26/11- the big fat tamasha of the year

 


I am having a range of emotions at this moment. from sadness, to frustration to anger to pity! well, the reason being the tamasha that was today. my morning started with remembering the martyrs of 26/11- the biggest terror attack on country till date. I, like millions of others, still can not forget that attack, my eyes still water and the memories of those visuals which were seen on TV do come back. every time I go to taj, or gateway, I do sense goosebumps erupt at the back of my neck. I can picturise the tragedy, and the shrieks of many. I can feel the terror. every time I see pictures of the police officers who died, there is a lump in my throat. I feel pain. and still, today, 2 years after the attack, I am saying that the emotions i expressed today were mixed, and definitely NOT in a desirable way.

The government and the media, and i will still say this though I am a part of the media, ended up making this day a big fat tamasha. I do not know a better word in English, hence tamasha. Govt held countless ceremonies of shraddhanjali. and media was stuck with this topic since today morning. I mean practically stuck. showing the clips, the pictures, the interview bytes from the politicians, broadcasting the special segments made for today, grabbing people and asking them about their feelings, and so on.  stop that! The tragedy that happened, happened. and please take this positively, but let the bygones be bygones. what is going to be achieved by being stuck with the same topic throughout the day? all those unfortunate people who were directly or indirectly affected by 26/11, are trying to get on with life. stop harassing them and rubbing in on their wounds. :(  and moreover, If you are really a social institution, and the so called fourth pillar, stop talking! its time to act! wake up the system! stop making this day a TRP grabbing occasion!

and media was not alone. the big boy- Govt of maharashtra did quite a few ridiculous things in last couple of days . one of them was suddenly making the security measures severe. there were police in the locals, on the railway station, there were random checks on the road in last couple of days. and its not that it happens everyday. all of these fellows mushroomed in last 3- 4 days. and when you go and ask them why, the answer is '26/11 hai na! to orders hai govt ka acche checking ka!'  trust me, I haven't heard a more idiotic and ridiculous reason in my entire life! somebody please explain the logic behind this. have the terrorists told you that they are going to attack on the same day again? are they too, celebrating this anniversary in their own way?(read- attacking again). and if they decide to attack on some other day( and they obviously will!), there is no need of security around?

frankly, the limitations of the security system were exposed to the world post 26-11 attacks. there was no vigilant coastal security, no updated communication devices, and shame on you India- no bulletproof jackets!!! after that there were big talks of updating the system. apparently, three submarines/shifts/naval aircraft carriers( I am not sure) were bought, and they were supposed to based at various coastal locations. today, two of them are not functioning, coz we do not have the needed technology nor technicians! no skilled personnel and hence, no use of that extravagant spending! the metal detectors on the train stations in Mumbai DO NOT work. leave the other stations, those on CST, do not work. and its rare that you can find police available all the time at the police booths on the train stations. what about that ??? there was a program launched in various cities called 'mission mrityunjay'. it was supposed to educate the youth about what to do in these disastrous situations. what happened to that???
what the hell are we going to do if the terror attack happens tomorrow? are we really prepared for it?

and then I hear that there happened peace marches across the city and they had event management team, media partners and sponsors! commercialization of the emotions! 

I feel sad. I don't know what to say when I see that Kasab is still alive, our judicial system can not hold a special urgent trial for some reason, our govt is stuck with these idiotic ideas about security, people commercialize the sadness,  and its become an occasion where TRP, publicity, artificiality and crocodile tears are at play. bravo! the Tamasha will continue years after years, and let all the beneficiaries prosper forever!