A case of Poor timing !!

There’s a new buzzword among the Indian media these days – Intolerance. After 67 years of living in harmony, some people feel threatened and insecure and have termed our nation ‘intolerant’. They feel they are being singled out and being discriminated against since they follow a particular religion. Their fear that their freedom of speech and their fundamental rights will be threatened. The irony is that most of these people are those who have received tremendous love and affection from our citizens who have placed them on the highest pedestal of fame and glory. And yet, they feel insecure. They should in fact feel tremendously safe. They have nothing to fear. That’s because far from being ‘Intolerant’, we are really the most tolerant nation in this world. Too tolerant by half in my opinion. Indeed, if anything we should be criticized for being ‘over tolerant’. Let me show you how.

Let’s take the clock back seven years. Seven years, on this very day a group of heavily armed terrorists across the border sneaked in by boat to South Mumbai and attacked popular targets such as the Mumbai CST and Taj Hotel. The drama continued for five days until all the attackers were either apprehended or killed. By the time they were done, hundreds of innocent people were killed and scores more were wounded. Their mission was more or less accomplished. They had come to spread terror, death, destruction and they had succeeded. The world was quick to condemn the attacks and expressed their sympathy. For the next few days, Mumbai and the rest of the nation boiled as angry citizens came to the streets and demanded justice. We all knew where the perpetrators had come from, despite their vehement denials. And what did our government do? They snapped all Cricketing ties with that nation. Yes you heard me right, Cricketing ties!! Jeepers! And here I was, thinking of a nice old black cat commando operation Entebbe style to nab or kill the perpetrators, and all I got was ‘No Cricket!’.

Now pause for a moment and think. Did the planners of the 26/11/2008 attack even consider this outcome as one of the consequences? Did they, in their wildest dreams ever imagine this step by our government? No self-respecting nation would have tolerated this kind of attack on it’s soil and would have taken steps for immediate retribution. Keeping that in mind, the planners and all those involved would have been on high alert! Imagine the look on their faces, when instead of a deadly retribution, they hear the usual ‘Stern Warning’ and ‘No Cricket!’ message. They would have simply laughed their @$$es off. For all that we know, they would have simply died laughing. 

Ok so what’s done was done right? So the Cricketing ban would have hurt some players and some officials. Well, it was some kind of retribution at least. But then what does the BCCI do? Seven years after the dastardly attack, when the wounds have yet to heal for some of the survivors (or should I say, victims) the BCCI goes all out and announces resumption of Cricketing ties with our ‘Friendly neighbour’. That too, on the very anniversary of the attacks.

 

Now who would dare call our nation ‘Intolerant’ after hearing all this? To those who still brand our nation as intolerant, you have underestimated the magnanimity and the big heart of our government. Terror merchants across the border, perpetrators of scores of heinous and deadly attacks in India live a life of safety and leisure with the knowledge that justice might take a lifetime, if ever to catch up with them. That being the case, You: dear citizen of India can rest easy! Nothing is going to happen to you!

Friday the Thirteenth

It was a Black Friday for Paris indeed. On the morning of the Saturday, the 14^th of November 2015, the world woke up to the shocking news of terrorist attacks carried out on one of the most vibrant cities on earth. What should have been a gay and enjoyable weekend for many Parisians turned out be a nightmare, as scores of innocent people were killed and injured by terrorists who planned and executed the attack with lethal precision.

As an Indian who has witnessed similar attacks on home soil, my heart goes out to those affected.

If I knew better, I would say this was an incident waiting to happen. Our Prime Minister, Mr. 

Narendra Modi rightly said that the attacks mirror those carried out on 26^th November 2008 in Mumbai. India long ago stated that terrorists have used India as a staging ground for carrying out attacks on a worldwide scale. While we suffered, the world joined hands in condemning the heinous acts of terrorism but failed to heed our warning and realize the real repercussions. If the Mumbai attacks are not proof enough, take the 1999 hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight to Kandahar, Afghanistan. What followed on the 11^th of September 2001 in New York needs no elaboration.

It’s high time we all woke up and acted. Condolence messages might have the best of intent, but to those who have been directly and indirectly affected by such acts, these messages will sound hollow and meaningless, just like the fire brigade arriving after the house has been totally gutted. Terrorism has long since ceased to be a problem for just one nation. As is evident from the events in Paris, even the most powerful and developed nations now find themselves victims of anti-social elements who can wreak havoc at will without prior warning. We have to recognize terrorism as a global problem and come together to crush those responsible. Until we do, attacks like these will become more regular. What is more frightening is not the fact that these attacks will continue, but the fact that we will become immune to them (as we have to many other atrocities nowadays), which will only serve to encourage the perpetrators. We have to join hands and eliminate terrorism from the core. Until then, none of us is going to be safe and sound.

(Apologies if my blog sounds like some clichéd political diatribe)

But then again, there are always two sides to the same coin.    

While an infamous terrorist organization has already claimed responsibility for the heinous act, France has declared this incident as an act of war. French President Hollande has vowed to punish those responsible for this incident and has promised to act ‘ruthlessly’ to crush all enemies of state. This could just be the beginning of what could be a vicious circle and a dark chapter in French history. How France brings to book those responsible for this act is yet to be seen. It won’t take much to figure out that members of a particular religion will be targeted and persecuted. For the actions of a guilty few, many innocents must suffer the trauma of suspicion and hate. This in turn will lead to more dissension and hatred among those affected. This will lead to further repercussions. Need I say more?

This does not mean letting the perpetrators go off the hook. Go after them by all means but watch out for collateral damage. To the French Government I humbly request: if you see the guilty hiding behind a number of innocents, do not attack them or mow them down ruthlessly just to reach the guilty. Instead, move quietly till you trap and isolate the guilty party and then ruthlessly tear them apart. Ensure that no innocent gets harmed in the process. That’s easier said than done of course.

To those responsible for this dastardly act I say only this: What were you hoping to achieve? Have you come any closer to your objectives? Do you think you have redeemed yourself in the eyes of your maker? Are you still under this deluded belief that these kind of acts will guarantee you a spot in heaven?   

Hatred breeds only hatred. As Ben Kingsley stated in the film 'Gandhi', ‘An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind’.

When will this end, if ever?

I appeal to all:

Let there be Sanity, let there be love. Let no innocent suffer.

Above all, let there be everlasting peace.