I was there. In the city of Bombay, forgetting all about my placements, end semester exams and my parents' anniversary. I witnessed the city come to an abrupt standstill at the hands of terrorists like never before. Heroes were lost and not for the first time. The turmoil lasted for 4 days some would say but for many across India and Bombay it still continues. My point however is not "What happened on 26/11?", but "How was it different?". Agreed the magnitude and method was very different, but how WE handled it was much the same. Blame games, sacking of useless politicians and then their reappointment, money being wasted to keep the main accused alive and once again getting manipulated by Pakistan are things that have happened every time. So why is 26/11 any different?
It forced me to think how tolerant are we? How much can we take? Why do people still live in India after all this? Why does everyone who has an opportunity to run away from the country doesn't go? Some would say everything is the same everywhere. Terrorism is everywhere, true, but in other places your leaders do everything in their power to bring the guilty to justice. Some of you would say, that western countries are racists and look at all Asians with a look of suspicion. I remember during my Europe trip my passport was checked at least 3 times on every train and every cop looked at me like a piece of filth. But in my opinion, this life is still better than no life. Moreover, if they didn't look at US like this, they would be terrorized just the same. It is only people looking like you and me who make bombs and blow them too.
Maybe because I am in a different country, maybe it is the 26/11 thing getting to me, but I am feeling a lot more safe here in UAE. I maybe wrong but I havent really heard of many terrorist strikes outside India/Pakistan. Leaves me wondering how much do we Indians can tolerate.
14 comments:
"Why do people still live in India after all this?" --- everyone around me also says this. But then, my answer to them is: ghar jal raha ho to aag bhujai jati hai, phir ghar ki marammat ki jati hai, taki khud bhi and baki ghar ke log bhi safe feel karen...rather than running away from it. If you run away from problems, that doesn't mean that they are solved.
Quite 'harsh' and 'illogical'; however quite like you :P
dude..
seems its not the 26/11 thtsgetting to you..its actually u being out of touch with reality thts getting to you..
i think mayank has succinctly said everything i wanted to..
just a mention..
U havnt heard of any terror strikes outside india pakistan...WoW!!
and every country has its problem.. some have civil unrest..some have anarchy..some have to deal with racism..some with fundamentalism...
This does not go towards saying we have handled the "t" problem quite successfully,,probably just a bit better than nething, but than shouldn't be the reason for quationing ones national identity altogether...
@Fauji: I give up. Lets see if you can do marammat of OUR home, after (read if) u return from UC Davis. Then I will think again of living in India :) Moreover, what do you do when there is no solution to a problem? Don't you stop thinking about it or avoid it?
@Kothari: buy a dictionary and see the difference between "any" and "many". Also I am more in touch with reality than many people. .I am not questioning ones national integrity, I just don't want to live in a place without any personal security.
Replying to your question: "There are solutions of every problem, and there are problems in every solution - we need to pick the best one". And, I guess the solution you picked is to just avoid the problem :P
So you'll be home, once I go back... then you need to be homeless for sometime :P
I have heard this from many people, that they will be the change. Lets see how much time it takes for you to say "Dude, you were right."
Did I say I will be the change... no!... I just said I will go back. (Even that is something people are doubtful of...)
And, if I go back, which I will, then off course, I will do some marammat to make the place more livable, for me, and for you too :P
I would agree with Kushal here. I would rather live a short life with dignity than a long life where I am constantly looked upon with suspicion because of my skin color (like the case in Europe you cited).Look around the rich middle eastern world where women dont even have the freedom of expressing their identity or for that matter showing their face to the world. Moreover as Mayank has pointed out, it is up to us to do rectify the situation instead of merely cribbing about it. Try reading this: http://www.mindtree.com/subrotobagchi/my-mother-is-an-ugly-woman/
So my blog sounds like My mother is an ugly woman blog? I very well know what the problems are and am not running away from them. You only run away from problems about which you can do something. I don't think I can do anything about it even if I was in India, or for that matter any of you guys as well. Am just happy for myself and for those who have the opportunity (and take it as well) to move out and still love India for its good things.
As far as living with dignity is concerned I think its a personal opinion about what is dignity and what is not. Please do not try and force your dignified levels of livelihood on others who might want to live with some undignified happiness.
At least credit me for the ugly woman link. :P
so nits ..what you are trying to say..u wanna remember the good things of india..but stay away from it .. so that the image remains untainted..
there are so many thoughts that come to my mind at this typically "nits" argument.. i think arguing over it would only be a waste of time...
u really think thats how the other countries made it to the top??
true..theres this "indian" mentality that almost each and everyone of this generation despises..that should only be seen a sign of change
..and change my friend is slow...change may not come by the time we want to it come... but it shall.. cuz national attitude has a passive component that builds up gradually in the minds of people who have seen the reality and want a change...not by those who flee the nation in search of change!!
but this does not imply an individual does not have the right to his upliftment. Villagers move to towns..to cities ..and then to a greater global civilization. but underneath this whole exercise lies the optimistic motive of a better self, ergo, a better world.
think over your arguments again..and then
Think some more!!
@aniket: Didn't know it was you who sent the link.
@kothari: very well written yaar, amazing. but you are not getting my point. I am frustrated by the bureaucracy and politics and corruption and "chalta hai attitude". I dunno how you think a generation or several generations can change all that or even try to think of changing all that. Fine our generation will make India a super power in terms of economy and technology and all the superficial thins if I might say. But what about the basic standard of living? What about life security? What about basic hygiene and aesthetics?
hmmmm, it seems like after making some failed attempts at getting more ppl to read ur blogs and comment on it, nits ne socha ki kuch controversial topic choose karte hai.....:P (just kidding..........or am i??)
i don't want to go in all the dignity and the dictionary meanings of "any" and "many" stuff. but one may want to look at this situation as half glass full. this might be a cliche, but it's a cliche cause fits apt at so many places including this one. arre yaar, jara soch ke dekho!! paidaish ki jagah thodi 700-800 kms west ya north-west chali jaati, toh we would have born a pakistani.......now how many of u would like that. there are countries like russia, countries from africa which face a lot more and a lot serious problems than us....jara khush raho ki at least ek stable non-communist economy wale democratic (bhale hi kitne bhi harampankti leaders ho) desh mein paida hue ho!!
problems still exist in india and solving them becomes much more difficult because of more than a billion population. but believe me this slow change will occur eventually. it may not be in our lifetime (which might be till 2012 :P) but it will happen.
ab rahi baat of being looked upon as filth by the ticket checker, it may have to do more with you not having a shower over your weekend adventures in europe than you being a rather harmless brown guy :P u might want to reconsider the use of word "filth".
@nits: yeh jo standard of living, life security, basic hygiene and aesthetics ki baatien karte kar rahe..............these things begin at home. apan kaunsa cleanliness ke baadshah rahe hai hostel life mein. apne liye toh baat "enthu" ki hoti thi pizza box neeche wale dust-bin mein daalne ki. this is very trivial (rather funnier) incident, but such small things count towards the (airquotes) slow change we want to bring............
I think what sappo has tried to do is give funny outlook to the whole situation. so typical of you. but unfortunately I don't buy any single argument of yours. I am sorry I cannot feel happy about not being a Pakistani or a Russian or citizen some other sad country. I also dnt think ticket checkers of Europe are so dumb that they will check passports of people who look dirty and smell bad. And finally, cleanliness in public places can't be compared to what you do in hostel/home/office. It is what the people from outside world look at is what is important.
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