Terrorism in the World

Mumbai bleeds again… 

Just a few days back, as Mumbai was combating its fiercest battle ever,  I was going through an article written by Suketu Mehta, celebrated author of `Maximum city: Bombay lost and found’ and his words `my city was attacked because it has wealth’ itched in my mind, perhaps forever. He has summed up the intention behind the mindless attacks very correctly. 

Can not forget another passing comment when I heard a colleague of mine saying `Mumbai was always referred as safest metropolitan in the country. `Nazar’ lag gayi is shehar ko..”, how true I thought once again. 

In the unique kind of terrorist attack that made Mumbai bleed and rest of the nation shudder in anguish and shock, what has been exposed is the fact that how vulnerable as a nation we are. Ten determined jihadist come armed with tons of sophisticated arms and ammunitions, get off shore at the most happening city in India, target most famous landmarks of commercial hub of the country and kill hundreds of unaware, innocent people in one of the cruelest attacks recorded in the history. Bravo… but how do we react in turn is that we send our trained guards to confront assailants and while they are fighting without caring for their lives our shameless politicians and policy makers are busy playing dirtiest of politics and their favorite-blame game. `Shame’, this is the word that would come in your mind when you think of the present status. 

Hotels Tajmahal Palace and Oberoi Trident, housing complex Nariman House, CST station and a taxi were badly hit by terrorists in a brutal series of attack killing hundreds and injuring even more number of people. But it were not only those who actually died faced the tragedy of death, as they say `death is not a tragedy for those who die, it’s a tragedy for those who are left behind and doomed to suffer.’  

While one can not stop shaking and marveling at the same time at the well executed, chilling and mind-numbing multiple attacks that were carried by Pakistan-based terrorists, even more painful feeling is the fact that it has ruthlessly exposed our vulnerability and lackluster policy or rather lack of it. 

In times when even biggest of disasters fail to move many as immunity to terror and tragedy is on an all time high, these kind of incidences make one sit back and wonder the basic philosophies of life- death can struck you even when you are dining with your wife in choicest of your restaurant or when you are waiting for a train to reach back home to your waiting kids.. Worse still this death is gifted to you by those animals who are doing it without any reason, just because innocent blood quenches their insatiable thirst. Maybe!  

But no Indian is ready to take this anymore I am sure neither is this soft stand going to work. Those in power should curse themselves when they see their bloody faces in mirror every morning because as it was rated – this attack was not intelligence failure. This was political failure and was caused because the spineless leaders sitting in parliament can not decide how to combat terrorism and tackle the situation.

If they can not take a tough stand this time, they have no right to be in chair. 

In the meantime, it will take a long time for the country in general and Mumbai in particular to get over the trauma. Even if the injuries go, scars will remain….

Saurabh and Sumi Verma

www.saurabhs.com