Forgetting Mumbai

Just as I had feared, people are beginning to forget Mumbai. Reminded me of Blasts? What Blasts? ‘Yeh to hota hi rahta hai’.

At some point in the next few weeks, the pain, sorrow and anger will become a distant memory…like a bitter after-taste which you cannot remember the next day.

As I said to many of those who came to the Remembrance event last week, Mumbai was not the first…sadly, it will not be the last..

This war will last long…It has only just begun. 

Today was the 13th day after the attacks. The mourning period has ended… Now is the time to act. Unfortunately, national interest and terrorism do not appear to be on the priority list. 

🙁

P.S. Here is an apt “mantra” for these times…the Maha Mrityunjay Mantra – also one of my favourites.  

Image Courtesy  (More here)

P.P.S. No clarity yet on the number of those who died in the attacks. Sh Chidambram put the toll at 163 – which in an eerie coincidence – is the number reported killed in the Mumbai trains terrorist attack in July 2006.

Related Posts:

Terrorist Attack in Mumbai – Part II 

Jihadi attack in Mumbai? – UPDATED

B Shantanu

Political Activist, Blogger, Advisor to start-ups, Seed investor. One time VC and ex-Diplomat. Failed mushroom farmer; ex Radio Jockey. Currently involved in Reclaiming India - One Step at a Time.

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35 Responses

  1. Ramakrishna U says:

    Shanthanu,

    Though I agree with your suggestion, I think what India should cry out loud is the prayer that Gajendra that recited when it was being pulled down by a deadly crocodile. It has fought all it could, it cannot fight anymore as its strength is decreasing and that of the crocodile’s is increasing (because it is drinking the elephant’s blood).

    The right rasa for such mood is aarthi.

    Here is an audio of the stotra:
    http://www.prapatti.com/slokas/mp3/gajendramoksham1.mp3
    and the text
    http://vedabase.net/sb/8/3/en1

  2. Dirt Digger says:

    Indian politicians have 2 problems, greed and impotence. As long as they are afflicted by these problems they will never be able to take any action even if their close family was killed.

  3. Kalidas says:

    Completely agree.. this is even happening in the blogosphere. Young bloggers in their twenties have already started blogging about their favorite pass time.. love stories, poems, etc. after putting up some stories regarding the attack. 🙁

  4. S.Sundararaman says:

    In fact the same rudra from which the Mruthyunjaya manthram is recited contains one more prayer which apt for the occassion.
    Maanas thoke thanaye maana ayushi maano goshu mano ashvesu reerishah veeran mano rudra bhaami tho vadhee havishmantho namasa videmathe

    We shall offer oblations to you Oh Rudra, do not show your fury (as the kaala kala or destroyer) on our children, dear ones, on our life expectancy (ayushi) on our cattle, horses or our soldiers.

  5. Indian says:

    I also agree! I assume filmy people are worried what will happen to their movies if public get diverted to other issues. I assume, they are pretty busy pushing their movies and other stuff. Public should limit their interest in celebrities and filmy figure and must think and more attentive towrads their family, friends, community and the Nation. Its not like no to entertainment but while having fun keep in mind that terrorists may come from any direction and we are under fire. Be vigil and careful and watch what is happening around us. Fear will help us praying and chanting everyday. Prayers are biggest tool to get rid of unwanted situation. Specially teens and youth must take out some time for reciting and chanting the above mantra.

    Its time to bring our (sanatan daharmas) discipilne back to the routine. Help children to learn by heart some very powerful mantras, strotas and slokas.

    @S. Sundaram,
    Do you have any link to that mantra in Sanskrit, than I would love to learn that.
    @ Shantanu this is your wonderful post.

  6. S.Sundararaman says:

    @indian
    The link below contains this prayer as one of the verse.
    http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/invoc/in_satd.html

  7. Indian says:

    @S, Sundararaman

    Thank You very much!

  8. B Shantanu says:

    Thanks All for sharing your thoughts and feelings…

    I’ll also share some quotes from the condolence book that we had kept at the event on 5th Dec in a day or two.

  9. Indian says:

    http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&issueid=82&id=21791&Itemid=1&sectionid=19

    Pledge to fight terror. Please those who are unaware of this initiative please read.

  10. Indian says:

    please look at this link which is attached to the above link. Don’t miss.

    http://specials.indiatoday.com/specials/petition_new/pledge.html

    Jai Hind!

  11. sriram says:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXg2R3u30c4

    has a very spontaneous and lucid plea by Sonu Nigam to dump political correctness.

  12. B Shantanu says:

    Indian and Sriram: Thanks for the links. I will have a look at them.

  13. Indian says:

    Hats off to Sonu Nigam!
    Whatever he said is very true. This I have been thinking whole night. Hindus are impotent! Why? Because SRK said there are 2 Koran one from Allha and one from Mullha. I want to ask mediawala, how many questioned SRK regarding this? He is no bigger than a Nation. How many asked him than who are this monsters and Insane breed? Why are we not asking them upfront some question? why are media so shy asking all this to Javed, Shabana, Amir, SRK, Salman..etc etc and Teesta setalwad? Arenot they were in media to defend their religion and holy book?

  14. Guru Charan says:

    Sriram,

    Thank you for posting the video of Sonu Nigam. He has come very close where there is a possibility of seeing the problem for what it is. Now he needs to take the leap of studying Islam and its history and coming to this understanding that the problem is Islam itself. I find that it becomes very difficult for people to accept that Islam is inherently very violent and oppressive. Hindus’ minds have been poisoned and cluttered with the idea of “Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava” that they don’t want to face the truth even when it stares them at their face.

    Look at what Shri Sita Ram GoelJi said long time back in his book “Jesus Christ – An artifice for Aggression”

    Quoted from the preface

    The first glimpse of the Jesus of the gospels came to me in 1956. My Jesuist friend who had tried to convert me, had failed in the attempt. When we were back at the mission headquarters in Patna, the following dialogue took place between us.

    “You believe that Jesus was an avatar,” he asked.
    “Yes, I do,” I replied.
    “Can an avatar tell a lie?”
    “He is not supposed to.”
    “What if Jesus says he is the only God?”
    “He can’t say that.”

    My friend picked up a copy of the New Testament and read out several passages from the gospels. Jesus did say in so many words not only that he was the only God but also that those who did not accept his claim would burn for ever in the infernal pit. I realized with painful surprise that Jesus was not all Sermon on the Mount as I had been led to believe by his Hindu votaries.

    Years passed, and I had no time to spare for Jesus. I turned to him again in the eighties when Ram Swarup made me wise about the character of monotheistic creeds. It was then that I turned to the gospels. I was horrified. Now I could see why the history of Christianity had been what it had been. The source of the poison was in the Jesus of the gospels. The rest of my studies followed.

    A few years ago I was discussing the menace of Christian missions with a Gandhian friend. He agreed with me that there was something sinister about them. I told him that we shall have to tell our people the truth about Jesus if we wanted to tackle the missions. He was visibly shaken, and said to me in a voice choked with emotion, “Sitabhai. Jesus ko kucch mat kahiye (Brother Sita, do not touch Jesus)!”
    “Have you read the gospels,” I asked him.
    He was annoyed, and shot back, “That is a personal question.”
    I had to drop the subject. Every time I have asked opinionated people about the source of their opinion on a particular question, I have been accused of being personal. I am thinking of writing an essay — Advantages of Being An Ass.

    And now I have defied the ban. I do not know how my Gandhian friend will take it. I have wondered over the years why we Hindus have remained preoccupied with the behaviour patterns of Muslims and Christians and not with the belief systems which create those behaviour patterns. We object to Christian missions, but refuse to discuss Christianity and its God, Jesus. We object to Islamic
    terrorism, but refuse to have a look at Islam and its prophet, Muhammad. I see no sense or logic in this Hindu habit.

    In fact, we go a step further. We appeal to the Christian missionaries in the name of Jesus, and ask them not to do what they have been doing. We appeal to the Muslims in the name of Muhammad, and ask them to stop doing what they have been doing. In the process, we have invented a “real” Jesus and a “true” Christianity. We have also invented a “real” Muhammad and a “true” Islam. The missionary and the mullah smiles at our inventions but goes ahead and makes good use of our softheadedness. That is why we have failed to solve the “communal problem” all these years. We have never tried to find out why our own people, which both Christians and Muslims are, should become alienated from us when they pass under the spell of Christianity and Islam.

    Flattering the bully may become necessary when the bully is powerful and there remains no other way of softening him except by extolling his heroes or his cult. Hindus have experienced such emergencies vis-a-vis both Islam and Christianity. But there is no reason for their continuing with the same psychology. Hindus should not convert an apaddharma into Sanatana Dharma.

    The whole book is available at
    http://hamsa.org/artifice-intro.htm

    Cheers,

    GC

  15. B Shantanu says:

    Guru Charan: Thanks for the excerpt. Very thought-provoking.

    I am still struggling with the issue that Sh GoelJi has identified…

    I have not read the Koran in full…neither can I claim to be a scholar of Islam or Islamic History…

    But it would be great if we can get the perspective of someone who has delved deeper.

  16. Guru Charan says:

    Shantanu,

    This is the complete listing of the books
    that is available online for free

    The Calcutta Quran Petition
    http://voiceofdharma.org/books/tcqp/

    Heroic Hindu Resistance to Muslim Invaders
    http://voiceofdharma.org/books/hhrmi/

    Jihad the Islamic doctrine of permanent war
    http://voiceofdharma.org/books/jihad/

    The legacy of Muslim Rule in India
    http://voiceofdharma.org/books/tlmr/

    Muslim League attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947
    http://voiceofdharma.org/books/mla/

    Muslim slave system in Medieval India
    http://voiceofdharma.org/books/mssmi/

    Muslim Separatism – Causes and Consequences
    http://voiceofdharma.org/books/muslimsep/

    Theory and Practice of Muslim State in India
    http://voiceofdharma.org/books/tpmsi/

    The Story of Islamic imperialism in India
    http://voiceofdharma.org/books/siii/

    Understanding Islam through Hadis – Religious faith or
    fanaticism?
    http://voiceofdharma.org/books/uith/

    Negationism in India – Concealing the record of Islam
    http://voiceofdharma.org/books/negaind/

    Tipu Sultan – Villain or Hero?
    http://voiceofdharma.org/books/tipu/

    Apart from these, you can also get a wealth of information
    from web sites

    http://www.jihadwatch.org/
    http://www.andrewbostom.org
    http://www.faithfreedom.org/

    Hope this helps.

    Cheers,

    GC

  17. B Shantanu says:

    Earlier today, my wife reminded me of what she had said fifteen days ago…

    NOTHING, absolutely nothing would come out of the attacks in Mumbai.

    Once the attacks are over, the intellectuals will resort to their intellectual subversion and try and find fault within ourselves or our treatment of certain minorities.

    The poor will start worrying about their next meal.

    The middle class parents will again start worrying about their sons and daughters medical or engineering entrance examinations (or going to US for higher education).

    The world will move on.

    If we really had spine in our bodies and blood in our veins, we will make sure that Mumbai would never be forgotten – not least by the cowards who unleashed terror on the innocents…

    But alas, we and our leaders are little better than spineless, bloodless creatures…like invertebrates…

    We have no blood in our veins that will boil at the atrocity committed in Mumbai…we have no spine that would help us stand with pride.

    I am not an expert in these things and many people here on this blog are better informed than me…

    But why did the government not initiate air strikes against the terrorist camps in Pakistan within hours of the attack?

    We knew they were linked to the carnage that was unfolding in Mumbai. And any international criticism could have been silenced by saying “We are not against Pakistan…We are only against terrorists”.

    Did Obama not say that US would certainly do this if it felt it was being threatened? And did George Bush not send his troops thousands of miles away, all the way to Afghanistan after 9/11? So why should we have been on the defensive?

    Why did we not counter-attack then? Why did we not declare a state of national emergency, finish off the unfinished business following the 2001 attack and take the battle into the heart of enemy territory?

    Is there anyone to answer these questions?

    Sadly, as I said before, we are little better than invertebrates.

  18. Nagendra P S says:

    Well it is not time for just chanting some Mantra and hopin peace. Now we have to follow what Krishna Says to Arjuna.
    i.e Do the ‘Karma’. i.e. We need action and for that we need these mantras as to act and not only to pray.

  19. Indian says:

    She is absolutely right.

    How many are committed to fight against terror. None!

    Its my opinion, What I found after attack, is that we became more sympathetic towards muslims in India ( I am using these words because they played a major role dividing community in the past and helped terrorrits and boosted terrorism in many ways), we offered a chance to them to defend their religion and their book, without asking them any upfront questions to them, we gave them more space to be safe in India when they were feeling alienate and before they appear scary in the mind of Indian Public. This time they loose the ground so they have engaged themselves in war against the terror. With due respect to many Muslims who are good citizens but not many of them are there. Many muslims has a fancy thoughts that India belongs to Pakistan.

    Jai Hind!

  20. K.Harapriya says:

    Check out this excellent speech by Arun Shourie.

  21. PS says:

    Not sure about what govt should have done and not done it (attack on camps…) things are not the same here in India…

  22. PS says:

    Shantanu,

    There is a great poem by Prasoon Joshi इस बार नहीं..I think reflects the spirit of the country after the attacks. Here is the link – http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/dec/01mumterror-is-baar-nahin.htm
    Some lines:

    Is baar ghawon ko dekhna hai
    Gaur se
    Thoda lambe wakt tak
    Kuch faisley
    Aur uskey baad hausley
    Kahin toh shuruat karni hi hogi
    Is baar yahi tay kiya hai

  23. AAryan says:

    I believe all Bhaartis are just worried about today or just tomorrow. Citizens of BHAARAT became resistant to any such kind of threats. They faced it today ovecame tomorrow like mosquitoes, which became resistant to any damn medicine next year. The citizens of BHAARAT are lacking the very fundamental aspect of their culture, that what type of future (country) they are going to leave behind for their generations?
    Citizens of BHAARAT selected their leaders, by voting or demoting themselves, and believes innocently that now their SUPERMAN’s can deal with this. It is not a blow to the citizens or a society but to the Government itself. So its none of the citizen’s business. This is the way the “FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS” of INDIAN CITIZEN is observed.
    Lets come to the point: What need to be done that such threats never occur?
    – What one does to their house that a burgler can’t get in or attack the members, when especially all the burglers know that this community is sloppy, sleeps like Kumbhkaran and don’t have proper doors?
    – Firstly, Govt. need to do increase their sucurity and fix their Alert system and the citizens need to be more vigilant. Secondly, Citizens need to display a strong unity and terror to such outsiders who can’t dare to eye on their country. for e.g ISRAEL.
    So if the citizens think that they don’t want this to happen again any any distant future then they need to challenge ourselves and the Govt. Rest everybody knows what follows.
    I am looking for a like minded people who are ready to accept my challenge of “Creating better, strong and prosperous country” for future generations. Please stay tuned for further plans. I need to discuss these with B.Shantanu.
    ||NAMO BHAARTAM, NAMO SAMSKRITAM||
    Looking ahead.
    AAryan

  24. B Shantanu says:

    Nagendra and Indian: Thanks for your comments.

    ***

    Harapriya and PS: Thanks for the links. I will have a look.

    ***

    AAryan: Keen to hear more. Pl. email me at jaidharma AT gmail.com

  25. B Shantanu says:

    Excerpt from Closet Islamists in PM’s team? by Kanchan Gupta (Pioneer, December 14, 2008)

    On December 9, Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed read out a statement in the United Nations Security Council, pleading India’s case for action against Pakistan-based terrorist groups. Here is an excerpt from the official text of the statement: “A group of ten terrorists from the global terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Tayyeba reached Mumbai in the evening of 26th November 2008. The group divided themselves into four smaller groups and proceeded to pre-selected targets which included a café, popular with Indian and foreign tourists, and two major hotels.” There was no mention of, or allusion to, the fourth group’s pre-selected target, Chabad House, and the fact that the Jewish centre was attacked by the jihadis for obvious reasons. It’s almost as if nothing happened at Chabad House, that no Jews were tortured and killed by the terrorists for the simple reason that they were Jews. What makes the omission stand out like a sore thumb is the global outpouring of Jewish support for India, the outrage in the West over the targeted killings which we have used to our advantage, and the Israeli Government’s unequivocal endorsement of the tough commando action.

    Whose decision was it to excise this detail from the statement? Did Mr Ahamed of the Muslim League decide not to mention it? Did he find the words ‘Israel’ and ‘Jews’ too distasteful to utter? Or was he trying to gloss over the Islamists’ visceral hatred of Jews? It is unlikely that Mr Ahamed would have decided on his own to leave out the specific detail of the Jewish centre being attacked while alluding to Leopold Café, Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi-Trident Hotel. Given the sensitivity of the issue, the statement would have been cleared by the Minister for External Affairs and approved by the Prime Minister. So, who decided to drop the reference to Chabad House? And for what purpose? Was it done with an eye to Muslim ‘sentiments’ — like those of the Jamia professor and his tribe for whom Jew-baiting is a noble virtue — at home? Or was it meant to serve as a message to Islamists at large that this Government has no complaints against them so long as they don’t indulge in what Mr Tom Vadakkam of the Congress described on television as a “light and sound show”?

  26. Good discussion and lot of decent links in the post. Honest evaluation in Sonu’s video. Continued apathy and inaction is a very very serious issue. Thanks for raising this topic.

    I also agree with GC when he says ‘We object to Christian missions, but refuse to discuss Christianity and its God, Jesus. We object to Islamic terrorism, but refuse to have a look at Islam and its prophet, Muhammad.’

    Shantanu, I hope you posted the maha mrityunjaya mantra as a prayer out of respect for the dead and positive hope for the future. I understand the sentiment you are trying to convey in a metaphorical sense. There are lot of excellent renditions of this mantra on YouTube. I positively hope that people on this thread do not *literally* believe that this mantra will ward off evils like death and other suffering which *may* contribute to inaction. That would be doubly tragic. We have to solve this problem ourselves. Right here. Right now. Literal interpretation of Mrityunjaya will not help.

  27. AG says:

    More than maha mrityunjaya,
    its now probably time to say
    “Har Har Mahadeo”

    Time to ‘uttishtha bharata, yuddhaya krutanischaya’

    rise, with the resolve to fight.
    Perhaps we can begin with throwing nostradamus’ blue turban and his coterie of invertebrates out of parliament?
    But we have voted in the opposite direction recently.

    A spine, a spine, kingdom for a spine

  28. B Shantanu says:

    @ Atheist: “I hope you posted the maha mrityunjaya mantra as a prayer out of respect for the dead and positive hope for the future. I understand the sentiment you are trying to convey in a metaphorical sense.

    Yes, that is right…

    As you say, “We have to solve this problem ourselves. Right here. Right now. Literal interpretation of Mrityunjaya will not help.”

    ***

    @ AG: Let us see how the elections pan out…

  29. lvs says:

    I agree, this time we must not forget. I see terrorists on our newspapers everyday on the front page. But the heroes of Mumbai were there only for one day! We have our priorities all wrong.

  30. Manu says:

    Namaskar,

    Nice posts

  31. Manu says:

    I would like to share my recent experience here. As I am a practical man, I narrate it below as it happened:

    Recently, I was attending a marriage of a far relative. After I reached there, I came to know that the girl is just 17yrs and the boy is 21 yrs.

    A group of “mahila Samithi” rushed to the scene to stop the marriage. Most of the samithi members are “mary’s and manores”.

    ACTIVIST: who is the father of the girl?

    RELATIVE: He is on the death bed. He is suffering from anemia.

    ACTIVIST: Who gave the right for you to arrange a under-age marriage? its illegal and crime and dangerous for the girl.

    and she goes on even a lot of objections that its their private issue and she will turn major in 3 months and then they will send her to their in-laws house.

    But the activist is not in a mood to listen to them.

    I: Which group you belong to?

    ACTIVIST: (I cant take the name of the group) ” ” which is affliated to Amnesty international.

    I: Why are you stopping the marriage?

    ACTIVIST: Who are you to ask? even you will go to custody if we complain.

    I: So you are opposed to child marriages?

    ACTIVIST: Yes

    I: are you opposed for Hindu Child marriages or you even oppose child marriages in other religions?

    ACTIVIST: we oppose all.

    I: Then where were you when poor muslim girls were sold to Arab Sheikhs in the name of “Nikah” by Mullahs?

    ACTIVIST: We are protesting but its government should take measures for proper marriages to Minority girls. (well she is not opposing child marriage but marraige to old arab sheikh. If they oppose to Muslims they will Kick their “—“)

    I: So, you are opposing child marriage only because they are forcefully getting married, but not because of their health conditions?

    ACTIVIST: (got frustrated) We oppose child marriage because pre-mature sex is dangerous for the girls life.

    I: So what measures you took to oppose Ms. sarah paline, whose teen (16 year) daughter is pregnant and is still unmarried?

    ACTIVIST: (No answer) “??????”

    I: So what steps for agitation are you taking to bring Chadar Mohan (Chand Mohammad) to justice for betraying his wife and teen kids and marry Fiza (who is thrice divorced) in the name of Allah?

    ACTIVIST: Its religious issue.

    I: So child marriage or Polygamy is religious? is it for Hindus only?

    ACTIVIST: (Slience) “?????”

    ACTIVIST: But its still illegal for a minor to get married. We will complain to the police.

    I: According to the latest amendment of the child marriage prevention action of 1926, it was declared that:

    1. Child marriage below the age of 16 be made void. (here the girl is 17yrs and 3 months behind to attain majority)

    2. The legal age for a girl to give sexual consent to be increased to 16 years

    ACTIVIST: “??????”

    I solmonly asked the activists to leave the place as the marriage is the last wish of a dying father who wants to see his daughter as a bride (Marriage is a permanent solution to get settled in Hindu Dharma. Unlike in other religions where they can broke the marriage by spelling 3 words or suing their counter parts on huge amounts in the name of god).

    My dear readers, I request you, beg you, please stop these kind of psudo-activits to interfere in our Hindu activities and blame as barbaric. If we refer to our ancient Dharma, it was mentioned that girls should not participate in pre-mature sex and at that time the maturity period averages 16-17 years for girls. We, Hindus, have followed excellent principles and living procedures to make our life happy. These IPC is prepared by “Montague & Chimsford” who are fanatics of their religion. We dont need IPC or any such acts if we follow our Dharma properly.

    Sarveyana sukhinobhavathu

  32. B Shantanu says:

    Excerpt from “This battle has just begun” (Op-Ed in The Spectator)
    http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/the-week/3061871/this-battle-has-just-begun.thtml

    *****

    But we delude ourselves if we imagine that this was an event whose causes and cure lie solely in the subcontinent. For more than five years, since the invasion of Iraq, it has been comforting to many to see Islamist fury as almost exclusively a by-product of that ill-starred conflict and to conclude, no less spuriously, that the threat will recede once Blair and Bush are both safely out of office. Blair is long gone and Bush will soon follow him into retirement. This was a wake-up call to those who believed that global Islamism was a temporary protest movement rather than a historic phenomenon, or that the election of Barack Obama would automatically draw to a close the ugly period of history that began on 11 September 2001.

    *****

    Thanks to Ashok-ji for the link.

  33. B Shantanu says:

    Excerpts from M for Mumbai, M for Mendhar: 26/11 to 31/12 by Himanshu Jain

    …Yet barely a month after Mumbai, another serious infiltration has taken place in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch.

    …Ten or more terrorists are still holed up in concrete bunkers made over the last four years in these jungles. Wireless communications between the infiltrators and their Pakistani counterparts are being monitored and leave no doubt of Pakistani Rangers (Pakistani Border Guards) and LeT’s involvement in the intrusion.

    …Mendhar has no issues of civilian hostages and property at stake. Hence, a full-scale operation should have been launched to flush out the infiltrators. Laser-guided bombs of mirage 2000 or cluster bombs could have been used to smoke out the bunkers. As the bunkers are inside India, right alongside the LoC, a full-scale and quick military action would have demonstrated India’s capabilities and resolve. Even helicopter gunships could have been used to clear the area within a few hours. This operation could have been used as an excuse to deploy thousands of troops along the LoC.

    Tragically, Pakistan today views the UPA government as a harmless entity, or perhaps we should say non-entity! The UPA has mounted its biggest diplomatic offensive against Pakistan; it is trying to get world opinion on its side; but Pakistan knows that the UPA is SOFT and will soon forget the issue.

    So Pakistanis simply ignores UPA’s international diplomacy and pushes in more terrorists across the border, just one month down the line! This is the sad reality for more than 100 crore Indians today. If India is seen as harmless and soft, rest assured we will see more and bigger attacks in the future. More Indians will die in bazaars, railway stations, hotels…

    …Equally pathetic is the role of the press – the watchdog of our democracy and freedom. When the financial capital was under siege, the media covered the event graphically and debated every aspect to death. Now, a similar number of intruders have entered a sensitive border area, and granted that the same graphic visuals are not available, but a very similar operation is underway. Three security men have already given up their lives to defend our territorial sovereignty; many more lives may be lost before we recover lost ground.

    So where are the TV channels? Why have they not reached the homes of the slain terrorists? Why is there miniscule coverage of the Mendhar infiltration? Why is it not being called 31/12?

    And where are those who frantically lit candles all over India, abusing all politicians, and crying about the loss of comfort in their cushy lives? Why no candles for Mendhar? Is it a routine encounter; have the media and glitterati developed immunity towards attacks in Jammu & Kashmir?

    We will have to be far more serious about national security. We are considered soft, even scared, because we refuse to be alert and vigilant. We allowed 11 cities to be bombed, Mumbai to be attacked, and now Mendhar.

    Unless we wake up as a nation, we will be the laughing stock of the international community. Symbolic anger and synthetic protests will bring only faux sympathy and manufactured concern, and jihadis who laugh all the way to the next bloodbath.

  34. B Shantanu says:

    Brief excerpt from The great denial by Nadeem Paracha:

    The TV channels and drawing-rooms will be abuzz for a day or two discussing the mayhem, but very few…actually take the time they get during the lull periods to reflect as to what has happened to their country and its people.

    Instead, these lull periods are spent going right back to flexing our pulpy rhetorical muscles and sharpening of our non-existent teeth against our ‘enemies.’

    For a moment I thought Nadeem was talking about India…