Today, the first morning, where i didn’t have to go to the TV set to check if those blokes who came by sea were still firing away to glory. I stare into the Mumbai sky and realise that it still is the same. Its just that my stare has changed. Forever changed.
The resolve to do something is all pervasive.
If a 20 odd year old chap has the resolve to come by sea & hold a nation at ransom, well, each one of us can build the resolve fight those blokes. Let me speak for myself, i need to build the resolve to fight on. I cant tell the difference between a shotgun and a pistol. And the magazines that my hands turn are more for the eye and not for anothers life.
But its time now to stand up. I am sick and tired of waiting for change that the ‘next government’ would usher in. If bunch of college kids derived the strength to blow us up, i am motivated to protect what we won in 1947 from Ak-47 ! And i sure can promise the collective motivation of a billion people and the support of all the world, will blow to smithereens, resolve founded on a destructive ideology.
So what can we do. My mind races in multiple directions.
As Sreeram Chaulia suggests, how about a community led role ? We have got to get there. Lets not stay with fiddling with the TV remote and passing acerbic judgements about the incompetent, insensitive politician or that inept bureaucrat.
Many nations have conscription! Now that could sound as a preposterous suggestion. But isn’t the situation that we are in preposterous. OK, lets stop half way down that road. How about basic, practical education on survival in tough circumstances for everybody. Everybody. From schools, colleges, offices. Where we learn to protect ourselves. We have to do our bit.
All of that is for facing any eventuality.
And then of course, its time to sow reason. Pragmatism. Saying ‘no’ to and shunning jingoism and spreading the debate. We need to educate. We need to reach out. We need to share our shoulders and our arms. We need to be together.
We need to campaign. For responsible politics. For better arms for our troops. For responsibility and accountability in journalism. For peace. To be tolerant of opinions but to be intolerant of divisiveness.
‘We’ ! Yes. Its you. Yes. You as you are reading. And me. And the people that we know, between us.
So, when last did you unpack a ‘Do-It-Yourself’ kit….
Its time.
Kavi, it is a very positive sign that you feel the need to do something constructive. There must be many other young people like you.
There are general elections coming up in a few months. Everyone must cast their vote then!
And we must not vote blindly. We must arm ourselves with information about the candidates and then vote.
In a democracy like ours, we can influence the government through the ballot.
The first step is to identify the enemy – define the problem – directly, instead of using PC speech, finding excuses for terror and digging for “manufactured problems”. Do we have the guts to do that?
All that you said is a commendable, second step…
i hear you and second the thought! it’s time to get the work done and we have to do it ourselves.
…as a child they used to tell us the story about the mother sparrow and her chicks who lived in a corn field. the farmer would come everyday and say that the field needed to be reaped. but the birds stayed put. it was only when one day the farmer said that he would reap the field himself and not wait for anyone’s help that the mother bird in her sage wisdom finally took flight with her children…
‘if a thing needs to be done, we have to do it ourselves.’
Kavi,
I understand that you are deeply perturbed like me. Let us do it. As Osho said “One seed can make the whole earth green”.
We need to change to change.
Hi, Kavi.
I applaud your desire to become more involved, and am only glad that I myself — at least at this point — do not face the same challenges you do.
But like everything, that will change. I don’t want to know about guns — but I don’t want one trained on me, either. I don’t really want to know about being tested, for fear that I will fail…
I read somewhere about a Chinese saying: May you live in interesting times. Appears that you are living in interesting times, Kavi.
I think of you often.
Pearl
Kavi,
While I totally empathise with your earnestness (and a million others’) to do something constructive to prevent terrorism, I find personally, ‘conscription’ or ‘community-led’ actions may not be the answers. For the former is a bit extreme (it is an option if the Indian Army is lacking man power which is not the case), and the latter is incredibly weak. We are talking about a great city like Mumbai, fighting global terrorism. A community-led ‘dad’s army’ might work for some backyard hooligans making trouble in your neighbourhood, but unfortunately, this is organised global terrorism.
With due respect to the community-led initiatives, but to tackle a problem like this, it calls for a little bit more of a top-down management. For starters, India’s Foreign Policy towards Pakistan requires a radical rethink. Instead of the Indian Government blaming Pakistan for the every evil under the sun, and bringing the world to the brink of a nuclear war, they should work alongside the Pakistani Government and agencies to root out terrorism. Yes, it may involve swallowing several dollops of pride on both sides, but inviting them over (maybe for a glass of lassi – There’s is so much hot-headed talk, one needs a cold lassi!))and devising a strategy can save not only Mumbais and Delhis, but also save Karachis, Londons and NYs. We, as citizens didnt bury our differences, didnt give peace a chance. So I think, as we as responsible citizens, we should mobilse and steer political thought and action in the direction of peace, through the media.
Sanjeev