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2:20 AM
A united tricoloured face that's what India needs today. Every colour and assertion merging into one signpost of our Indianness – the Tricolour.
Mumbai represents the best of Indian minds and entrepreneurship. It’s time we salute that spirit and bow our heads before those valiant soldiers and policemen who laid their lives for a cause so dear to us all – India.
Let this moment inspire us to flutter Tricolours atop our houses, offices, and workstations as a challenge and a victory sign to the cowards who attacked us thinking they can cow us down and instill fear in our hearts. Instead it has further reinforced our resolve to stay united and fight the weeds. How I wish that everything we do, whether creating a blog or buying a bike or a car has an essential sign – the Tricolour, like we have a bindi or a cross or a 786 locket.
It’s not an emotional outburst but there are times when one has to forget the structural areas of frameworked worship to reach a greater god of a people. That, to me can’t be anyone else but Bharat, that is India. If India survives, our gods still may have a space to be in. We lost Kabul, Rawalpindi and Lahore. And our gods lost their space too. So be an atheist, if that suits you, but keep your faith in one icon that's India. Let a new Anand Math emerge with the ochre-robed monks leading the society against invaders and let every colour that India wears be a part of it as patriotically as the Tricolour directs. Through an extraordinary gesture Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has earned the respect of the Indians by showing that in such times he can cross party lines and clinch a solidarity that strengthens India. Congress and BJP leaders together in Mumbai underlined the signature of unity – Indians ready to battle and win. Let this spirit be visible in other areas of national concerns too.
But it must be said that India paid a heavy price of diverting all security attention to a Malegaon probe that took politicised tones and gave the Mumbai attackers the unattended space and time they needed. Just to please a votebank, the government and the secular media inadvertently helped the enemies of the nation.
In an interesting reference to it, a highly reputed army officer Lt General Ashok Joshi (retd.) wrote: “The indirect cost of the Malegaon blast probe – still climbing – is very considerable. None can gainsay at present what national benefits would accrue from the Malegaon probe even when it is complete; but the collateral damage so far has already been overwhelming. It is no one's case that the Malegaon blast probe is either unimportant or unnecessary. It appears, however, that the probe exclusively held the attention of the security apparatus until November 26, 2008, when the disaster occurred. This could well have been an unintended consequence, but it was terrible. The perspective and the sense of proportion in evaluating threats, and assigning resources for combating them are so very vital. There is a need for a serious review.”
Then they say – India is at war. Really? When has it not been in the last two decades? Do we have to form our opinion on the words of a denationalised media that uses every such opportunity to introduce new clichés and idioms to increase their circulation and market brand value?
Have you noticed the anchors on the TV screens whose theatrical maneouvres completely overshadowed the person who they were supposed to be interviewing and the 'guests' were simply used to have anchors pour their high-pitched speeches? It was so kiddish and morally downgrading that the entire episode of a serious jihadi war was reduced to a secularised sermon and not a single channel or newspaper devoted space to the question: why did it happen to us? Economy? Hurting our business? And terrifying western visitors and investors? Damaging India's reputation as a safe business centre? Were all these the real goals or just the means to achieve a distant aim?
Everyone said it's a war on India. The anchors put their energies to dramatize the entire tragedy with their emphasis on body language and silly questions to the crowd waiting for their loved ones to come out safe. “Brave, brave, brave, woman, her husband is inside Taj and still she is managing to smile. Brave.” There was nothing much that they could have churned out.
There were guests and guest artists and interviews with chocolate faces of a page three cartel that fumed and smoked to be politically correct for the occasion. The reporters whose every single line while reporting Malegaon was laced with “Hindu terrorism” saw to it quite consciously not to mention “Islamic Jihadi” even once in passing. But there were efforts by a couple of media chatterers on the screen to mention “now we have Hindu terrorism too” while discussing Mumbai's agony! This hate attack of the seculars even in times of such a tragedy is as fatal as were the gunshots of the jihadis inside the Taj and Oberoi. And they have monopolised the channels and the print media turning them into virtual Gulags.
The same crowd which has been singularly responsible for providing shields to jihadi terrorism and speaking in abusive language against the nationalist saffron side was most vocal in questioning why the police is not being given the appropriate arsenal, sophisticated guns and a proper combat-ready uniform.
None, yes none of them tried to ask one simple question: why did it happen?
What wrong has India done to Al Qaida or terrorists' organisations or their religious leaders that they should act in this horrendous manner? And is this the 'first' time, the very first and unique kind of an attack which is the most ghastly so far? Why? And how? What happened when terrorists attacked Akshardham? Do you remember the visuals and the commentaries and the reactions of the same old, seasoned and concerned glamorous mediapersons and leaders then?
What had happened when they attacked Parliament and MPs were holed up inside the central hall and security forces fought a fierce gun battle on 13th December, 2001? Were all those attacks just casual, old fashioned and without any trace of uniqueness? And this was too unique because Taj being Taj, a super high elite was involved in the tragic incident, which was made to reminisce about the dark hours in the war zone how they had met their first girl friend in the heritage building?
The Mumbai attack was like it had always been. Killings of the innocents and blasts before they prepared themselves to die.
Why?
Why they chose to kill our people even at the cost of their life? They were no small, ordinary thieves and supari killers. Those who support their heinous crimes would call them “brave and committed” men. Young and ready to lay down their lives for a cause so dear to them that they would forget the family bonds and a desire to live and enjoy this world. They were taught to prepare for a “big contribution” to their faith and enjoy the after-life up there. They believed in every thing that was taught and did what they did.
Hence the question that must disturb us and make every Indian seriously analyze and formulate a strategy is” “Why is India their target?”
The US is different. It captured their lands and killed their leaders. It runs governments in Muslim majority countries. India hasn't done that; on the contrary, we always tried to project ourselves as friendly to Muslim countries even after getting insults and non-cooperation from them.
Remember Rabat and the way Saudis and Malaysia treated us and our people who are our blood and flesh. And the tightlipped Muslim countries during every war we fought. They would cooperate with the same US and hand over their Taliban to the US privates happily. But keep on sending their heady fidayeen into our territory and issue denials even after we go overboard, to praise them and their heroes.
India never had such a weak ideological and political leadership. During the Mughals, Portuguese and the British, we had the best of leaders who led the society through literature, culture, religious reformism, helping organize military resistance to the invaders and had no confusion regarding the friends and the foes. They were definitely helped by the moneyed elite too, but the moneybags were never allowed to influence decisions. Their biggest forte was credibility and an uncompromising, predictable behaviour.
Today the biggest casualty of the Indian national movement has been the credibility gap and the growing influence of the moneyed, alienated elite with a colonized mindset that compels us to convert our language and purposes into a secular framework before any inclusion in their invitation list. The Congress used to be a grand old alliance with a strong nationalist pitch. We have lost it to the same pressure groups that stand for a compromised hue of the alienated. And the BJP is still fighting for its rightful space.
Any war is first fought intellectually and then on the ground. India is facing its worst ever ideological war since the days of Shivaji and Guru Govind Singh. The attackers are not coming here to loot or colonise us. They are here to attack what they still perceive as a Hindu India that has to be broken to expand their school of thought and faith. It's happening not because we have offended them. It's happening for just being what we are. And we have begun to assert our individuality, our distinguished way of life, within our precincts. And that's intolerable to them.
The temple priests of Somnath or the Acharyas of Nalanda hadn't gone to Turkistan or the barren lands of Arabia to offend them and invite their wrath. We were always attacked for being just what we were. Hence this fight can’t be joined without going into the real causes of the war and preparing an intellectual resistance that strengthens the minds before that empowers the sinews. That has to be an inclusive bond defining the cultural and civilisational stream. Stress on the elements that unite rather than those which divide.
This war requires forging a united Indian resistance based on love for our motherland and the elements that express her glory. We must ensure that different faiths do not get into a conflict with patriotic fervour – and we have shown we can do it successfully, many times before. 1857 is one shining example of that. We showed it in 1971 and in Kargil too.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Mumbai represents the best of Indian minds and entrepreneurship. It’s time we salute that spirit and bow our heads before those valiant soldiers and policemen who laid their lives for a cause so dear to us all – India.
Let this moment inspire us to flutter Tricolours atop our houses, offices, and workstations as a challenge and a victory sign to the cowards who attacked us thinking they can cow us down and instill fear in our hearts. Instead it has further reinforced our resolve to stay united and fight the weeds. How I wish that everything we do, whether creating a blog or buying a bike or a car has an essential sign – the Tricolour, like we have a bindi or a cross or a 786 locket.
It’s not an emotional outburst but there are times when one has to forget the structural areas of frameworked worship to reach a greater god of a people. That, to me can’t be anyone else but Bharat, that is India. If India survives, our gods still may have a space to be in. We lost Kabul, Rawalpindi and Lahore. And our gods lost their space too. So be an atheist, if that suits you, but keep your faith in one icon that's India. Let a new Anand Math emerge with the ochre-robed monks leading the society against invaders and let every colour that India wears be a part of it as patriotically as the Tricolour directs. Through an extraordinary gesture Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has earned the respect of the Indians by showing that in such times he can cross party lines and clinch a solidarity that strengthens India. Congress and BJP leaders together in Mumbai underlined the signature of unity – Indians ready to battle and win. Let this spirit be visible in other areas of national concerns too.
But it must be said that India paid a heavy price of diverting all security attention to a Malegaon probe that took politicised tones and gave the Mumbai attackers the unattended space and time they needed. Just to please a votebank, the government and the secular media inadvertently helped the enemies of the nation.
In an interesting reference to it, a highly reputed army officer Lt General Ashok Joshi (retd.) wrote: “The indirect cost of the Malegaon blast probe – still climbing – is very considerable. None can gainsay at present what national benefits would accrue from the Malegaon probe even when it is complete; but the collateral damage so far has already been overwhelming. It is no one's case that the Malegaon blast probe is either unimportant or unnecessary. It appears, however, that the probe exclusively held the attention of the security apparatus until November 26, 2008, when the disaster occurred. This could well have been an unintended consequence, but it was terrible. The perspective and the sense of proportion in evaluating threats, and assigning resources for combating them are so very vital. There is a need for a serious review.”
Then they say – India is at war. Really? When has it not been in the last two decades? Do we have to form our opinion on the words of a denationalised media that uses every such opportunity to introduce new clichés and idioms to increase their circulation and market brand value?
Have you noticed the anchors on the TV screens whose theatrical maneouvres completely overshadowed the person who they were supposed to be interviewing and the 'guests' were simply used to have anchors pour their high-pitched speeches? It was so kiddish and morally downgrading that the entire episode of a serious jihadi war was reduced to a secularised sermon and not a single channel or newspaper devoted space to the question: why did it happen to us? Economy? Hurting our business? And terrifying western visitors and investors? Damaging India's reputation as a safe business centre? Were all these the real goals or just the means to achieve a distant aim?
Everyone said it's a war on India. The anchors put their energies to dramatize the entire tragedy with their emphasis on body language and silly questions to the crowd waiting for their loved ones to come out safe. “Brave, brave, brave, woman, her husband is inside Taj and still she is managing to smile. Brave.” There was nothing much that they could have churned out.
There were guests and guest artists and interviews with chocolate faces of a page three cartel that fumed and smoked to be politically correct for the occasion. The reporters whose every single line while reporting Malegaon was laced with “Hindu terrorism” saw to it quite consciously not to mention “Islamic Jihadi” even once in passing. But there were efforts by a couple of media chatterers on the screen to mention “now we have Hindu terrorism too” while discussing Mumbai's agony! This hate attack of the seculars even in times of such a tragedy is as fatal as were the gunshots of the jihadis inside the Taj and Oberoi. And they have monopolised the channels and the print media turning them into virtual Gulags.
The same crowd which has been singularly responsible for providing shields to jihadi terrorism and speaking in abusive language against the nationalist saffron side was most vocal in questioning why the police is not being given the appropriate arsenal, sophisticated guns and a proper combat-ready uniform.
None, yes none of them tried to ask one simple question: why did it happen?
What wrong has India done to Al Qaida or terrorists' organisations or their religious leaders that they should act in this horrendous manner? And is this the 'first' time, the very first and unique kind of an attack which is the most ghastly so far? Why? And how? What happened when terrorists attacked Akshardham? Do you remember the visuals and the commentaries and the reactions of the same old, seasoned and concerned glamorous mediapersons and leaders then?
What had happened when they attacked Parliament and MPs were holed up inside the central hall and security forces fought a fierce gun battle on 13th December, 2001? Were all those attacks just casual, old fashioned and without any trace of uniqueness? And this was too unique because Taj being Taj, a super high elite was involved in the tragic incident, which was made to reminisce about the dark hours in the war zone how they had met their first girl friend in the heritage building?
The Mumbai attack was like it had always been. Killings of the innocents and blasts before they prepared themselves to die.
Why?
Why they chose to kill our people even at the cost of their life? They were no small, ordinary thieves and supari killers. Those who support their heinous crimes would call them “brave and committed” men. Young and ready to lay down their lives for a cause so dear to them that they would forget the family bonds and a desire to live and enjoy this world. They were taught to prepare for a “big contribution” to their faith and enjoy the after-life up there. They believed in every thing that was taught and did what they did.
Hence the question that must disturb us and make every Indian seriously analyze and formulate a strategy is” “Why is India their target?”
The US is different. It captured their lands and killed their leaders. It runs governments in Muslim majority countries. India hasn't done that; on the contrary, we always tried to project ourselves as friendly to Muslim countries even after getting insults and non-cooperation from them.
Remember Rabat and the way Saudis and Malaysia treated us and our people who are our blood and flesh. And the tightlipped Muslim countries during every war we fought. They would cooperate with the same US and hand over their Taliban to the US privates happily. But keep on sending their heady fidayeen into our territory and issue denials even after we go overboard, to praise them and their heroes.
India never had such a weak ideological and political leadership. During the Mughals, Portuguese and the British, we had the best of leaders who led the society through literature, culture, religious reformism, helping organize military resistance to the invaders and had no confusion regarding the friends and the foes. They were definitely helped by the moneyed elite too, but the moneybags were never allowed to influence decisions. Their biggest forte was credibility and an uncompromising, predictable behaviour.
Today the biggest casualty of the Indian national movement has been the credibility gap and the growing influence of the moneyed, alienated elite with a colonized mindset that compels us to convert our language and purposes into a secular framework before any inclusion in their invitation list. The Congress used to be a grand old alliance with a strong nationalist pitch. We have lost it to the same pressure groups that stand for a compromised hue of the alienated. And the BJP is still fighting for its rightful space.
Any war is first fought intellectually and then on the ground. India is facing its worst ever ideological war since the days of Shivaji and Guru Govind Singh. The attackers are not coming here to loot or colonise us. They are here to attack what they still perceive as a Hindu India that has to be broken to expand their school of thought and faith. It's happening not because we have offended them. It's happening for just being what we are. And we have begun to assert our individuality, our distinguished way of life, within our precincts. And that's intolerable to them.
The temple priests of Somnath or the Acharyas of Nalanda hadn't gone to Turkistan or the barren lands of Arabia to offend them and invite their wrath. We were always attacked for being just what we were. Hence this fight can’t be joined without going into the real causes of the war and preparing an intellectual resistance that strengthens the minds before that empowers the sinews. That has to be an inclusive bond defining the cultural and civilisational stream. Stress on the elements that unite rather than those which divide.
This war requires forging a united Indian resistance based on love for our motherland and the elements that express her glory. We must ensure that different faiths do not get into a conflict with patriotic fervour – and we have shown we can do it successfully, many times before. 1857 is one shining example of that. We showed it in 1971 and in Kargil too.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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