I was at the peace march yesterday in front of The Gateway of India, witnessing an impressive crowd, sort of divided in their individual groups and expressing their anger and anguish! As the news channels report, there were around 2 lakhs of turn-out which is indeed fabulous and reinforce the fact that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH and we are ANGRY!
But, the preposterous chant across crowd insinuating the government to attack on Pakistan and evade them completely from the global map has pissed me further. Be angry, and you have the right to be, but let’s not get into another blame-game like our politicians. What would be the difference between them and us! We are the intelligentsia of the nation and let us behave that way. Let us think hard and brainstorm on what can be done internally to make our systems more functional and better.
Today, Nidhi – a comment of hers you can see on my earlier posting, informed me that she voted for the first time because the entire incident of terror attacks has evoked a sense of ownership and responsibility in her (not that she wasn’t responsible before). But, you see – today you vote, so tomorrow you know whether you have selected the right candidate or not. You know the system, people inside corrupting the system; you take interest today and not just retaliate and blame people at the end without having that serious involvement before!
I also completely agree with Chetan’s comment questioning our own attitude towards national interests. We have not been co-operating with people who are trying to put things in place in a constructive fashion. But I can see people getting up and realizing their duties, I hear stories of how citizens are getting more sensitive toward developmental issues. I watch debates on news channels and think about so many who are getting more and more active day after day! And Chetan, let me assure you that we are not going to be ‘flexible’ anymore and imbibe the true culture and attitude to stand together towards our common goal to get rid of lethal loopholes of various systems. The loopholes in the governmental policies and practices are getting reflected in our approach, outlook and casual attitude. But now I can (and I am sure many of you will agree) envisage a positive CHANGE, due for really long!!
I happened to be at the Taj in Bandra today. Witnessed a comprehensive, tight security system wherein people, getting late for their business appointments and the regulars who get exasperated even by the names of long lines of security checks, were waiting for their turn with patience. I wanted to point this out today because I could see a ray of hope in this! I don’t know if I am being insanely optimistic but I really want to be. This is my nation and no-one can change the fact.
Let’s keep our spirits high and understand our country better. Let’s spread awareness and I am sure incidents as grotesque as the recent terror attacks are just not the ones which can shake us out of our slumber.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Where are the argumentative Indians who took a pride place in Amartya Sen’s non-fiction, who resided in that book under the pillow of Manmohan Singh’s bed as a night-time reading! Have we lost the sanity, the objective, the determination to see ourselves as free human beings? Or is it that we have become so gullible that it doesn’t really matter who plays with our emotions and sentiments next!
I REFUSE to be a part of this society where politicians are exacerbating our predicaments by dividing us from every possible way –the most obvious religious way which could not get more ugly than their voting strategies, the social ways and of course the emotional ways!!
We BLED and BLED and BLED, not once but perpetually as we saw the brutality at its peak when people were indiscriminately shot dead during the deadliest of attacks in Mumbai. We as a nation, as hindustanies, as Indians unlike our faceless, leaderless politicians, BLED when we saw our State Home Minister – R.R. Patil saying, “ Bade, bade cities mei yeh hota rehta hai”, - he slaughtered our soul, wounded our sentiments in a much worse way than a terrorist has ever done to us. I wanted to be a politician once upon a time, but under my naivety and innocence, I couldn’t understand that before anything you need to possess an absolute insensitive soul to be a part of that fraternity. Our politicians today have endowed upon us the utmost disgrace not only at a national but also at an international level. People, world-over, are laughing at us today, at our stupid disgusting and pretentious efforts of trying to appear united!! The terrorists today our mocking at our failure of not being able to run the system despite of several lessons they have given us in the past to learn from. We have become a game, too easy to win by the perpetrators, too easy to play that even 18 years' terrorists can make us impotent, too easy for them to come and DESTROY us so that they can create yet another game on the face of non-existent INDIA.
Today, I am infuriated and agitated with the plight of the countless people suffering. My heart goes out for that two year old israeily kid who hasn’t even grown up enough to comprehend what it means to have lost your parents, what does it mean to be an orphan, what is called terrorism and what is it that causes it. What will go through the psyche of the child when he will grow up to ask all these questions? Or, WE WILL give him that foundation, that learning ground where probably he will have the answers of the questions himself, we will give him that map of insecure India, insecure city, insecure society, where he will grow up – if fortunate enough – and BLAME US for snatching the basic love from his life. YES, we have snatched his basic needs, we have deprived him of the basic love of his parents, we have rendered him homeless, we have KILLED his parents. NOT YOU, NOT ME BUT US. We have killed his happy life, before he could understand; we have assassinated his wishes, desires and burnt them alive in front of our eyes.
As I think and write about that little child, the tears trickle down my cheeks. I truly believe that we have in us to make this a better place. Forget the politicians who have their own game plans, isolated from the growth and peace of the country, the responsibilities now lie on us. Shivraj Patil’s resignation is as futile as the elections around the corner!! You hear us – we are bleeding, we are infuriated – we need SECURITY, fresh air to breathe in, we need our homes back, we need our parents, sisters, friends back....We DONOT NEED ENUCHS LIKE YOU!! We need our people.
I REFUSE to be a part of this society where politicians are exacerbating our predicaments by dividing us from every possible way –the most obvious religious way which could not get more ugly than their voting strategies, the social ways and of course the emotional ways!!
We BLED and BLED and BLED, not once but perpetually as we saw the brutality at its peak when people were indiscriminately shot dead during the deadliest of attacks in Mumbai. We as a nation, as hindustanies, as Indians unlike our faceless, leaderless politicians, BLED when we saw our State Home Minister – R.R. Patil saying, “ Bade, bade cities mei yeh hota rehta hai”, - he slaughtered our soul, wounded our sentiments in a much worse way than a terrorist has ever done to us. I wanted to be a politician once upon a time, but under my naivety and innocence, I couldn’t understand that before anything you need to possess an absolute insensitive soul to be a part of that fraternity. Our politicians today have endowed upon us the utmost disgrace not only at a national but also at an international level. People, world-over, are laughing at us today, at our stupid disgusting and pretentious efforts of trying to appear united!! The terrorists today our mocking at our failure of not being able to run the system despite of several lessons they have given us in the past to learn from. We have become a game, too easy to win by the perpetrators, too easy to play that even 18 years' terrorists can make us impotent, too easy for them to come and DESTROY us so that they can create yet another game on the face of non-existent INDIA.
Today, I am infuriated and agitated with the plight of the countless people suffering. My heart goes out for that two year old israeily kid who hasn’t even grown up enough to comprehend what it means to have lost your parents, what does it mean to be an orphan, what is called terrorism and what is it that causes it. What will go through the psyche of the child when he will grow up to ask all these questions? Or, WE WILL give him that foundation, that learning ground where probably he will have the answers of the questions himself, we will give him that map of insecure India, insecure city, insecure society, where he will grow up – if fortunate enough – and BLAME US for snatching the basic love from his life. YES, we have snatched his basic needs, we have deprived him of the basic love of his parents, we have rendered him homeless, we have KILLED his parents. NOT YOU, NOT ME BUT US. We have killed his happy life, before he could understand; we have assassinated his wishes, desires and burnt them alive in front of our eyes.
As I think and write about that little child, the tears trickle down my cheeks. I truly believe that we have in us to make this a better place. Forget the politicians who have their own game plans, isolated from the growth and peace of the country, the responsibilities now lie on us. Shivraj Patil’s resignation is as futile as the elections around the corner!! You hear us – we are bleeding, we are infuriated – we need SECURITY, fresh air to breathe in, we need our homes back, we need our parents, sisters, friends back....We DONOT NEED ENUCHS LIKE YOU!! We need our people.
Priyanka Bedi
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