Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Mumbai terror ............. and me

My salute to all the heroes that gifted our country and countrymen with the saving grace in face of the glaring attack on its dignity. 

My salute
  • to all officer and men of police and ATS who lost their lives showing courage in engaging the extremists
  • to all officers and men of police and ATS  who suffered injuries while courageously engaging the terrorists
  • to all officers and men of police and ATS who showed same courage in engaging the extremists but were unhurt by sheer luck or grace of God.
  • to wives, mothers, children family members and friends whose support must have played a role in making those men the metal they showed
  • to all our countrymen who make the great image of India that it is today
  • to all the staff of the hotels and other support staff who helped the injured and took the rescued people to safety. It is sure that drivers of ambulances and of rescue vans staked their lives in danger.
  • to all medical and para-medical staff who worked round the clock to help the injuried and medication and counselling.
  • to all the media people who took the gory scenes to international forefront.
  • to all the common citizens who showed courage and presense of mind in the times of panic, shock and chaos.
  • to all the politicians who showed immense restraint in keeping their sick babbling mouths relatively shut.
By saying all these I am probably trying to make up for the my lack of patriotism. I did not light a single candle, I did not participate in a single rally, I did not forward a single patriotic email, I did not support attacking Pakistan, instead I was pleading our own folks to introspect on why and how this could happen ..... and so on.

But what was I doing when Mumbai appeared to be under seige? I was doing many things:
  • Seeing that some of the terrorists might have escaped, I quickly realised the danger to my children. I closed the windows, pulled down the curtains, asked children to lie low and sat with them to support them. I switched off all the lights (except, of course, of TV) so that the escaped terrorists would not notice our housse
  • I intensely watched all that was showing on TV. During commercial breaks I switched channels for uninterrupted viewing.
  • I did Reiki on the injured and the shocked
  • I thought of strategies and communicated those to ATS through Reiki
  • I fervently discussed what needs to be done now
  • I loudly denounced corruption and other rot in indian polity and administration
It is strange that after all these patriotic acts I have continued to feel some sharp pangs.  Pangs for something that I did not do or would not do. Pangs for dumping responsibility on something or somebody else. Pangs for not owning up my role in getting to the situation that such attackes could be made on our country. Pangs of guilt by realisation that the way we are and will continue to be, this may not be the last attack.  Pangs of realisation that there is more to me than I was willing to admit. 

Now that dust has settled and tempers have clamed, I have gathered courage to be naked. I have become 'gopees' and have also become Krishna too.
  • Watching the whole damn thing on TV, I was shit scared that I could have been one of those guys in pool of blood.
  • I went all the way from my home at Kothrud to Aundh, but had there been such a march in the slum just accross the block, would I have gone? The answer is a Loud NO.
  • While profusely commemorating the  'shaheed' officers, I was surprisingly quiet about the non-officers jawans and sipaahis.
  • I am on the forefront to criticise politicians and government officials, but I not willing to do anything to improve the situation.
  • I refuse to acknowledge that on of the reasons that terror incidences are so frequent in Inddia is total disregard for rules and laws. I take every opprtunity to break a rule or a law, even for petty benefits.
  • Not able to do anthing to calm even a single heart, that was enflamed by what happened in Mumbai.
The kind of incidences that I had seen only in movies, were actually happening in fron of my eyes. Unbalievable. Bu then somebody has said, " anything that is difficult to believe can be experienced.

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