The west has them all, name it and Marvel's got them - Superman, Batman, Spiderman and so on....
Wonder why we Indians did not have so much, or rather why we had down to earth characters that feature in Tinkle and other Indian comics....? (I never really considered Krrish a hero)
Its because, in India, we have real life heroes, we have saviours, we have super-people whom we look forward to, in the time of trouble, terror and problems. We grow up, saluting these daring men and women, though mortal they may be, we make them immortals, and an ever burning flame in Delhi just proves that point. Indians have life-giving respect towards these heroes, the kind of respect that seems to be overflowing right from the bottom of the heart, the kind of respect that today's films can never portray in any dialogue unlike the earlier ages, when the saying used be, "Sar kata sakthe hain lekin sar jhukha sakte nahin" (We can let our heads be cut-off but we will not bow down).
Where the so-called-largest democracy failed us, when the netas-babus-politicians ignored possible terror attack indications, when we wanted a hero to protect us from the villains, a leader to lead India and Indians towards a safer place to live in..... they came and saved us, they died for us, as they always have been dying for us right from the moment we saw the dawn of the first independent India. They stood awake when we slept and we take it for granted that we will always see the sun rise for a better tomorrow. They are the heroes driven by the passion for ultimate service to our motherland, the one that goes by a poem, the poet I cannot recollect...., " Tan samarpith, man samarpith, dhan samarpith, chahta hoon yeh desh ki darti, tujhe kuch aur be doon" (body, soul and money sacrificed, wish I could give you more my motherland).
On 26th of November, 2008, India and the whole world saw an event unfold, in the lap of the commercial capital of the nation, that shook the very foundations of our belief in the country's system, its laws, its security and the people responsible for making our country safer. The nation had to bend its head in front of a few handful insane religious maniacs, who held ransom the whole nation for more that 60 hours. Finally we lifted our heads after the whole ordeal, only to let the whole world see our bleeding face, partly because we failed on our part to select right leaders, and partly because we are the resilient, ever forgiving, fearless, anger less Indians, who always had the "Chalta hai" attitude towards everything in life.
But that is about to change, the boiling of emotions in an average Indian can be felt, sending out shockwaves all over, calling out for a change. This time, it went too far, this time they pierced right into the heart, and this time we will not go back into the darkness of the night, we will not assume that a brighter morning will surely come, we will continue to be afraid, we will harbour anger and hatred, not against our own countrymen, but against a system that only allows politicians to have Z-protection when common man has no security of life. This time "nahi chalega", this time we will make sure that every vote counts, every tax money counts, every day is terror-free.
When the very heroes who guards our borders, who come in for a rescue when every flood occurs and who flush out the "TERRORISTS", ask for a increase in pay, they are snubbed, threathened with the act of mutiny and sent back with a promisory "look into the matter". At the same time, if a common babu does not get a bonus this year, its hell on the roads, carnage in every street, a 'bandh' for 24 hours. Is this how we pay our homeage and a mark of respect to these men in uniform? Where was the administration, the politic body, the people who are paid to stop such monstrous acts of insanity? How come they allow us to live in such grotesque times?
Just look at the way these idiotic uneducated politicians react, "Such incidents do happen in big cities", "Women with lipstick....do not represent the whole nation", " Had it not been for a martyr, no DOG will ever visit his house...". Look at how low levels these politians stoop to, just to save their "power in chairs". Who are they to curb freedom and rights given to women who wear 'lipstick' ? How did such chauvinistick men ever become a party member? And they forget how to pay homage to a martyr? What CM Achutanantan did was unforgiving, for he had no excuse on his part. Only after the media made a note of any Kerala minister being absent from Sandeep Unnikrishnan's funeral, did they even make an effort to go and visit them. If the CM was busy, he could have sent some minister or an emissary earlier.
Having discussed all this, what could be the possible outcome of this event, how should government react now, so as to ensure a better tomorrow?
1. A federal investigative agency on the lines of FBI must be in place. This ensures that a lot of unwanted paperwork prevention, because in the present scenario, the police can only operate in their turf. They cannot go beyond their circle of duty, and if they wish to do so, then they require permissions, papers, etc. and by the time they acquire this, the possible scene of crime is already a committed crime scene. Such a new agency need report only to the centre. This will help faster intel and better results, or so we hope. Again politicians have come against this, as they fear that this agency might be used against the state governments where the oppsition party is ruling. How can they be so selfish enough to think about their own seats when people are dying, when nation is under seige?
2. The border and coast guard security needs to be beefed up. Ever since the ceassefire, the number of terror attacks have been on the rise. With a country like Pakistan as neighbour, one cannot assume that they will hold their word of a bilateral gain. The ceasefire and the decrease of troops along the border only increases our vulnerability to terrorist attacks.
3. Isn't there anyway in which we can end the terror-training camps on PoK area? Or should we do what the Americans did? Should we overrun this PoK area, sanitise it, all this for our safety and then lead this sub-continent towards another major war? The Pakistani Governement, the previous military one, took our silence for our weakness. This time atleast we need to break out of the old " India never attacked any country in its 10,000 year history" saying. The right to live freely without any fear, is under attack and we cannot pretend as if nothing happened.
4. Maybe there should be a system of visa issual for non-Indians wherein, those visiting India should state a purpose or intention of doing so, like in most developed nations. Proper visa rules should be in place and implemented.
5. Making stricter punishment for terrorists does not help. The come to kill and to die. How can stricter punishments scare them? What is important is not to allow them to come inside. How come they get Parliament ID Cards so easily, how come they just pulled into our cities through seas? Some loopholes here, that need to be taken care of.
6. Every citizen should be made aware of life-saving techniques, SOS or other signaling techniques in case of emergencies. It should be a point for schools to arrange for all students for some kind of self-defence techniques. Also the no. of cameras in crowded cities should be increased, so that effective monitoring can be done.
In this short time I was able to think of only these many factors. Maybe you could help. How should we tackle this? Its an open debate.
