For a brief moment I had the following as my GTalk status message:
Wanted! For the Indian Government: A backbone and a soul...

Then a close friend pointed out with understandable anguish that the members of the police, fire, and security forces were also the government; the various brave people from the public administration who were involved in solving the latest terror crisis were also the government.

Trying to make a case that my reference was to the ruling party (forming the government) was a battle lost even before it could be started. And understandably so.

So let me try a different approach.


This recent spate of at least 10 different terrorist strikes all across the country in the last one year is slowly but surely poking holes in the internal security set-up of the country. Many questions are being raised to the Indian government which seems to have failed to undertake effective measures to check terrorism on Indian soil.

Among others, the Deccan Mujahideen -- virtually an unheard of organisation until a few months back -- is surely ruling the roost in terms of carrying mass and large-scale terror attacks across the Indian Nation. Or at least being quick and first to claiming the credit for most of these inhuman and evil highly coordinated attacks.

That the top three police officials - who were consistently a pain to the terrorist and criminal organisations - were killed in the initial part of the attacks, points to the intensity with which the terror operations were planned. A news report communicated the shock of the police force when their top officials were martyred, with a sub-inspector recounted the incident amidst shock and sobs.

Checking up with family, friends and acquaintances in Mumbai, brought to light many who had a close call during the terror attack, but had been decidedly fortunate than the hundred dead and two hundred injured. While the legendary resolve of the Mumbaikars came through in their statements, the uncertainty caused by the grim situation also crept through in their statements.

"All well and safe. So far."

"Indeed it's horrific! I'm in Pune and praying for the people of Mumbai."

"Horrendous situation. Still quite chaotic."

"Everything's fine here. At home today. Truly terrifying."

"Was out when the open firing happened. We actually heard the firing and saw police vans everywhere. But luckily we managed to find a cab home immediately. We are safe now."

"We are alive and well, for the time being. And will remain so if Patil permits."

"Situation is very bad out here. We are fine."


In a day or two the media and the rest of us will be talking and heralding the resolve of the Mumbaikars, who will not let anything stop them. But seriously, taking nothing away from their iron-strong resolve, what can a Mumbaikar do? For that matter what can anybody do?

Terror attacks or not, the people (read "the common man") do have to return to work, to continue earning their livelihoods, to carry on whatever it is that they do daily in their lives.

This is a fact of life for most, if not all, of us!


At this moment, I can't help but think to how any other city would cope with such a tragedy. Given the sad state of affairs with regard to the security infrastructure, I can only fear a mayhem.

As the questions that need to be brought up are being raised on the inaction of the Home Minister on the myriad terror attacks, which seem to be continuing unchecked, we also need to remember to pay our gratitude to the numerous under-paid under-equipped under-appreciated security forces who are fighting a daily battle to save our souls.

I do hope the politicians at the helm of the country pull their acts together, better today than tomorrow. For once they can stop bringing in politics into everything.

This is not a time to talk of political ideologies, nor of bringing in religion, nor of breaking the country and its people into castes and sub-castes, and playing vote-bank politics.

This is a time for the Raj Thackerays and Narendra Modis and Omar Abdullahs and Rahul Gandhis of the country to come together to fight for and save our Motherland.

This moment of terror, grief and tragedy is as right a time as any for all Indians to come together as one and resolve to do everything in our power and beyond to fight the enemy that is increasingly affecting our daily lives.

This was posted as a reply to my friend Bijoy's blog post A bridge to burn at CNN-IBN Blogs.

I post a copy-paste of my post to solicit your thoughts...

---

Dear Bijoy,

"Why the Saffron-bashing?" - That's all I have to ask.

You talk of traffic snarls, and being a co-inhabitant of Bangalore, I can concur with that thought. But ain't every political party and so-called VVIPs to blame here: They hold up traffic to ensure 'important' people can catch their flight, and the rest of us can miss ours. Traffic cops get sacked because HDD's cavalcade has to wait 5 minutes.

So why single out this one stoppage organised by the so-called "saffron brigade"? This could have just remained the immediate trigger for your write-up, but alas, that was not what it is.

I find the constant brandishing of the anti-saffron flag by most sections of the media - and now on blogs too - rather disturbing. We in the writing and media circles seem to take pride in criticising anything that has any inkling to ancient India and what was ancient Indian culture.

We have now stooped to questioning the basic texts that define modern Hinduism - the Ramayana & the Mahabharatha - and questioning the faith of millions that are associated with the same. And if anybody dare ask a question to this - they are termed saffron and non-social.

Well understanding the danger that a lot of readers (other than you!) are going to term me just that, I can't help but ask if ANY such behaviour would be found acceptable if we started questioning events from the Bible, Kuran, and other religious texts.

I respect the other religions, what they preach, and what the respective followers practice. All I ask is let me practice my faith, in peace.

I do not infringe on other's beliefs. Please do not infringe on mine.

Is that a fair thing to ask?

Nakul

PS: Two points on the DMK-related incident: It is utterly sad and unfortunate that two people had to lose their lives, for what is clearly a political issue.

My heartfelt condolence goes to the families and friends of these hapless souls. I pray to God that justice be done, and that the criminals be brought to justice.

There have been many events in the recent and not-so-recent past that prepped me to touch pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard); The execution of Saddam Hussein, the attack on the art student for an 'objectionable' painting, the election(?) of the President of India, the NICE corridor fiasco, numerous terrorist attacks in India, the foiled terror attack in London, the Haneef episode,... the list is large.

It was only my complete mastery at procrastination (I am the best procrastinator there is!), that enabled me to avoid a return to the blogosphere. And of course, there was this statement by one of our learned cabinet ministers, who sniggered at the people's campaign (mostly online) to bring back APJ Abdul Kalam for a second term as the President of India, as a insignificant minority who live in a deluded world of computers and virtual reality.

All this and more, could not prepare me to what I saw on the idiot box early yesterday morning. A group of 30-odd people (mostly men) attacking a lady, ostensibly to teach her a lesson for crossing pen with the sword of religion. This was too much to take and here I am typing away at my keyboard.

The scary fact remains that these so-called leaders carried out this horrendous attack inside a Press Club of India premise, right under the glare of numerous journalists, unmindful of the fact that they were on camera - both photo and camera! Or perhaps that was exactly the point -- that they were on camera; That this was a quick way to be 'known' across the state and country, arguably boosting their chances at the next elections.

And what has the new Lady President of our country got to say about this barbaric attack on an author - a lady author at that? Silence. Sorry! Did we miss something? We did not even hear a peep from the Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

What has the most powerful lady in the country got to say about this shameful episode? Sorry, but we did not hear any "tch tch" noises emanating from Madam's 10 Janpath either.

As for our new Vice President, all he had to say is people should not take law in their own hands. Asked a point blank question on what he feels about this uncivil incident, the learned intellect chose neither to condemn the incident nor state it as deplorable.

One should not find this too surprising as the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM)--the party to which these three legislators belong--is one of the partners of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the center. I only wonder if we should treat this as a government-sponsored attack on democratic rights and secularism -- especially since secularism is a topic that the UPA heralds as its own?

As my mind revisits this inhuman incident, I can't help but wonder what would have happened to Taslima Nasreen had some journalists and morally-guided co-invitees NOT come to her rescue. The newreel showed this motly group led by three legislators repeatedly attacking the exiled Bangladeshi writer with everything they could lay their hands on: chairs, flowerpots, bouquets. I can't help but wonder if these three elected representatives of a democracy called India would have perhaps physically assaulted Ms Nasreen if they could reach her? Would they have gone to the extent of killing her if the others had not kept them at bay?

Based on what the perpetrators stated on new cameras -- "We will behead her if she sets foot in Hyderabad" -- I have to say yes. Although deep inside I still think this was all an act linked to polity and to please that incomprehensible and inexplicable "vote-bank". And in that moment of time, I really can't help but think: What right-minded individual would elect these characters?

A country once respected the world-over for its philosophies of non-violence and non-cooperation, has turned into a modern Wild Wild West (except this is the Mystical East) -- where lathi-wielding and gun-toting people roam the streets, beating the shit out of anybody who does not agree with their ideals and ideology.

As my motherland reaches the independent age of 60, I can't help but state - I am proud of my country, and shameful of my countrymen. We seem to have lost the spine and the morals that gained us independence and freedom.

A basic question come to mind: Do we deserve a democracy? (if what we are living in now is indeed a democracy).

If Mahatma Gandhi were amongst us today, would he have led us on another freedom struggle -- For independence from the nincompoops who govern us?

Nakul

It happens once again! A fingernail grew too long, and the government decided to chop off the hand!

And this is not the first time the Government of India has acted in an ill-informed knee-jerk manner. In 2003, we made international news, when we blocked Yahoo Groups because it hosted an anti-national separatist eGroup... so what if there were thousands of other groups that were pro-India and pro-democracy? (related posts written in 2003 can be found here and here)

And now, after the rather unfortunate and shocking terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the Indian government proved yet again that it does not understand modern technology - specifically the Internet medium.

The ISP blanket-blockade of most popular blog sites (including Blogger & Typepad) could be put in better perspective with the following hypothetical examples...
* All cable networks are banned because one obscure television channel telecasted an anti-national programme;
* All print publications are banned because one magazine publishes some questionable articles;
* Electricity is cut-off for the entire region, because a psychopath kills his victims by electrocuting them;
* And my favourite: Automobile traffic is banned across the country because a car was used by a murderer to kill his victim... (well, at least it will help return Bangalore to the pedestrians!)

While typing in these far-fetched and hilarious (?) examples, I cannot help but wonder if the mantra of the Indian government is indeed na bachega baans, na bajegi baansuri; an age-old proverb that says - "if there is no bamboo left, no flute shall play (and this would stop the menace of snakes!)"

Some of the bloggers are considering PILs, and I fully support this initiative - if we do go ahead with the filing.

For although the government has since withdrawn the blanket ban, there is an avid need to educate the legislators and the bureaucracy about the Internet per se. And the judiciary would be the perfect medium to initiate this action.

It is heartening to see that some of the local police departments are putting in commendable effort in starting their own blogs - to communicate to the media and the people (See yodha's post - Police Blogging). This is a welcome start, for ONLY when more people from the government/bureaucracy start using the Internet in its various forms, will they understand the medium per se... And prevent repeating such shameful uninformed acts - especially for a country that projects itself as a IT Superpower!

Nakul

He has always been known to be an astute politician, but this time round his ingenuity has truly surpassed all earlier achievements.

We Indians have always believed in the adage "Two birds with one stone," but the situation H D Deve Gowda (HDDG) has created is a masterpiece! A total win-win-win situation for himself, and only himself.

Allow me to explain.

Here are the (only?) possible outcomes this January 27, 2006...

Possibility ONE - January 26th-27th, 2006:

Dharam Singh & the Karnataka Congress Party (backed by Sonia Gandhi & the Congress Party) heeds to Mr HDDG's every demand. What those are, I can only wonder.

With his whims and fancies blindly accepted, he calls his son back into the fold; The "real son" complies his father's wishes.

Summary: The Karnataka government continues with the benevolent blessings of Mr HDDG: With or without Dharam Singh; With or without Mallikarjuna Kharge; Definitely with those favourable to Mr H D Deve Gowda.

Possibility TWO - January 26th-27th, 2006:

The Congress agrees to most of HDDG's demands, and begs him to keep the "communal" BJP out of power; Handing over the CM's post to MP Prakash, or who-so-ever Mr HDDG anoints.

Mr HDDG unleashes overbearing pressure on his son, and manages to rein him in with all his MLAs. The son proves himself as the "real son".

Summary: The Congress remains in power, although playing second fiddle to the Janata Dal (Secular); Not that Mr Dharam Singh was ever the lead guitarist!

Possibility Three - January 27th, 2006:

The Congress is unable to appease Mr Deve Gowda. His demands still pending, he is unable to muster enough power to rein in his son.

The son unmindful of his dear dad's secular wishes goes ahead and forms a government with the BJP, the political "untouchables" they may be! As a result, the government can run as long as it does; post which the party is all set to attack the "communal" BJP.

Summary: Mr HDDG's son becomes the CM. PLUS, Mr HDDG's "secular" tag remains intact. After all, he has publicly opposed the formation of his son's liaison with the devil's own party (for some, God's own party).

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

All in all, (if you did not see it coming) Mr H D Deve Gowda is the winner.

Like I said: Kudos Mr Gowda. Kudos. What a coup!

If only the people were really as stupid as some think they are.

Nakul

The red blotch you see in the center of the hoarding is the "erstwhile" sponsor. 
Possibly he refused to pay up after the printing... So he was erased out!?
Nakul