Thinking Mumbai after 18 days

Portia: Good sentences and well pronounced.

Nerrissa: It would be better if they were followed.

Portia: If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches and poor men's cottages princes' palaces. It is a good divine that follows his own instructions; I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done, than be one of the twenty to follow mine own teaching. 

I avoided writing anything about 26/11 till now primarily because of two reasons .  I was too much involved in looking "inside" me. I also did not want to come up with a knee-jerk reaction. I wanted to gauge the "mood" by hearing, reading and listening. And I feel I was right, at least on a personal level. What I write now is going to be much more different than what I would have written then. This very fact, reveals the true picture. I want to plead guilty. But in doing so, I wish to trace the origins of the pathogen which has infected a part of our brains. I want to free myself of this infection. I sincerely hope that some of you do the same. 

A lot has been said, discussed and hotly debated on the Mumbai "terror attacks". Words cannot describe the horror, desperation, helplessness and of course, anger which almost all of us felt during the course of three horrid days. These feelings mentioned above, were indeed "felt", not only by Indians but by all "global" citizens. 

As a thinking individual, I was greatly affected by some scenes of this real-life drama. Some may see it as "sheer" narrow-mindedness. Some may think I am drifting from the matter at hand. But these scenes, symbolize the under-current, the current that opposes the current we see standing on the shore of the river. It urges us to jump into the river and flow along-with it, against the apparent flow. The formation of this under-current may not be fascinating and "correct" but that does not really matter if we want to defeat the situation at hand.

One of the causes of the formation of this under-current is the role of the media. The media plays the role of the cameraperson whose job in this case, is not only to cover the entire drama but also to put it on record so that it can be played repeatedly in front of us. It also plays the role of a critic and presents an infinite number of arguments before us in its analysis of the play. Considering the reputation of critics in today's world, some of these arguments are extremely thought provoking while some are "rubbish". It comes as no surprsie that these roles have both been praised and criticized by the "audience".

A well known news network started off well when the "drama" began. Both the anchor and correspondents were sensitive towards the emotions of the people and chose not to highlight  individual pain and suffering. They seemed duty-bound to show images and speak words that would enrage the public but at the same time not result in panic-buttons being pressed everywhere. Some other news channels tried getting as close to the action as possible. Some flew in their war and terror coverage "specialists" to report on the matter even before the NSG commandos could fly in. They could have benefitted the terrorists in doing so but that is again, a question of debate. 

What really upset me was the decision of the owner of the seemingly "responsible" news channel to take a U-turn on the second day. Co-ordinating with the most famous face in the Kargil War, he chose to exploit the emotions pouring out from personal tragedies of the victims. At times, it looked like the sole purpose was to highlight the devastation, visual and personal, caused by these attacks. One could not help but think that the perpetrators of this shameless act would be quenching their thirst from the blood oozing out of the scars being tampered with.

Another image which haunts me is that of the young terrorist, clearly pictured at the CSS Terminal. He looks just like any college going student on a carefree trek. Only, we cannot even imagine to what extent his mind has been poisoned. But what really disturbs me, is a confession I make to myself. This person resembles one of the heroes of many a computer games who is dressed to  kill. This image, somewhere, brings a strange sense of trueness to a "boyish" fantasy: to be heavily armed and shooting at the "bad guys". But the definition of "bad" here,  is highly subjective. If this is what I feel (and I am sure a lot of my friends who play such violent games identify with this), then one can only imagine how many more, waiting in the queue for their innocent "brains" to be washed, cleansed of all reasoning, would relate to this image. 

Does that the mean that the media is unjustified in its recording the whole drama? Is it against the underlying principle behind the formation of the anti-current? These concerns would be answered after I discuss another cause. This cause is hard to accept but if we let ourselves "open" to all ideas, it can be fathomed.

One can not really keep a count of the number of terrorist attacks being made on Indian soil. But what makes 26/11 different? Of course, the place of incidence was the heart of Indian finance and its metropolitan image. The fact that the whole episode stretched for almost three days and that it was impossible for anyone to escape the terror and despair caused by these attacks, was another major factor. But this time around, something else was different.

This time around, the rich and the "elite" could sense terror as they shivered watching the series of events pass.  A lot of them, prior to this attack, would have, in their minds, rated the probability of their being victims of a terrorist attack as minimal, especially in the comfort of five star hotels. Make no mistake when I say this. Of course, five star hotels and other such places could be easy targets, but in their minds, this possibility, just like the tip of an iceberg, remained remote. Only now, when a ship  was "hit" by the iceberg, did others realize the enormousness of the problem at hand.

And therefore, we could see intellectuals (mostly with a "five star" lifestyle) come out and speak strongly on matters of "grave concern". We have seen some of these people speaking out in public formus  on previous occassions but the only difference this time, as I see it, was that they were much more earnest in their views and expressions. They not only meant what they said but they believed. This time, one could sense, they "felt" fear. 

And while this may leave a bad taste in the reader's mouths, I feel that this is a blessing in disguise. At least now, we have a "single standard". The terrorists terrified the whole nation but unknowingly they left everyone "united in fear". Taj, Oberoi and Nariman House are to the "elite" and "influential" , what Patroclus was to Achilles in the Trojan war. The words of the influential, no doubt, boost everyone in the country. But more importatntly, the people whose voices can be heard, are waking up to the call. It is not just about resilience any more. It is about resistance.

These were my views right after the NSG operations got over.

More than two weeks have passed by and these thoughts are still fresh in my mind. Over this period, I have read some blogs, articles and statements. Not only people have expressed their anger and disapproval of what has been happening in the country, they have come with suggestions which could help improve our condition as a nation. In most cases, the proposed solutions are linked to evils (such as poverty, illiteracy, corruption)which have long been a part of our society. I would like to focus on two major concerns aired by a large number of people.

The first one is the need to elect the "right leaders", which, in turn, signifies the importance of voting. It is mostly those , who feel that their views should be heard, who do not vote. This includes me as well. I intend to vote from now on. But, I also feel that quite a sizeable population of this country, is not able to vote because the people concerned do not happen to stay in their respective states of domicile. This makes it difficult for many to take leave from their jobs in order to go back home and vote. This issue needs to be addressed when we discuss the importance of voting.

The second issue is that of "corruption".  The most common from of corruption, in everyday life, happens to be that of bribery. I have paid bribes and I have hated doing it everytime. People argue that sometimes they do not have any option. May be they are right but one can at least attempt to eliminate possible scenarios which lead to bribery. Some things just need to be a part of one's discipline, for example, following traffic rules, wearing your helmets, putting on safety belts, getting your vehicle registered and checked for pollution. I have been guilty of two of the offences mentioned.

And despite taking a decision to get my vehicle registered on 28/11, I still have not taken a step forward. This is what the conversation between Portia and Nerrissa from the Merchant of Venice signifies. One can preach others what to do but cannot follow one's own teaching.

Most of us, almost all, have gone back to their routines. A part of them got bruised by 26/11. It will heal until it is made fresh by another assault on the consciousness of this country. But this time, it was supposed to be different. This time we were not going to let it fade. Yet, I can see the Fire diminishing. I hope it is just the one inside me; I wish to rekindle it. But I know, there are many more like me. We can not let the Fire die down. We need to be reminded of this  time and again. And that is why the role of the media, one of the causes of the formation of this anti-current against terrorism, is important. There is a need to record every "drama" and play  it in front of our eyes so that we do not forget so easily the tragedy which can someday claim us as victims. 

Man uses fire to help keep wild animals, and thus, fear away. We should also use this Fire within us to ruin such horrendous acts of terror.

It is time for us to dive into the river and empower the undercurrent so that it not only resists terrorism but also sweeps away with its sheer force, the evils that are a part of our society.

Let us get rid of this pathogen which infects us.

I have not been a part of any candle light vigils or peaceful protest marches. But, if I can at least change myself to bring about an improvement, everyone can. A part of me really wanted to avoid writing this post, but a part of me wanted to plead guilty. And now that I have, I want to change things I can control, however small they may seem. 

And if anyone does want to comment, I would request the reader to mention at least one positive thing he or she has done to add fuel to the Fire. I would so the same.