"You've thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins"
Was it a cryptic omen?I wonder now.Watching the movie "A Mighty Heart" a few days back,had left me with a nagging,disturbing feeling of apprehension,insecurity and sorrow.However,I was sure that it wasn't the movie only(though moving)and its specific subject.It was more like Lessing's "The Fifth Child",an impending doom,an unborn disaster being engendered within.It seemed to be like a certain eventuality,considering the way things are "progressing" for sometime now.
Now after 60 hours of Satan's reign over Mumbai,I wish I could assure myself with the belief that THIS was the eventuality,but it seems to me,the beginning of a prolonged nightmare.
No negotiations,no ransoms,no irrational demands for releasing jailed terrorists;what is chilling is to know that the foremost goal of these terrorists was to kill as many as they could till their last breath.These youth with phantoms and chimeras inhabiting their brain,were reported to be "remorseless and determined" in their "jihad".This they did,with messianic passion,shooting indiscriminately,holding hostages,killing them ,almost perfunctorily if they failed to serve their purpose.It fills me with repulsion to know that these monsters while making their way from one floor to the other (of Nariman House),while the NSG closed in on them,simply shot the helpless hostages,as their last cowardly act.They call themselves freedom fighters,attributing their actions to the name of "Allah".A two year old, orphaned on his birthday,gallant commandos and policemen shot to death,innocent civilians murdered just because they either moved or could not move too fast,this is the cause these "jihadis" died for.Yes,in death too,they remain dastards.
One of the terrible aftermath of this tragedy struck me while commuting to college.I heard a conversation between a group of students like me.When one asked who were responsible for these attacks,the answer came instantaneously,in chorus,"Who else?The Muslims!" This is probably one of the most dangerous effects of these acts of terrorism.Due to this undeniable common factor that unites almost all terrorists and acts of terrorism,it seems sadly natural that people would tend to generalize against the Muslims.One would argue that for all the pious claims oblivious pseudo-secularists make ,about this minority being on a backfoot socially and economically,with a huge band of aimless frustrated youth who are easily brain-washed to turn into miscreants, these problems plague other communities too,Hindus,Christians,Jews etc.How come almost all terrorists we see, seem to belong to this particular faith?While many of us,including me,would shirk away such theories and line of thought,one can't just deny this uncomfortable fact.I strongly believe that this factor should be analysed by social scientists and the like,to excavate the deepest underlying reasons behind it.The last thing one would want now,in this hour, when we should stand together as a country,is to have a new group of reluctant fundamentalists among the citizens,and the youth especially,for opportunist political groups to gleefully take advantage of the situation.
I think this incident has shaken most individual's trust in humans ,for afterall, what are humans without humanity ,the attribute that has been rampantly abused by these warmongers?If a man can stoop down to the deepest gorges of hatred and the nadir of barbarism,how can we claim that "God made man in his own image"?This Apocalypse is initiated,planned and executed by Man.Who are we going to trust if we cannot trust one of our kind?I guess,had H.G.Wells been alive,the War of the Worlds would not have been brought about by aliens wreaking havoc on the face of earth,but by these revolting spectres of inhumanity,bereft of even the dregs of compassion.I am so full of hatred for these cowards...
"And I hope that they die
And their death'll come soon
I will follow their casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while they're lowered
Down to their deathbed
And I'll stand o'er their grave
'Til I'm sure that they're dead."
Still,if we can divert our residual anger for those "..that never done nothing,but build to destroy" and those who play with our world like it's their little toy,to an intransigent desire to rise above this hatred(rather difficult) that completely engulfs me and I guess some of us now, with the strength of our mighty hearts,and not fall prey to petty communal differences and misunderstandings,stand as one,united country to root out this evil,these perpetrators of hinous crimes against humanity,these "Masters of War" , maybe ,just maybe,somewhere over a rainbow,a distant silver lining will emerge out of this very dark cloud of blood and tears.
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood
That runs in your veins"
Was it a cryptic omen?I wonder now.Watching the movie "A Mighty Heart" a few days back,had left me with a nagging,disturbing feeling of apprehension,insecurity and sorrow.However,I was sure that it wasn't the movie only(though moving)and its specific subject.It was more like Lessing's "The Fifth Child",an impending doom,an unborn disaster being engendered within.It seemed to be like a certain eventuality,considering the way things are "progressing" for sometime now.
Now after 60 hours of Satan's reign over Mumbai,I wish I could assure myself with the belief that THIS was the eventuality,but it seems to me,the beginning of a prolonged nightmare.
No negotiations,no ransoms,no irrational demands for releasing jailed terrorists;what is chilling is to know that the foremost goal of these terrorists was to kill as many as they could till their last breath.These youth with phantoms and chimeras inhabiting their brain,were reported to be "remorseless and determined" in their "jihad".This they did,with messianic passion,shooting indiscriminately,holding hostages,killing them ,almost perfunctorily if they failed to serve their purpose.It fills me with repulsion to know that these monsters while making their way from one floor to the other (of Nariman House),while the NSG closed in on them,simply shot the helpless hostages,as their last cowardly act.They call themselves freedom fighters,attributing their actions to the name of "Allah".A two year old, orphaned on his birthday,gallant commandos and policemen shot to death,innocent civilians murdered just because they either moved or could not move too fast,this is the cause these "jihadis" died for.Yes,in death too,they remain dastards.
One of the terrible aftermath of this tragedy struck me while commuting to college.I heard a conversation between a group of students like me.When one asked who were responsible for these attacks,the answer came instantaneously,in chorus,"Who else?The Muslims!" This is probably one of the most dangerous effects of these acts of terrorism.Due to this undeniable common factor that unites almost all terrorists and acts of terrorism,it seems sadly natural that people would tend to generalize against the Muslims.One would argue that for all the pious claims oblivious pseudo-secularists make ,about this minority being on a backfoot socially and economically,with a huge band of aimless frustrated youth who are easily brain-washed to turn into miscreants, these problems plague other communities too,Hindus,Christians,Jews etc.How come almost all terrorists we see, seem to belong to this particular faith?While many of us,including me,would shirk away such theories and line of thought,one can't just deny this uncomfortable fact.I strongly believe that this factor should be analysed by social scientists and the like,to excavate the deepest underlying reasons behind it.The last thing one would want now,in this hour, when we should stand together as a country,is to have a new group of reluctant fundamentalists among the citizens,and the youth especially,for opportunist political groups to gleefully take advantage of the situation.
I think this incident has shaken most individual's trust in humans ,for afterall, what are humans without humanity ,the attribute that has been rampantly abused by these warmongers?If a man can stoop down to the deepest gorges of hatred and the nadir of barbarism,how can we claim that "God made man in his own image"?This Apocalypse is initiated,planned and executed by Man.Who are we going to trust if we cannot trust one of our kind?I guess,had H.G.Wells been alive,the War of the Worlds would not have been brought about by aliens wreaking havoc on the face of earth,but by these revolting spectres of inhumanity,bereft of even the dregs of compassion.I am so full of hatred for these cowards...
"And I hope that they die
And their death'll come soon
I will follow their casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while they're lowered
Down to their deathbed
And I'll stand o'er their grave
'Til I'm sure that they're dead."
Still,if we can divert our residual anger for those "..that never done nothing,but build to destroy" and those who play with our world like it's their little toy,to an intransigent desire to rise above this hatred(rather difficult) that completely engulfs me and I guess some of us now, with the strength of our mighty hearts,and not fall prey to petty communal differences and misunderstandings,stand as one,united country to root out this evil,these perpetrators of hinous crimes against humanity,these "Masters of War" , maybe ,just maybe,somewhere over a rainbow,a distant silver lining will emerge out of this very dark cloud of blood and tears.
14 comments:
Same red blood that runs in our veins yet some believe that they are superior. Same organs. Same breath that expires in the end. Same dust. Same skeleton. Yet some feel that they have the right to control others. When will people really start looking in the mirror?
When humanity is in question, communities and countries shouldn't matter. I really wish a day comes when religion will be banned. In every part of the globe. Alongwith it, all international boundaries ought to be dissolved as well.
I can't help but admit that I would've agreed with the people on the bus. This is what has come out of 26/11. My hatred: a by product and exactly what the terrorists wanted. My feelings show their victory...
But i won't let them win...we all want peace. Condoleeza Rice may be here to convince India to get into a state of war with Pakistan...but we know that aggression has better ways to channelize itself.
May the world see a brighter day ahead...
@ Twisha
Yes,the same blood does run in all our veins...but while some shed the blood of others,some shed their own for others.That's what makes them superior.:)
And I totally agree with you about the whole concept of religion being banned.We should look to other ideas to find excuses for our festivals.It hardly solves problems,and creates way too many.
Thanks for your comments .:-)
@ Priyanshi
Yeah,my fear exactly.
"Dogs of war" set loose.
And we all hope for the better,indeed.
Religion is kind of banned in China in schools...More importantly though, where does the idea lead? The state would regulate our religions today. Tomorrow it'd regulate our sleeping habits, our eating habits and so on...The state would become a religious institution unto itself!(hint: the Roman Catholic Church and its regulation of all thought) Plus all our freedoms would be taken away. Do we really want that?
And honestly, what has changed from the morning of 26/11 till now? Is it something which never happens otherwise?
By banning religion,the state would become secular,not religious.The Roman Catholic Church promoted religious dogmas.So one is regulation via elimination and the other,by propagation.The two,I believe are different.
And even if the state doesn't ban it,I feel,we have seen enough to discard it.
And yes,things have changed,in my opinion.It should have,during the Bombay Blasts,the Godhara Massacres,the Delhi Blasts..but fortunately and unfortunately this time the glitterati were targetted.And that has finally seemed to make everyone realize that this INDEED is a big deal...and no one,rich or poor,Muslim or non-muslim,are safe!
Thank You for your comment :-)
In the absence of any core ideology, what do you think will the state promote? Also, when the state would hand out its own version of something(in retrospect, the Copernicus sytem as an example), it would automatically be promoting a dogma...shady point I guess..with not too much relevance to the current context.
So here's another slight question...what do you think can be done to eliminate this altogether? And think of something which would not be merely reactionary but an action :)
Also, you're welcome :) But I guess you'd often wish for me not to comment because of my devil's advocate attitude :P
Well,a core ideology for a state should desirably not be on religious lines.I mean the state will always be propagating a dogma,rather a sub-rational manipulation of human wants(Don't you think so? :-))Religion,caste,race,shouldn't figure in them I believe.
And,there's not much the public can do except turn their awareness to activism ,now,when it's high time.The industrialists and busines tycoons (who now realize that their money is failing to keep them safe),may pressurize the government,indirectly,for a selfish cause with a social benefit :to heighten security,take a tougher stance and be more proactive.Since the government seems to be shaken only by these people,it just might work.
And if you read my maiden post,you'd know that neither do I write for praises,nor am I deterred by criticisms.Infact,it is pleasantly stimulating to find opposing rational beliefs and ideas from a certain Satan's lawyer..!:P :-)
That tone in a way implies(or comes across as) an accusatory attitude towards these "businessmen and elitists" for not waking up earlier. Is that a correct interpretation?
I mean, aren't all of us equally responsible? That is, if we choose to assign responsibility by using the criterion of when one woke up to it. 1984 was when it all started in the North, Kashmir in 87, sometime later in the North East...Naxalism in a sense in the seventies...and yet, we wake up today, when we sense that it can come to our doorstep as well.
I am not assigning responsibility based on the hour of awakening.Each one of us is equally responsible,but to have an effective impact on the system,unfortunately hasn't been a choice that the masses have had.
That's why I brought in the "elitists".Acts of terrorism are not new in India,as I have pointed out earlier.But it has been this attack,on the symbols of India's economic prowess(as they keep repeating)that has suddenly made the "spirit of Mumbai" a hollow term.The July 2006 train bombings saw the media glorifying the resilience of the people,and am I to believe that with almost as many casualties as this incident,they still had no clue about the incapabilities of the government and our security system?It seems these group of people have some kind of a nictitating membrane,and as long as someone pokes them in their eye,they will remain indifferent.This incident,has given them a jolt too . I hope that they would pressurize the government this time for something other than tax benefits,non-intervention and tariff cuts,for as you rightly pointed out ,it has come to their doorsteps too.
And yes,the tone indeed was accusatory.It is time they used their power not merely for organizing charity benefits.
So effectively, if I am a rich man today(because of my own hardwork) with quite a few "associates" who have an "interest" in politics, it is my duty to put pressure on them to work effectively. Right?
Since they often use the art of manipulation,I don't see why not use it for a cause which would not only benefit them personally,but the public as a whole.And that is in no way taking away from their hard-work or acumen.
And who decides who has the responsibility of doing whatever one is finally "expected" to do?
The ultimate decision lies with the person concerned.I did not say that they should me MADE to act.Rather I stressed on the fact,that one SHOULD act,volunarily ,given the situation,and making the most of one's advantage,the end being collective advantage.It's a value judgement. :-)
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