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.Â
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.Â
🙁
P.S. Here is an apt “mantra” for these times…the Maha Mrityunjay Mantra – also one of my favourites. Â
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:
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
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.
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. 🙁
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.
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.
@indian
The link below contains this prayer as one of the verse.
http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/invoc/in_satd.html
@S, Sundararaman
Thank You very much!
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.
http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&issueid=82&id=21791&Itemid=1§ionid=19
Pledge to fight terror. Please those who are unaware of this initiative please read.
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!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXg2R3u30c4
has a very spontaneous and lucid plea by Sonu Nigam to dump political correctness.
Indian and Sriram: Thanks for the links. I will have a look at them.
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?
Thanks! Shantanu
http://cj.ibnlive.in.com/citizen-against-terror/
Jai Hind!
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 whole book is available at
http://hamsa.org/artifice-intro.htm
Cheers,
GC
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.
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
Earlier today, my wife reminded me of what she had said fifteen days ago…
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.
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!
Check out this excellent speech by Arun Shourie.
Not sure about what govt should have done and not done it (attack on camps…) things are not the same here in India…
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
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
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
Excerpt from Closet Islamists in PM’s team? by Kanchan Gupta (Pioneer, December 14, 2008)
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.
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
@ 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…
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.
Namaskar,
Nice posts
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
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.
Excerpts from M for Mumbai, M for Mendhar: 26/11 to 31/12 by Himanshu Jain
Brief excerpt from The great denial by Nadeem Paracha:
For a moment I thought Nadeem was talking about India…