Just watched the two news popping out of the TV screens in the prime news channels. One was about the consecutive blasts that occured in Mumbai.The other one,Israel pounding upon Lebanon for releasing her soldier.what a great contrast???
One news was about a billion or so hapless & helpless people who do not have anything to do other than succumbing helplessly to the whims & vagaries of a rogue nation whose sole motive is to see that India bleeds to death.The other one was about a small group of people who know how to save a single life of their community, even if it amounts to being condemned by the international society of being a war monger.One was about the prime minister of a large nation who was pleading before the international community to chide his neighbour for being unfriendly & uncontrollable.The other was about the leadership which didn't have to plead anyone.Just actions which will prove that "Play with my peoples' lives at your own risk".One was about a strong leadership which knows how to answer the enemy in it's own terms.The other one was about a leadership which knows how to cry & beg in front of international community to save it from being harassed by other nations who even don't measure upto a quarter of it's size.
To add to the already traumatic moment came the disclosure from one of our ministry (whose sole duty is to be vigilant about the internal security of the nation) in public about the beforehand information of the blast,but sigting ignorance about the details. C'mon can we be so callous & careless about the lives of our people???Can we be so shameless to accept that we are helpless even when we have every means at our hands to tackle the terror????Can we be so spine less,so servile as to be looked upon as a nation which does not have even teeth to bite, leave apart the claws to tear when being attacked by a small group of people who even does not have the courage to come out openly decalring their antagonism towards us?? How many times will we have to face such an embarrassing situation??? How many more lives have to be sacrificed to let the wrong doers know that they are doing something inappropriate??? How many more years of celebrating ahimsa ??? How many???
No particular answers will be found for these questions.They will still persist for the time to come.The leagcy of Ahimsa which have been bestowed upon us by Mahatma will be carried forward even if it amounts to be nonsensical and directionless,even if it leads to thousands and thousands of deaths.The politicisation of peoples' death will be carried forward with vengeance by the so called ruling class.Celebrities will light candle in front of the media so that their so called fans will at least know that their god is still alive even if loads of people died.Media will carry the debates about whether we have become a soft target for terrorists for some time.People will discuss about this for sometime at coffe table & kitty party to show that at least they care about their so called society.NGOs will have a reason to show their existence.Monetary help will be declared which may not even see the light out of the so called Netas' bank balances.
Life will move on as it moved on after Kargil, after Kandahar,after Mumbai Bomb blast,after Gujurat train burning incident.But who will fill up the vaccancies those have been created for a mother,for a wife, for a son,for a daughter??? Who will bring back the lost pride of this nation which have been subjected to so much humiliation.Who will????
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Saturday, July 08, 2006
An Encounter With The Truth
she was standing there,with those little hands towards me,palms spread out,asking for some thing really cool so that she can feel victorious on her way to her mother who was waiting patiently some distance away,waiting to see how well her kid has mastered the art that had been taught to her by none other then she.
Sometime back both of their actions were the objects of curiousity for me,as I was the witness to the drama that was being played out near the Subway Sandwich shop wherein the mother was literally pushing the kid towards us and the kid was reluctant to follow her order to come to us for begging something.The duel between the mother and the kid was played out for some time after which unwillingly the daughter gave in to the mother( perhaps the charity of respecting the elders played it's role).
Slowly she came forward to the place where me and my friend Biswa were having our after meal conversations with the rustle and bustle of Hyderabad city forming the backdrop(I had been posted to the city for the first time on a temporary basis for one month). Not to embarrass her, I moved my attention to Biswa who was engrosssed in the pleasure of smoke and speaking out about our nostalgic school time.But knowingly or unknowingly my eyes often moved to that direction where she was on her way to her war field.Suddenly she was there.No words just those two hands came forward with palms spread out.
Since I presumed that I didn't have any coins,I was about to say "Change Nahin hai".But something deep inside me was laughing aloud on me."Hmm so you don't have change gentleman.You can afford to have a snadwich of 135 bucks & give tip of 10 Rs. to the waiter in a posh restaurant,But you can't give this child at least 1 rupee coin.Chhee Cheee,shame on you."
Suddenly those three words which I utter so clearly sometime was hard to come by.Should I or Shouldn't I???? "I remembered that I had some coins left out after I payed the bill for the sandwich.But who cares.She will go na.Why to break the flow of conversations.But isn't that bad??Perhaps my friend understood my confusion.Taking out his purse & without any attention he put a two rupee coin on the child's palm.Since I also didn't want to be left behind in this, my hands went straight to my back pocket & I also put a two rupee coin on those palms.
Holding the two coins she ran towards the judge, who by this time had come a bit closer,so that she can also ask for her share from us.The child handed her the coins.The mother looked at the coins.Took the girl in her hand.I don't know what thought came to her mind.Both started walking in the other direction from which we sat. I was hearing a voice deep inside me asking me "Is this the future of this kid??Doesn't she have the right to have a decent life??Doesn't she have the privilege to learn & understand the basic laws of science,the basic arithmatics??
Biswa's smoking was over.Throwing the cigarette on the ground,he wore his helmet on,Started the newly bought bike and we sped towards CLUB 8 where we were scheduled have a great Friday Night.
I felt as if those two innocent eyes were keeping a watchful eye on me & giving me a mysterious smile telling me "Common,don't look for the answers when you know what the answers are".The bike was speeding away.The vehicles were zooming past us and with them my mind was also having a tought time to remain cool.
Sometime back both of their actions were the objects of curiousity for me,as I was the witness to the drama that was being played out near the Subway Sandwich shop wherein the mother was literally pushing the kid towards us and the kid was reluctant to follow her order to come to us for begging something.The duel between the mother and the kid was played out for some time after which unwillingly the daughter gave in to the mother( perhaps the charity of respecting the elders played it's role).
Slowly she came forward to the place where me and my friend Biswa were having our after meal conversations with the rustle and bustle of Hyderabad city forming the backdrop(I had been posted to the city for the first time on a temporary basis for one month). Not to embarrass her, I moved my attention to Biswa who was engrosssed in the pleasure of smoke and speaking out about our nostalgic school time.But knowingly or unknowingly my eyes often moved to that direction where she was on her way to her war field.Suddenly she was there.No words just those two hands came forward with palms spread out.
Since I presumed that I didn't have any coins,I was about to say "Change Nahin hai".But something deep inside me was laughing aloud on me."Hmm so you don't have change gentleman.You can afford to have a snadwich of 135 bucks & give tip of 10 Rs. to the waiter in a posh restaurant,But you can't give this child at least 1 rupee coin.Chhee Cheee,shame on you."
Suddenly those three words which I utter so clearly sometime was hard to come by.Should I or Shouldn't I???? "I remembered that I had some coins left out after I payed the bill for the sandwich.But who cares.She will go na.Why to break the flow of conversations.But isn't that bad??Perhaps my friend understood my confusion.Taking out his purse & without any attention he put a two rupee coin on the child's palm.Since I also didn't want to be left behind in this, my hands went straight to my back pocket & I also put a two rupee coin on those palms.
Holding the two coins she ran towards the judge, who by this time had come a bit closer,so that she can also ask for her share from us.The child handed her the coins.The mother looked at the coins.Took the girl in her hand.I don't know what thought came to her mind.Both started walking in the other direction from which we sat. I was hearing a voice deep inside me asking me "Is this the future of this kid??Doesn't she have the right to have a decent life??Doesn't she have the privilege to learn & understand the basic laws of science,the basic arithmatics??
Biswa's smoking was over.Throwing the cigarette on the ground,he wore his helmet on,Started the newly bought bike and we sped towards CLUB 8 where we were scheduled have a great Friday Night.
I felt as if those two innocent eyes were keeping a watchful eye on me & giving me a mysterious smile telling me "Common,don't look for the answers when you know what the answers are".The bike was speeding away.The vehicles were zooming past us and with them my mind was also having a tought time to remain cool.
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