I can hear some of you saying “Are you kidding me! You think putting all this in a blog is really going to help??” Well..my point is atleast let us make a start somewhere..lets not give up before we even start making an attempt..Maybe you are right..maybe nothing will change..but you can atleast have the satisfaction that you gave it your best shot..Lets not give up..not yet!
‘Public memory is short..people will speak about it for a few days & then it will be life as usual’..This is what the average Mumbaikar..Indian..thinks..right? But who is this average mumbaikar..this ‘aam aadmi’? You, me and thousands n crores of like-minded individuals? What if each one of us pledge that we wont forget..nor let the authorities forget the dastardly acts of terror inflicted on our city? What if we decide that ‘enough is enough’ & that we will not take everything lying down? What if…
‘Mumbaikar..kuch KAR!!’ before its too late..
Again, before I start writing this post(hey I already wrote 2 paras!!), I would like to sincerely thank all those who took their invaluable time to read the previous post & provide some very insightful & thought-provoking views. So you may find quite a few of your very own thoughts in this post because they in fact are your thoughts. I am just acting as a mediator, a mere typist penning your thoughts.
The aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks & the subsequent valiant rescue operations by the NSG & other security forces has been marred by the usual political drama. Quite a few heads rolled with the home minister, Shivraj Patil sacked & Maharashtra Deputy CM, R.R. Patil & CM, Vilasrao Deshmukh offering to resign. News Channels & the media are in overdrive with Chat shows, Debates, discussions; Most people on the show are demanding the resignations of incompetent ministers, although, I fail to understand how the sacking/resignations of these ministers is going to help? Isn’t this the time for them to accept their failure & take the necessary corrective actions instead of passing the baton to some other incompetent fool?
Just when everyone was expecting all the political parties to be united , most parties have started the inevitable blame-games & are trying to gain political mileage from all this. Huge hoardings of all the martyrs have come up all across Mumbai with political party logos unashamedly adorning them as if it’s an election campaign rally…It’s sickening! Some of the comments of our so-called leaders have left a very bad taste in everyone’s mouth. Sample this from the Kerala CM in reference to his visit to Late Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan: “Had it not been for Major Unnikrishnan, not even a dog would have come to his home.” Even considering the context in which these statements may have been made, the comment is highly uncivilized, outrageous & uncalled for..and that is to put it very very mildly.
One of the popular SMSes that was doing the rounds just after the successful NSG operation was bashing Raj Thakeray & his MNS that “All the NSG commandos were either from North or South-India..No Marathi-manoos…Where is Raj Thackeray & his gang now” etc etc.. Fair comment! Point Taken my lord! But here’s my word of caution: How did we arrive at this statistic of no marathi-manoos in NSG? Why the hell do we care as to where from these NSG commandos came from?? Are we now going to start categorizing people as North Indian, South Indian, Maharashtrians just by checking their last names?? If that’s indeed the case..GOD SAVE US!! As if the existing divisions in our society are not enough!!..religion, caste, language to name a few..
‘Every Cloud has a silver lining’..goes a well-known proverb. Although, there can hardly be a silver lining after this, but then there’s always hope..hope that things will change..that we will make them change..As a dialogue in Rang De Basanti goes: “’Koi bhi desh perfect nahi hota..usse banana padta hain”..How you may ask? Ok..lets try & make a start..
Ø Cast your Vote carefully: Every government is as good as its people & you get the government you actually deserve. So make sure you vote. Send the message loud n clear to the politicians that we won’t vote for you if you do not care about us. Also please be aware of the useful ‘I Vote Nobody’ option as per Article ’49-O’.
Ø Be aware of what is going around you. Be aware of your rights such as the Right to Information. Exercise your rights as a good citizen.
Ø Online Public Grievance Lodging System: http://pgportal.gov.in/ I do not know how many of us have actually used it. (I have not but my point is be aware!).
Ø Pressurize the government & the politicians: Ask them the right questions through various forums such as talks-shows, debates, in print, in blogs. Questions such as
- Why despite Mumbai being the financial capital of
- Why were the NSG commandos brought to the Taj after a long delay of 8 hours..that too they had to travel from the airport in BEST buses..Surely we could have had better & quicker transportation.
- Is the money that is spent on protecting impotent Politicians justified? Cant that be put to better use to improve the country’s security.
- Considering the country’s enormous coast line & the corresponding security risk, Are the Navy & the affiliated security forces adequate?
(More suggestions are please welcome here..Please comment)
This is just the beginning..’Picture abhi baaki hain mere dost’ J
