November 27, 2008

And There Was Blood On The Streets....

*Disclaimer: Long post. Reader discretion advised.*





And there was blood on the streets.... yet again. Yet again, Mumbai bleeds. Yet again, politicians pass the blame, yet again innocent people lose their lives. Yet again. Yet again, there is gonna be an avalanche of blog posts being posted, numerous articles, TV shows, debates etc on terrorism, but then after a week, this night will remain in history books and statistics as yet another terror attack. We, the common people can make a difference.... by voicing our exasperation and choosing the next government that will do what US did post 9/11. I don't want Indian govt. to ruin another country, but nab and curb terrorists and terrorism. Or at least, just prosecute them quickly.





First when the news of some firing was reported, I assumed it was a gang war, as not much was known about it then. After 10 minutes, while I was talking on the phone, I heard a huge sound but dismissed it as someone shutting the door rather loudly. After some time, there was a news flash that a taxi exploded near the airport. It was a low intensity blast. Nobody had shut the door, it was a low intensity explosion that took place in Vile Parle East, which I heard clearly in West. I can only imagine what a high intensity blast would be like. Could see smoke of the blast from my terrace. The entire feeling of having heard a blast was ghoulish.





But then the what the city faced was above what I went through. Indiscriminate firings, bomb blasts, hostage situations.... urghhh. The terrorists targeted posh hotels in South Mumbai at peak business time, of course to maximise the intensity of their attack. Two terrorists opened blind fire at CST on anyone they set their sight upon. Very much like the Virginia Tech incident last year in USA. Before people could get a grip of what was happening, it was all over. Either they were dead, or some miracle happened and they remained alive. Similar kind attacks took place at Taj Hotel and Oberoi Hotel.





While I was watching the News, Arnab Goswami,Times Now, mentioned that one woman from Taj messaged them at Taj, there were no lights and the terrorists were indiscriminately shooting. We, sitting in our living rooms cannot even imagine that scene, of staring death right in its fate, actually not even being able to stare. Worse even for the people from the forces who're going in to fight terrorists.... fighting for people whom they don't know....and at the behest of people who don't care for anything besides their 'kursi'. RIP all the people who left for their heavenly abode.





Mumbai Mirror, the next day carried a picture of a terrorist who wreaked havoc at CST. He didn't look more than 20, wearing jeans and t-shirt, and looking from a very well-to-do family. Must be educated as well. Looking at this I was just marvelling at the convincing powers of these terrorists who can convince these young educated guys to renounce everything to kill themselves and others.





I know, I may sound uninformed, but I really don't get what jehad is for. I mean what are jehadis fighting for? Money, land, love, religion? Religion, I presume. I have no clue about what exactly is in Quran, but I'm sure that it doesn't preach killing others even to protect Itself. My friend said, they do this for "Aman", peace... peace?! You've gotta be kidding me! You don't cause cancer only because you want to cure it. But then in a way, they may be doing it for peace. If everyone's dead.... there'll be peace... isn't it? At least then, after that there won't be anyone who'd have to die again, only because of someone's fanaticism. Once again people will start hating Muslims. And Muslims will hate non-Muslims for generalizing them. And the hate game will continue and the main reason behind it will be forgotten. Why can't we just see terrorism as a human v/s human game? Why categorise people as Muslims, Hindus, Pakistanis, Americans, Afghanis, Iraqis, Indians, or Brits? They're all human beings at the end of the day who are suffering. I think this should be the bottomline regardless of the name on their passports. This point was very poignantly shown in A Wednesday, when Anupam Kher never asked Naseerudin Shah's name.





Morning papers mentioned Advani blaming the Government for being soft on terrorists.Raj Thackeray, again blamed 'outsiders' for everything. Can't these people for once stop snowballing every event into a political opportunity for one-up manship. Learn something from John McCain who accepted defeat so graciously and pledged to lend support to Obama resurrect US from the crisis it is in. I don't see this happening in India anytime soon. I hope and vehemently wish I'm proved wrong. I think, I'm beginning to be proven wrong, just saw on TV, Narendra Modi offering all kind of help without indulging in cheap politics. I really feel that BJP should've had him as their PM candidate.





Barkha Dutt very rightly said that the modus operandi of this attack belonged to the old school fidayeen attacks, seen rampantly in Jammu and Kashmir, where fidayeens use grenades and hold people hostages. Counter attacks go on for hours, eventually culminating in days and the building down in ashes. I don't want the entry point of Mumbai down in ashes. I just refuse to even think of this possibility. Hope we don't have to come to a time where the entrance to Mumbai is a dry, barren land marred by blood stains and remnants of weapons. Mumbai is the city that never sleeps..... yesterday, for the first time, She was scared to sleep.







20 comments:

RETARD said...

seriously frustrating!!!
i wish we had da authority to take significant actions!
an amazing article!

Nupur said...

@Retard: I was seething wid anger while writing. I wanted to go and ask terrorists to exchaange politicians wid the hostages, even if they blast the Taj after that, it wwould be ok.

Ronaldinho said...

we can do our little...we our the new citizens of this nation..who can decide the fate of our govt...we are not goin to take them being soft on terrorism..it is high time..the lives of the 137 dead and the martryers...shouldnt go in vain..
i think lets start a blog only on terrorism...nd keep posting our views there...wat say??

RETARD said...

agree wid ronaldinho!its a noble thought but then it has been done in da past to no avail!
right now we can do nothing!ok we have voting rights bet who would you chose?
you can just guess who do a good job!
seriously agree wid nupur on narendra modi becoming da pm candidate!mebbe he wont succeed dat much but he deserves a chance da most!and we deserve him too!

left unseen yet seen because.... said...

may be..i duno...but we need to do sumthing...cant be left to be taken for granted all the time...read my poem nupur...nd pls leave a comment...

left unseen yet seen because.... said...

hey retard..u can comment on my poem too..here;s the link..
http://parvati-parvati.blogspot.com/

Nupur said...

@Everyone: I agree wid all of you. I'm thinking of starting an online petition demanding for rights, and we deserve to get them. If ne1 has ne idea abt how to start one... lemme know

RETARD said...

we can try....i doubt its worth trying it in a country where even the president has no say!
i tried alot of similar things for da obc quota issue!but like every other individual striving against it,was turned a deaf ear!
i cudnt think of petition though!

Nupur said...

@ Retard: I thot of the petition and made one too... http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/weneedans
But now I'm clueless as how this will help. I feel like contesting for the elections. MBA will be done later!!

RETARD said...

u need to b 25 atleast to get a ticket!
da constitutions crap too!

Nupur said...

@ retard: thats wats stopping me!! rather than keeping an age limit for entering, they shd keep an age limit for exiting....that would be more germane.. wont it?

Aanchal said...

bhayyu...advertise my blog sumwhr..i wanna seriosuly get a n idea about how i write..iv suddenly caught the writing keeda..out of poems nw i thnk..meanwhile u can chk my new blog

Nupur said...

@aanch: I do chk ur blog. I told you...put up the url on blogging comm on orkut... go frm my profile... visit other ppls blogs n comment there... bse of ur cute pic, they''ll visit urs!! and keep ur blog active n put it on orkut if u hav updated it.

RETARD said...

i think age limit should be 21 or graduate!
datll get young literates in da scheme of things!!!

Nupur said...

@retard: Precisely... but for God's sake we need some serious amendments to ur Constitution... like

1. Have an gae limit for exiting..say arnd 60...lke all Govt offices
2. A basic graduation degree...we dnt want buffons running the country
3. Clean police records... not even traffic challans, if the case may be!
4. Should have previous record of philantrophy
5. Their wealth and assets should be monitored... before the entered politics and when they leave... disproportionate assets shd be handed over to I-T dept.At least then we'll have a reprieve in taxes
6. I'll think about it and post it!!!

RETARD said...

ithink xcept for da 1st point oders are da points considered as far as da presidents and da vidhan sabha special entries are concerned!
ur rite...they should b applicable to lok sabha too!

Nupur said...

@Retard: Oh damn!! I thot I was the first one to come up with it!!

And since when did engineers began studying civics??!!??

Anyways the president is as useful as my appendix...so wats the point of guidelines for him/her. But if she's Pratibha Patil... we need one more criterion: You gotta be a scientist to be a Prez!!

RETARD said...

lol
totally agree wid u!
i hated civics!
but da politics part of it fascinates me!
neway right now we can do nothing but wait to turn 25!
lets plan!we ll open a party BLOGSPOT UNITED!

Nupur said...

@Retard: Haha!!! Nice name... we'll have a pen as the symbol.... no no a keyboeard!!


The youth has to be together and fight together... only then can we have something we can be proud of..every sec i watch the news...i can feel my blood boil... r politiicans so thick skinned tht they cant feel anything??

ankit_shroff said...

tell me 1 politician who has got guts 2 stand with da police men at da scene n c dat all da resuced ppl r sent safely to home.....who co-ordinates to bring more security here......

4gt dat do v even know who our local corporators are?????