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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

What happens when bomb blasts strike any city in India

It’s been, what, a month, since Bombay was targeted again with bombs.
Bombay (Special note to Shiv Sena: I have used the taboo word ‘Bombay’. Boo) being targeted time and again is not much of a surprise, since, well, it’s a city that is used to these kind of ‘interruptions in the daily routine’ every now and then.

Anyhow, Ajmal Kasab, the sole ‘survivor’ from the blood battle that occurred on November 26, 2008, is still alive. And so are his best friends, who came by, planted the bombs on July 14, 2011, and possibly participated in the anti-corruption morchas in support of the Jan Lokpal Bill as well. So, well, bomb blasts mean nothing much to anyone in this country, expect of course, to those who are affected directly by it.

Hence, while some of the terrorists get arrested and enjoy chicken biryani in jail while some others plot and plan about the next plan to unleash hell, here’s what happens in the rest of country on the day of the blast, and the day after the blast:
  • Media reports about the blasts
  • People get panicky and start contacting family and friends to check if they are okay
  • Some intelligent people post FB/Twitter updates about offering any help to ferry people from office to home or offer information about the nearest hospitals, blood banks, the like
  • Most of us express sorrow for those affected in the blasts on the various social networking platforms
  • And most of us also condemn the blasts, the terrorists and the apathetic Indian Government
On the third day after the blasts, this is what happens:
  • The anger and furore displayed by the general public on social networking sites die down
  • People are now back to their routine lives, boldly facing whatever obstacle comes their way—bombs included—and are proud to display the ‘Bombay Spirit’
A month after the blasts: Hardly any one even remembers that on this day, last month, a bomb blast tore apart a section of their city.

Now don’t get me wrong; there are some people out there, trying to portray how ‘concerned’ our ‘system’ is about the terrorist situation. What irks me is that the very ‘system’ that is supposed to protect us, is trying to shut them up, for reasons that defy logic.

And when the ‘system’ is not arresting people who uncover the truth, they are acting ridiculously stupid, by issuing a ‘statement condemning the blasts’ from a Microsoft Corp Hotmail address.

And then, there are some of us who, merely two days after the blast, return to the movie halls to catch the latest release.

Quote from a TOI article: Said movie buff Harsh Thairani, "Blasts have now become routine with us Mumbaikars. Life moves on. Besides, I think the period after the blasts is the safest. The police are on alert; nothing untoward is going to happen."

I am trying really hard to not take pot-shots at anyone. Really trying. But it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to ignore the unrealism of the situation.

So here’s my conclusion.
  • Nothing really affects us until it happens to us
  • We are completely willing to let dirt be thrown into our eyes and believe that going back to our routine lives is the same as ‘moving on’
  • And when we get into power and actually do manage to catch a criminal who bomb blasts the shit out of our cities, we waste huge amounts of money just to provide food, clothing, shelter AND protection for him
  • And the rest of us complain about it, on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or blogs (like this one)
PS: If you going to write a self-righteous comment, please, don’t even bother.

10 comments:

Pankaj said...

I actually don't know what to comment on this :(

Sheff! said...

Anito: So what do you suggest people do about such incidents? I would really love to hear what you have to say.

Are you really trying to bring about change or just venting your frustration on a dull working day?

Anita said...

Sheff: As I said, I am no self-righteous comments.

I am not trying to achieve the impossible here. I am just trying to ignite a little spirit in whoever reads this. How they choose to use the spirit, is entirely call.

Sheff! said...

It's not a self-righteous comment... It's a comment seeking a self-righteous explanation from the person who wrote this blog post.

Unless of-course there was no real motive to your rant.

Sheff! said...

Isn't it like trying to ignite a spark by rubbing two rocks against each other on a rainy day? The rains being a metaphor for what human life has seen since birth.

At the end of the day all that each individual is interested in is survival. No matter what you see in life, you have to survive...

Anita said...

Sheff: In my opinion, yes, we do have to survive. Just hope that for those who can afford to do so, perhaps we could survive without being nonchalant about the entire situation. And this can be done in little ways; you don't have to go on morchas or light candles. You can start talking about it, get more people to talk about it. Perhaps something can come out of there. I am not going to give up hope. And I will try whatever my capabilities allow, to mend the situation.

Also, I do not want to argue further with you. Yes, I acknowledge you accepting reality, but I do not support the negative connotation of not being able to do anything about it.

juhi shrivastava said...

Ani what have u done, i m really curious to know. Don't get me wrong but i really don't know what to be done.

Anita said...

Hey Juhi, what I am trying to do here is create a little more interest in what happens around us and not just try to survive it. For eg, I am hoping that through this blog post, I get some support in trying to create some buzz in pushing the authorities to punish Ajmal Kasab since we have all the required evidence against him. I know I have a long way to go, but I think any start is a good start.

Sheff! said...

It's a discussion, not an argument... That's what adults do... Discuss.

I so want to crack a joke but I sense that you won't be in the mood... So I'm trying my level best to control the urge...

juhi shrivastava said...

Got ur point ani. I am agreed..if we keep discussing, we may be able to reach to a solution or atleast be more aware next time.