26/11...a year on..

Another reason for me to think that 2009 is moving like there's no tomorrow. 12 months have gone by since that frightening wednesday when a bunch of thugs entered the city of dreams to create mayhem, and ended up accomplishing their task successfully, and yet, the 3-day saga comes back to haunt us of the extremely dangerous times that we are living in.

Last thursday was the first anniversary of the fateful "26/11" terrorist attack on some of the signature properties of the Mumbai landscape. This terrorist attack was not significantly different from the earlier ones, for, the ultras have been repeatedly training their guns on the financial nerve centre - Mumbai for a variety of reasons, be it the resultant panic that such an attack creates globally, or the fact that a brazen attack on the most popular & powerful city in the country demonstrates the audacity of the terrorists - they have not fired from across the border, they have entered our home and created havoc !

Every news channel worth its salt was repeatedly flashing images of that dastardly siege...some on the pretext of demanding justice, some on fixing accountability, while some to capitalise on the opportunity to ring in their cash registers. Yes, our hearts go out for all those innocent & brave brethren who lost their near and dear, but would hosting a few talk shows or holding some candle light vigils get us a solution to ensure that another "26/11" does not repeat ! A year on, we still dont seem to have learnt our lessons. The territorial waters still do not have "water-tight" coverage[pun very much intended !], absence of information flow amongst various intelligence agencies continues to date, the same old story of the affected running around for compensation, and most importantly - the same political party winning elections and forming a government with the same bunch of jokers at the helm.

A popular celebrity spoke on a talk-show about the role of citizens in coming up with solutions to safegaurd ourselves...then what is the government there to do? We elect governments, pay taxes and do "our" designated roles...then why cant the government do its own job of protecting its people ! Why do the citizens have to take on this rather complex problem of finding solutions to terrorist attacks ?

Is there no solution in sight for this global mania..perhaps, there are solutions galore...for a lay-man, simplistic solutions to this problem seem something like these -
[a] Secure the territorial borders in water-tight fashion.
[b] Equip the security agencies with modern arms & world-class training to combat various situations
[c] Provide immunity to people who come up to speak against suspects.
[d] Fast track all cases of terrorist-acts/suspects.
[e] Increase diplomatic pressure on the 1st world countries to end this menace, for they are facing greater risks of the effects of terrorism.
[f] Re-create anti-terrorism law on the lines of POTA, even if it seems barbaric..!

All of this and much more is possible...what we need is political will & urgency, and this has to come from the complete political spectrum. The quantum of time that politicians from all parties spend on petty issues can be better used to get these solutions acted upon....or perhaps the solutions are'nt so simplistic !

Immediately after the siege, every self-proclaimed security-expert spoke about the government's lacklustre attitude towards interal security of the country despite RAW & IB reports hinting at possible fidayeen attacks on Mumbai. But, the government was in a denial mode, and evidently, hasnt acted in adequate fashion. Isnt the government of Maharashtra responsible for this carnage ? The answer is an emphatic yes, but have we fixed the responsibility - sadly, the answer is no, for, we do not care about these issues beyond the spotlight, and the politicos know it too well.

How else would you explain the dismal voter turnout in the Maharashtra assembly
elections barely 8 months after a horrendous attack on this country's marvel. The intelligentsia of our country is caught up in beaming with fancy anecdotes on television, for what else can explain their hypocrisy in not adhering to security standards set for everyone.

Some times I feel, the more things change, the more they remain the same. 26/11 has run shivers down our spines despite being miles away from the attack-zone, it has changed the way terror is looked at, the attack has compelled the United States to step-up pressure on Pakistan to burst the sleeper cells, has inspired many Indians to take up NSG as a serious career option, and has re-affirmed our natural nationalism, but we refuse to change into responsible citizens of a great democracy.

Any takers, countrymen ?