This is just a begining of an end...

Slowly slowly, the city of joy is coming under the grip of terrorism.

As I write this, the operation Black Tornado has been completed. Combing operation has started to search whats left behind at Hotel Taj. Hotel Oberoi has already been cleared and Nariman House clearing is on (two live grenades found just now).

Mumbai - The City that never sleeps was shaken with these attacks. Never before it happened like this. Mumbai always came back to normalcy in past whenever there was a moment of crisis. But this time it was not. Offices were shut, roads were almost deserted, even two days later.

It was surely unreal. The attack was well planned. All the details were carefully studied by them. TV footage showed that the boys were young. They yet managed to cause unprecedented terror in minds of Mumbaikars. This attack will be remembered in the good books of terrorists world over. They had master key of the hotel rooms, detailed map of hotel. With that, they also seem to have spent considerable time getting familiar to innards of the Taj. They had clear cut plans and tactics laid out during the combat. They moved around under CCTV by smoking around. They ran around in lobbies and rooms. Indian Commandos were at times surprised how the terrorists would confront them, fire, blast around and vanish in seconds. They had expected a long battle, food and ammunition supply was stacked in advance. I feel they stacked it around different rooms of hotel and as they moved around they used it. The way they moved around as seen on tv, and in the manner in which they held up their fight for two days, makes it very clear that they had been brainwashed and trained in a superb manner. Its not just weapon training, it was more of psychological endurance that they had been trained for. These must be best of few chosen to carry out the attack. They had been under tremendous pressure for three final days and they knew they were going to die at the end. They could easily blow up entire ammunition and call it out but they managed to stretch their death. It was very difficult for the commandos to corner them down in these conditions. No surprise it took 200 commandos to nail these handful killers.

Wish we could read their mind as they were being holed out.

While the above thoughts seem to be words of praise for the terrorists, in a way, we can learn a lot from these terrorists. They are good example of what planning, determination combined with execution could bring. Unfortunately its not channeled in desirable way.

Indian security personnel who worked in this operation emerged as Heroes and for the correct reason. This was first of its kind operation in Mumbai where different groups like NSG Black Cats, Marine Commandos (Marcos), Police commandos, fire brigade and others worked in a joint operation. The commandos that entered inside Taj and Nariman were completely unaware about the internals of place they went into. They fought in absolute dark with no idea about how many they are fighting againsts, where they are hiding, what weapons they are carrying. Their work and achievement is surely greater than the people they fought against.

As the commandos returned, one person said to a news channel - When Dhoni hits six, he gets crores, what to these (commandos) have in their life? It says a lot about their life. Average salary drawn by Mumbai police constable is less than 10,000 a month. Their work hours exceed 12 hours a day on regular basis. The training, weaponry and protection gear that they get is good for nothing. Lack of good gear was prime reason for Mumbai loosing good policemen.

The whole episode showed how our systems and politicians failed. Raj Thackarey who boasted fiercly - "Mumbai amachi..." (Mumbai belongs to us) was no where seen during entire drama. Narendra Modi tried to pull some mileage by offering monetary help. R R Patil sheepishly said that such small incidents happen in big cities. And Chief Minister did not seem to have any objection to him. All others were trying to somehow make profit out of all this. Posters were put up across the city by political groups with big pictures of martyrs and even bigger bottom line to show who put them up. Ruling party has promised monetary help to deceased, promised to strengthen up police force, establish NSG like group for Mumbai etc etc.

All these selfish people fail to understand that this attack is above the politics they are playing. They are all essentially like frogs confined in a well.
All they want is money and short time benefits for themselves. They can be seen moving around in expensive cars, VIP numbers. Their arrogance is visible when they break rules...They consider themselves god. Is there any daring politician who has guts to eradicate terrorism? They can only show their power during election and speech. All of them same - impotent.

Hemand Karkare, the ATS chief who was killed in this attack, his colleague told that Mr. Karkare always insisted that ATS is "Anti Terrorism Squad" and not "Anti Terrorist Squad"...There are very few like this who understand what they do and have a definite aim.

Barakha dutt on NDTV had very responsible narration. When people had surrounded Nariman House to watch the operation, she was thrilled by the way people shouted around and cheered. She expressed fear that these attacks are going to affect Indo-Pak relations. With anti-pak slogans echoing in atmosphere, somewhere the terrorist had achieved their goal. They had managed to create another scar in a common man's life about something. These people will continue to be anti-terrorist and not anti-terrorism.

Is there a way to terrorize the terrorism without eliminating them? Moreover, is there a will to do so amongst those who have power?

They wont change and this corruption is going to slowly slowly poison the world over. This is really same world over. Human selfishness is going to end the world...and it seems to have picked up speed. Earlier Mumbai was getting used to bombing and now there are actual attacks...

This may seem like a pessimist thought or that I have given hope in panic. But I am taking this as small signs that tell me that future is coming near slowly if all else remains same.

I see this as beginning of end that is sooner or later going to happen.

"Ever wondered how a day's news fits in 12 pages of a newspaper and 24 hours of a channel everyday?"

We go for a movie, spend couple of hundred rupees and then critisize the technical things about it. dont we know that there are millions of people who cannot earn a hundred rupees even for days. even if you think that the movie was bad, imagine what the people behind making it think. will they ever make a movie if they know its going to be bad? do we care what the director/producer/staff had in mind while making it? there might be atleast one person who might be making the movie with a big vision of something or a passion, he just fails short while realising it or fails to find a mass appeal in it...and we tend to ignore that (not that we shouldnt always)...

while i was in pune, i used to eat at a small snacks bar that served paavbhaji, bhelpuri and stuff like that. for me it was not great food but it was rather food that is available nearby. once I saw a man (agend around 30-35), eating paavbhaji there with his wife and two small kids. he answered a phone while doing that and i heard him telling this to the person on call - "aaj 4 saal saal ke baad first time family ko hotel me leke aaya hai!". His idea of hotelling was different than many who are reading this...what would you do and where would you go if you want to go out and eat somewhere?

i read somewhere - "ever wondered how a day's news fits in 12 pages of a newspaper and 24 hours of a channel everyday?"

It's a known and bitter fact of today's human life. everyone makes a circle to encompass their belief, relations, assets, selfishness and decides to walk around with it. Anything that does not fit inside that, is non-existent or invisible. I am no exception to that.

Ideally there are a lot of things that need to happen or to be taken into account, but that doesnt happen ideally...and if it starts to happen, it wouldnt be a real nice life...

Choices are few and not always simple

- Spread your circles, include more in and just do nothing but feel sad like this

- Break away your circle and try to be the change

- Just keep walking and ignoring things outside it

(as commented on - http://feelingsandviewpoint.blogspot.com/2008/08/blog-post.html)

Happy Birthday India!

My country turns 60 today. After a long fight by uncountable freedom fighters, the country became independent on 15th August 1948.

60! That's a lot of a life for a human, isn't it? For a country its not a small span either.

Where do we stand now? Are we really independent? Like a 60 year old person, who has been through difficult times, Have the 60 years made any wiser?

India is independent, but the people are not. There is a long way to go for the people. Ignorance still rules their mind. Corruption is doing its best to slow down the growth. People and their desires have taken over their own happiness. Democracy is the foundation for the success we have so far achieved but now politics has become a profit career.

Tomorrow when I would wake up, every TV channel will have dedicated Independent Day special program. Most will air special commercial promos showing inocent children singing song and holding tri-color. Newspapers will cover special articles and editorials. Every traffic signal will will see homeless kids selling miniature flags. Some would utilise the public holiday to take a break from routine and enjoy the day at a travel destination near city. But next day, everything will be different, rather will be back to routine after the hangover is over.

Today we have worldwide recognition as a growing economy. Indians are everywhere. They are being employed in the developed nations. Indian entrepreneurs are thinking big and are part of "whose' who" of the world. Life is comparatively peaceful. We have most of the new technology available. Our currency is getting better. Kids can go to school, men and women can walk road without fear in most part of the country.

Its like a glass of water, half empty or half full, the way we look at it. The generation that actually participated in the freedom fight, is slowly going behind the curtain of time. But the spirit of independence and recognition of efforts behind that is not yet dead.

The country is not a 60 year veteran. Its a teenager. We are still growing up. And hence its worth celebrating the day, with the hope that the kid will be a nice and fine as it turns into an experienced wise man. Its worth wishing that we would be truly independent, soon.

Happy Birthday India!