The end of a beginning….

As I sit down to pen the thoughts that are raging inside me about the terrorist attack on Mumbai, I am at a complete loss for words. How can one express the multitude of emotions that all of Mumbai was feeling, as those savages mercilessly kept on killing, innocent, unarmed and hapless people? How can one articulate the level of disgust at an administration, which is only adept at issuing banal statements, which further scar our souls?

 

Are nouns like anger, fear, hatred, disillusionment, frustration et al, enough to describe my true feelings? I don’t think so. And, like me, most of the mumbaikars, are reliving those horrendous moments, daily, even as we go through our everyday motions.

 

It only took a group of 10 odd jehadees, who were armed and trained for combat, to hold the financial nerve centre of India, at ransom. In hindsight, it looks almost trivial to think that, even with the most sophisticated weaponry and a consummate military training, these savages could carry out this heinous mission.

 

The images of people running for cover, bodies covered in blood, strewn all over the place, shattered glasses, empty canisters, tell only part of the story. Our dented spirit, the loss of life and our scarred souls, though not visible to the naked eye, hold the true essence of the fall-out of this ghastly act.

 

Mumbai has always been on the terrorist-radar and been attacked before. Be it the train blasts or bomb blasts of 1993. But each time when the people of this city were faced with adversity, the fabled spirit of this dynamic city came to fore. We bounced back. Only to be cruelly getting knocked over again. We started to take our first step to regain our basic rights of being free citizens of the second largest democracy of the world. Only to be reminded, that a spineless political class, which clamors for power without responsibility and accountability in this country, is inept to protect even our basic rights.

 

 

Conspiracy theories are doing rounds now. There is malicious exchange amongst us all, as we try to search for somebody to provide us reliable answers to some of the questions raging in our minds. How long will we continue to be sitting ducks to such attacks? How long will we suffer because of a callous, inefficient and opportunistic political class? How long before we see some concrete remedial measures being taken to counter terrorism? How long before we feel safe in our own homes, streets, cities, states and our very own country? How long before we see these so-called elected representatives of the country deliver on their shallow promises?

 

Its time we stood up for ourselves. Its time we start demanding what is rightfully ours. Its time we do away with our chalta-hai attitude. Its time, when we, as the people of this country, stand united and speak in ONE voice. Its time we make our political class, irrespective of their so-called ideology, squirm. ITS TIME WE TELL THE WORLD THAT WE WILL NOT BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED ANYMORE!

 

 

Keep the fire burning, till every corrupt bone of this country , is reduced to ashes……