After 26/11, I received number of forwards into my mailbox, proclaiming 'enough is enough', 6 steps or 21 steps the Govt. should take to combat terror, stories of martyrs of Mission Tornado, gory images of CST shootout, interviews of film stars and celebrities and every conceivable gossip possible (I am awaiting a forward on Kasab's love interest). Everyone has a good topic discuss now, at bus stops, coffee shops, at the dinner table and may be even daaru.
Media has given this incident prime coverage. Relatives of victims have spoken on television before the first tear rolled out of their eyes. New channels especially the Sabse Tej ones have even broadcast the journey of a bullet from a terrorist's gun to a soldiers chest. And we all have watched it in amusement on TV. We all have been scared. We all have been stirred. We all have been shaken.
Thousands of people gathered at the Gateway of India to protest the inefficiency of the Government. They had catchy slogans written on their T-shirts and on placards. The crowd enthusiastically clicked pictures, shouted slogans and gave media bytes. All so much filmy, so much Rang de Basanti. Now, what next?
Change in leadership at the state level, that too just one state. Will we wait for attacks on other states to bring about a change there? Are we going to be reactive only? Scared, stirred and shaen, but has the incident really woken us up? Or do we still thin that candle light and peace marches are going to solve the problem. Have the parents of Indian youth woken up enough to support their child's entry into politics? Have the Indian wives woken up enough to let their husband take up a lesser paying job, give up the luxuries of a sedan and that lucrative onsite trip just because their motherland needs them more? And above all have WE, the responsible citizens of free India, understood where every small penny spent on bribe, LPG cylinders in black market, pirated music/movies, cash payment of rent and property purchase is taking our country? Are we awake to the fact that black money from this market funds terror? Are we ready to sacrifice petty individual gains for the larger good? Stop blaming the politicians for their corrupt practices. They are just worthy representatives of who we are.
