!
Two things....in the short term, train some of our Policemen in the art of Commando-like action...we saw how they were quite helpless. And in the long term, encourage more of our children to join the forces instead of 'ItYt', or going 'abroad' to study. Inculcate in them a sense of patriotism FOR OUR COUNTRY and not just for our State. I remember when we were in College, it was compulsory to join the NCC, why have they stopped that?
hey,
honestly i still feel very very angry.... this emotion is far from gone! and i echo the sentiments and thoughts of Lorraine and Ms/Mr Anonyomous. These structures may be heritage structures etc and a matter of pride for our city but i care more about the people who died and for what!!! whether they were innocent people goin about their daily business or the staff of these respective places or then last but not the least the commandos who lost their lives .... the tatas and the oberois of this country have enough money to pump in to rebuild their structures but who will replace these brave and innocent people who have gone! i wudnt ever want to compare inanimate structures to real human beings... however fond ur memories of these places maybe i just feel it cant be compared to a loss of human lives and the trauma they or the other survivors had to suffer.......
but i do agree on ur latter point... call in whoever it takes to get us equipped to handle such sitns and there is no ego there.... if we can do it in other spheres we can certainly do it where its required the most!
and i do wish that next time around an attack on the parliament is SUCCESSFUL! that speaks for the sentiments i have for every politician without exception!
Dear Anil,
your state if mind reflects that of every indian .
as for solution, I would prefer to look at home first. Use all ur energy , collective or individual, in educating the masses to dispense street justice to politician instead of burning national properties and killing eaqch other. Sigle them out and react. Stop being an addicit to the cracking of ringmaster's whip. Be lions, not the growling ones but the true ones.
read your blog...i agree with you...but not fully...we need to sort our issues ourselves...we need a strong young dynamic leader who will lead from the front and restore our faith in democracy...
Hi Anil,
Fantastic articles.The majority ruling us need the votes of the illiterate & until then we will never be a Shanghai or Singapore,all we can do is dream on.Anyway, you keep up the good work & keep writing those super articles.Good luck.
Rita Newnes
Yes Anil count me in.i'm quite tired of being angry & no i am no longer "Resilient".Tell me what we can do to put a stop to all this.
How about turning the voting process open to only to graduates and above?
Terrorism is not a political issue; sanitising your hands after you defecate, is. That's the issue that levels the country.
Because India runs on the power of voting and when it comes to that, Mumbai or Gurgaon stand no chance against the thousands of villages that fall under districts like Begusarai, Barabanki, Jaunpur, Rewa, Jhansi, Saharanpur, Satna, Lakhimpur, Bhind and countless others.
Absolutely agree with you...it's high time we stopped blaming the jokers who run our country - we elected them remember? Your logic sounds absolutely correct....we should and must take help from international, efficient anti-terror organizations.
Yes I totally agree with Anil. I already realized this kind of international situation will pop-up in near future after train bombing in Mumbai. Although never realized so early. I totally support for International support for controlling this terror situation nas we Indiana inclusing us are useless, cannot only blame Netas as "remember" we only elect them. We should ACT togather and show this sso called international terror by unity from very basic level.
I would also like to come forward and be volunteer for this "initiation" by Anil.
Lets do it.....enough of cribbing.
Yes this was a personal attack. But when we say we must do something we need to very quickly! In a very simplistic linear to -start -with thinking I believe if we as citizens dont have a voice in the politics of our country..we cannot make no sweeping changes at all. Hence in my simplistic way of looking at life I believe we need to have a citizens vote bank first, which will create the right leaders who will lead the country as it should! I wrote pretty much the same on my blog too
http://quip-pro-quo.blogspot.com/
Happy to help nonetheless with anything constructive reqd to be done.
Dear Anil,
Its no longer a question where it happened this week, or two years ago or 15 years ago. No point in reminiscing about structures, no point in discussing social classes affected. These just highlight our biases, our personal preferences, our standard politico, system, bureaucracy bashing convenient attitude. The time to ask each other "what to do", is long gone. The time is of action and each one of us should use our little brain and make an attempt. The probability of one honest attempt being successful is far more when there are millions of them. I am sure when you lit that ciggie or romanced the girl, you never asked anybody before doing any of them. So what's stopping us now......
The newspaper was full of news of the world leaders condemning the attacks. Do they realize their condemnation of attacks are of no use to people who's family members died in the attacks. They are just words. What we need is fast action not words about how the world feels "sorry" for us and how they "condemn" the attacks. Makes me wish that i could slap the person who said says that.
In few days we will again talk about how life goes on in Mumbai and how resilient we are to terrorism. Then again attacks and blasts occur somewhere and the cycle continues. It's amazing how laid back the government is even after an national average of one bomb blast every week in the country. Its confusing that are we living in India or Iraq with Bombs everywhere.
Why doesn't the government beef up the security along all the borders and coastline? Its common sense that the weapons like AK-47s are not country made. They are manufactured outside the country and imported to India by the terrorist.
We are surrounded by countries with fragile governments. And still we don't realize that we need more security along borders as compared to any other country in Asia. Politicians instead working to provide better facilities to security agencies point fingers at opposite religious group instigating them to give rise to more home-breed terrorist. It looks like a bunch of retards are running the government. The truth is at present no place in the world is safe from terrorist attacks. But still other countries have minimized the risk of attacks by improving the Security intelligence. When to we do it?
Hey Anil,
As much as I share the sentiments behind your blog I disagree with the method of dealing with the situation. What I do agree with is what Lorraine is suggesting. This has to be looked at methodically and a structure like she suggests does seem like an excellent option. I am all for change and change can only be fruitful if its worked upon with a calm and clear thought process. We need to guard against the idea of acting on raw emotions, remember the best way to beat the system is to work with it. So if we are all in agreement that we need a movement to bring such a change, then lets start talking about a method to give shape to what that change has to result in and what steps need to be taken in the course of it.
Lorraine I am all for your suggestions and do support the framework that you ve talked about. If its people that you need to volunteer then count me in. I personally am willing to work on this whenever you do decide to get this going.Do believe its the responsibility of each and everyone of us to get this country on track for sanity and safety that all of us so dearly find missing. Sunil Kewalramani
It's high time for all citizens, particularly those living in urban areas, to start the 'People's Movement'.
Singing a common song will help us rid of inefficient law-makers/politicians. If necessary, let's take hints from the Filipinos who showed their true strength against Marcos, and the current roar of Thai voices.
But then again, the revolt will be against whom? only politicians? Those who can't rein and bear to hear of home-grown terror and are busy throwing non-returning boomerangs at each other? Let's try to change peoples' 'thinking' for 'India's' benefit.
Dear Anil,
Whole heartedly agree with you on this one - call in the pros (Yanks, Brits, Israelis) to deal with terror while our kaccha boys learn the pucca ropes......
Sound idea.
Wish you all the best
And my support
Smeetha
literally couldnt. had to turn off the tv several times. like you said, the intense familiarity of the places bombed, makes it very hard. its like watching your house blow up.
hi all
have read the comments, many thanks.
i read lorraine's views and also noticed some of you agree with them. yes, let's support her in her endeavours. but i seek a larger solution, that of making sure our intel works, and if it does, the job of the rest will become easier.
don't forget the root of the problem is intel failure, our spies are incompetent.
gimme a few days, will ensure this plan reaches the PMO and Ms Gandhi
regards
anil
Hi Mr Thakraney,
I completely agree with your sentiments for the Taj. I have grown up in Mumbai and my heart bled seeing its present state. But hats off to their staff and also that of the Trident. Let's start a movement so that this does not repeat. Im with you.
Minal Mhatre
don't know how you all feel but suddenly the Bush aministration is making sense. We need to start suspension of civil liberties for certain crimes against the country. We need to start detention centers which are not under Indian Judicial review for terrorists acting against the state and country. We need to start a debate on this. Start building a framework of laws that are harsh and leave no scope for escaping by using legal loopholes. Start building a nationwide dialogue on this. I can think of many media organisations who will listen. At least we can try. Or sit back and watch as eventually it starts affecting us individually.
It has been revealed now that there was NO intelligenc efailure- both IB and RAW had sent warnings to the State government about a terror attack' from the sea' and specifically 'on Taj Mahal Hotel'. But we all heard CM Deshmukh admitting that they were waiting for more specific details and his busybody Deputy was heard trivialising the issue as 'something that happens in every city'! Oh yeah? so kill some worthless politicians and see what happens...Was the CM waiting for the terrorist to send him an SMS as to the route, time and target of their attack? Such is the dismal indifferent leadership we have... Jaya..Jaya..Jayanti unable to take Shobaa De's stern criticism burst into hysterics that they too had suffered terrorism, 'madam' had lost her husband and m-in-law....so people, learn your lesson, no loss can be greater than madam's loss! Can we depend on these nincompoops to protect our city and ourselves?
Launch whatever you have in mind Anil and as we go along, we'll get numbers and a proper direction. But We need to do something about this!
not a bad suggestion.. but not feasible.. security is always an internal matter.. and no country shares it with any other.. Cricket, Business etc are different from internal security..
however the direction is good.. if it was possible i would be very glad..
cynical as i may sound, i still feel you guys are only talking.. and 2 days later you too will forget about all this..
risking sounding more cynical i will take the libery to say this.., it is very annoying that you guys are all saying enough is enough when the TAJ burnt.. were the trains not 'fivestarish' enough for you.. and the jhopadpatti's in 1993?.. come on guys.. stop talking.. stop blogging.. if you got the balls go pick up the scraps at Taj.. you, shobha de, alex kuruvilla are all good writers and good orators who have suddenly woken up because it has happened in 'your/their' backyard..
anyways i know me sounding cynical is as bad as you sounding 'defiant'.. i will stop now coz i want to stop just 'sounding'.. let's get doing..
regards,
Alim
interesting view anil. Just one question, "corrupt" "incompetent" as our politicians are, why would they implement anything as blasphemous as this, even if it may help in the short-term? No, what I think we need to do is stop treating the government as an institution and the leaders as netas. Sorry, they have been elected. they are being paid. Keeping us safe is a service they provide. A job they do. And when your bai doesn't clean the cockroaches away, you pull her up. When the food you ordered at the Taj wasn't up to the mark, u fired at the chef/waiter. Hold these people accountable. Let there be pressure every day. Every minute. And if they can't perform, out with them.
And if this 13st december we are back tp partying and celebrating, then the next time there's a terror attack, don't scream, don't get upset or angry. Just switch channels.
You have my vote brother.
Being a Mumbaikar , I can understand and feel your pain.
Isareli / FBI Swat team specialists should be called if not to lead to give us some minimal training to handle such contingency.
I think you have hit the nail on the head with the point about mass illiteracy resulting in the electing of these jokers. However, i'm not sure your idea about handing over to the Brits would work because the former SAS head who is now the chair of the Commons counter-terrorism committee here in the UK has told the press today that Britain would be ill-prepared to cope with a similar assault.
Hi there,
I am sick and tired hearing that there is not enough money to buy up to date equipment for armed forces.
Politicians declare crores of assets in election times, just a fraction of that wealth should do the trick....
How come nobody wonders, where all the riches have come from? Nobody started of that loaded.
And that is only what they declare...
Any answers?
C.
truly agree.
And since Mumbaikars are fighting fiscal upheavals, job in-securities, political tamashas (in the name of sons-of-the-soil) am sure and confident that now we should equip and can combat terrorism ourselves from our shores. Because, powerful people are only concerned of their rotten asses getting Z security and jeopardizing our (citizens) lives to terror. Also, to combat injustice of all kinds, why not have a “Citizens Right-to-Live-in-Peace Association”, where by we can take stock of what is good and bad. By this way we can guard our interest, lives and coastal shores, which till date have not been protected by authorities-in-charge, and than we all can sleep securely in peace.
Agree with u. Alternatively, make the army an independent body. Our army is capable enough. Look at the way they tackled the terrorists when they had antic pieces in the name of amunation and arms.
Hi Anil,
I'm not very knowledgeable about world history or politics so please forgive any factual errors i make in my statements. But, from what I can seem to remember the yanks have fucked up in Vietnam, Israel / Palestine, Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.
Letting the yanks run our National Security is not the answer i think, it's just inviting a far greater problem. remember it took us 2 centuries to throw out imperialist rulers in the first place.
I don't have the answers my friend but i think that if each one of us took a little more interest in the governance of our Housing Societies, our localities, our districts, our cities then we can bring about a change. a change in the way we tackle or prevent terror attacks at one end and a change in the way we handle issues of traffic, literacy, public-health, etc at the other end.
while i'm not suggesting that we all give up our plush corporate jobs and get into politics, it is clear that some of us at least will have to. and i'm sure that if we look around us we will find those few who are ready to take on the mantle. and then it is our responsibility to extend support to them in every manner that we can. start small - corporation elections maybe and in a few years maybe a couple of decades even, we might be able to see an 'efficient' government in office at a national level.
the question is, do we have the commitment in ourselves to make it happen. we feel saddened, outraged, impotent when instances such as the terror attack last week happen. can we turn these emotions into resolve, into commitment, into a trigger for bringing about the change we so often idealise in our conversations and comments?
Right on. http://fumingplume.blogspot.com/
I do agree with you, but let's face it: In every way, the state is incompetent, from small things such as issuing ration cards and passports, to larger issues such as the city's infrastructure and security. Let's outsource everything except for the Lok Sabha TV channel on which we can, if we need a laugh, watch politicians discuss pay hikes for themselves.
There is an idea..!!
Remember how we sent our IPKF to Sri Lanka to help the govt there fight the LTTE..?? In the same way..there are 2 alternatives.
1) We also set up a dedicated unit to fight terror..constantly patrolling the streets of our cities..Setting up such a unit will also help to generate more employment as well as create a sense of security for our people.
2) The other alternative is..to allow some terror fighting experts from "outside" handle it on our behalf..be it US or UK...or whoever. Hell..if the Sri Lankan Govt had no problems taking our help to fight the Tigers..why shudnt our Govt do the same..???!!
Lets face it..we need help..and we need it BADLY..We are unable to do this on our own..So lets swallow humble pie and take help from others who are ready to offer it to us.
I wish such an outrage was demonstrated when 1993 riots and bomb blast happened. I wish such an outrage was demonstrated when Gujarat was on fire and still the MONSTER is roaming free. I wish such an outrage was shown when a series of blasts went in small towns, cities, trains, buses, etc. etc. I dont mean that 26/11 event is anyway a lesser event, its India's 9/11, but why not treat the root of problem, rather than being jingoistic. The change will come when we Indians stop being selfish, stop bribing policemen and babus, stop fighting against each other, stop being biased against each other, start treating people equally and remain united (too far fetched, but can be done). This and this can only bring change as controlling terrorism like US and Israel is good on papers as their and ours demography differs. As mentioned by Rahul, he is right, the Yanks have royally fcuked in other countries. Let us make our police force and army stronger rather than relying on others and start ask for political accountability. I too am cynical like Alim about all these discussion. Hoping for the best.
I completely agree with what has been said on the issue. Terrorism has to be faught and we need to look ahead for a change, not only in the systems, but our attitude towards the same.
Whether it's the Congress, BJP or any other political party, Not one MP or MLA has the guts to take a decision on what needs to be done on the terrorism front and how we need to tackle our Neighbours Pakistan, who has been all along promoting a proxy war against India.
Hats off to General Hoon, who gave a call of "Ek Dhakka Aur Do... Pakistan Tod Do...". He was also of the opinion that amongst the present Political Leaders, Except for Narendra Modi, no other Politician in today's India has the guts to take a bold step to call for a war on Pakistan.
Where is the NHRC today, who used to immortalise guys like Modi in the name of Communalism?
It was this same Modi, who first suggested an all party meet to tackle the situation, when the Taj & Oberoi was burning, which Dr. Manmohan Singh did, subsequently. When asked whether Modi blamed the Present Government for these terrorist attacks, His reply was very short and apt, when he said, that this is not the hour of the day to discuss the issue, but to find a solution for the same.
Under these difficult times, we need a strong leader, who can take the bull by it's horns.
In the end, let us all believe that Not all is lost and we still have a few good leaders in waiting who can give us hope to live for a better tomorrow...
while I concur with you on the summary, few of your reasonings as to why we in India fail to protect our
nation is simply not analogous to the example of the United States.
The paradigms under which we live and operate in our country is dramatically different than most other nations.
Our porous borders- oh they're so wide and long.
Our long coastlines- and seperated by small maritime boundaries;(
Our elected official's social priorities- which leaves little for the prime-attention security deserves....
The list can go on and on. But yes, you and I can agree that Enough is Enough, we should all invoke the citizen within us
and rise to ask questions and seek answers!
--Faisal
Hi Anil,
This could not be directly linked to the issue on hand, but nevertheless it is a contributing factor.
I am 30 years old and work in a prestigious post in a top MNC in Bangalore. I and some of my friends and colleagues do share similar views on 'serving the nation'. We believe that compared to the vast majority of our fellow countrymen, we have been lucky to receive a good education, achieve successes in our careers and taste the good things of life. This, to the extent, that we now believe that we could give up our lucrative jobs and our lifestyles and work to "give back to the society" which has nurtured us all along.
With this in mind, I did try to appear for the UPC exams. But, I was disappointed to know that due to my age, I could not appear. Also, I did not meet any of the age exemption criteria.
My question is this, why cannot the Indian Government increase the age limit for people wanting to apply for IAS and IPS??...Coming with years of corporate experience, I am sure people like me can contribute to the development of this nation through matured decisions and systematic workflow. Remuneration component would be our last criteria to take up this role (remember, we are willing to give up our lucrative jobs).
Although I am not a great fan of Bollywood, even today, tears roll down my eyes when I remember the scene in the movie "Swades". This is the scene wherein Sharukh Khan had tears when he was returning in a boat to his hometown after a visit to a remote village to collect the rental dues from a family in abject poverty.
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