With the end of a fairly violent year and nearly the end of the first month of the year that we all hope doesn't suck as much as last year did, this seems as good a time as any to unveil the sequel to my last post, so here goes...
One of the major things I've learnt is that technology, economies, global markets, enlightenment, nobel prizes — none of that stuff matters, because at the end of the day, people are stupid. And "people", I don't mean a specific person, groups of people or nations; I am referring to the whole damn human race. It's almost as if the great creator in his/her infinite wisdom decided to bless the human race with the power of reason, insight, imagination and such-like, yet at the same time, decreed that the only way human beings would be able to survive is by being totally and utterly stupid.
The unending candlelit marches after the attacks on Mumbai are a prime example of this, because it is common knowledge that terrorists and troublemakers are deathly scared of melted candlewax. Right? Everyone knows that. I wonder if melted candlewax works on Raj Thackeray and his Massively Nitwitted Squad too. That would stop the random neanderthal outbursts and attacks on random citizens of the city.
Speaking of random attacks, here is Shekhar Kapur's blog entry about a similar act that took place just yesterday, where (possibly related) nitwits decided to take the role of moral police to a whole-new level and went into a pub and beat the living shit out of girls there. Again, because THAT is precisely what moral police are supposed to do. Right? The Thackerays unleash that ludicrous form of protest everytime something itches their collective backside in Maharashtra. So what's so odd about another state adopting the same "progressive" means for putting a point across?
Regardless, getting back to the point. This was heinous; an act of terror in itself (if you think about it) and yet, I don't see any misspelled placards and candles anywhere. Possibly because there's no cameras around?
And now I'm done talking about this...
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
The day the passed buck got stuck - Part I
Ten people.
I still marvel at the ridiculous notion of the figures.
Are ten people all you need to grab a city by its short and curlies for nearly three days?
The death toll continues to push ever closer to 200 (at the time of going to print) and God knows how many thousands suffered injuries. Beyond the figures themselves, the thought that something of this sort just occured over a week ago also seems far-fetched.
Did it really happen or was it some horrific drug-induced hallucination?
Did those rivers and in some cases, tides of innocent blood really flow like that?
Did we really get caught so unprepared and with our pants down?
Did some of the finest officers in the country really lay their lives down for our safety?
Ask and ask yourself again, but the answer doesn't change overnight. What transpired is not going to suddenly consign itself to that box of daydreams that seem so real that you have once in a while. Facts will remain facts.
We are at War
This war however,... it's not quite as simple to classify as a War on Terror©. That being said, fighting terror is one of the major parts of this war, I won't deny. It is said and written that it is not our job to judge people and thereby persecute them etc. etc. In this case however, by their actions, not only have these 10 men made animals of the wild look completely civilised, but also their actions are their own judgment. If they are seen as being unworthy to live and as a cancer to be wiped off this planet, then that is the fruit of their own actions and not any judgment I've passed.
But that's just a minor part of this diatribe. Enough's been said and written about these characters, so I won't go on about them. But I will look at what's important. The rebuilding process. Getting back up on our feet. Dusting ourselves off. Going back to school, college, work (more on this in a bit). Grabbing it with both hands and taking our lives back.
(Insert Bill Pullman's Independence Day speech here)
But I digress.
Resignations by politicians are not the answer and neither are calls for their replacement. Ok, so they overlooked something that could have saved lives. Ok, so maybe they were callous and ignored certain important facts. Ok, with gritted teeth I'll also accept that maybe they were lazy and fast asleep while 10 maniacs landed on the Mumbai coastline.
Does that mean that now we allow them to run away from it all?
Mrs Sonia Gandhi, if you can hear me, please reinstate the Union Home minister, the chief minister of Maharashtra and his deputy. Messers Patil, Deshmukh and Patil, you should be made to clean up this mess. Fix the mistakes you have made and don't abdicate your throne leaving the job to someone else.
Meanwhile, saffron-waving vultures just looking for a chance to push the ruling party over and seize the votebank, will continue to hover. Mr Advani, if you can't be supportive and helpful as an Indian, then don't do anything at all. Destabilising the Congress is of no use; they need to fix the mess they made. Why don't you go and write another book. This time, though, stick to just fiction and not fiction-masquerading-as-non-fiction, like your autobiography.
The war I was alluding to earlier is an all-encompassing one.
A war on apathy
A war on laziness
A war on callousness
A war on petty politics
A war on corruption
But that's not where it ends... Not by a long shot. Tune in for Chapter 2, where the shit really hits the fan...
I still marvel at the ridiculous notion of the figures.
Are ten people all you need to grab a city by its short and curlies for nearly three days?
The death toll continues to push ever closer to 200 (at the time of going to print) and God knows how many thousands suffered injuries. Beyond the figures themselves, the thought that something of this sort just occured over a week ago also seems far-fetched.
Did it really happen or was it some horrific drug-induced hallucination?
Did those rivers and in some cases, tides of innocent blood really flow like that?
Did we really get caught so unprepared and with our pants down?
Did some of the finest officers in the country really lay their lives down for our safety?
Ask and ask yourself again, but the answer doesn't change overnight. What transpired is not going to suddenly consign itself to that box of daydreams that seem so real that you have once in a while. Facts will remain facts.
We are at War
This war however,... it's not quite as simple to classify as a War on Terror©. That being said, fighting terror is one of the major parts of this war, I won't deny. It is said and written that it is not our job to judge people and thereby persecute them etc. etc. In this case however, by their actions, not only have these 10 men made animals of the wild look completely civilised, but also their actions are their own judgment. If they are seen as being unworthy to live and as a cancer to be wiped off this planet, then that is the fruit of their own actions and not any judgment I've passed.
But that's just a minor part of this diatribe. Enough's been said and written about these characters, so I won't go on about them. But I will look at what's important. The rebuilding process. Getting back up on our feet. Dusting ourselves off. Going back to school, college, work (more on this in a bit). Grabbing it with both hands and taking our lives back.
(Insert Bill Pullman's Independence Day speech here)
But I digress.
Resignations by politicians are not the answer and neither are calls for their replacement. Ok, so they overlooked something that could have saved lives. Ok, so maybe they were callous and ignored certain important facts. Ok, with gritted teeth I'll also accept that maybe they were lazy and fast asleep while 10 maniacs landed on the Mumbai coastline.
Does that mean that now we allow them to run away from it all?
Mrs Sonia Gandhi, if you can hear me, please reinstate the Union Home minister, the chief minister of Maharashtra and his deputy. Messers Patil, Deshmukh and Patil, you should be made to clean up this mess. Fix the mistakes you have made and don't abdicate your throne leaving the job to someone else.
Meanwhile, saffron-waving vultures just looking for a chance to push the ruling party over and seize the votebank, will continue to hover. Mr Advani, if you can't be supportive and helpful as an Indian, then don't do anything at all. Destabilising the Congress is of no use; they need to fix the mess they made. Why don't you go and write another book. This time, though, stick to just fiction and not fiction-masquerading-as-non-fiction, like your autobiography.
The war I was alluding to earlier is an all-encompassing one.
A war on apathy
A war on laziness
A war on callousness
A war on petty politics
A war on corruption
But that's not where it ends... Not by a long shot. Tune in for Chapter 2, where the shit really hits the fan...
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