Post-terrorist rantings

Theres a whole bundle of things to say. And a surprising lack of platforms to say them from.

Guess the whole terrorist attack, so close to home got most things in a tailspin, something we're probably still reeling from. Almost like in an earthquake, where you've happened to see HUGE buildings rocking and reeling, that kinda destroys your faith in structures and basic stability, the whole urban situation has pretty much degraded into a weird, scared, tentative posture. We're not sure if we should go out and have that dinner, or watch that movie, or take that train. We're a little stuck in our own living rooms, desperately watching and waiting. A whole bunch of smses and mails are going around, thankfully most are still shocked and inquiring.

Maybe its early days to take stock, but so many apprehensions take hold already. Different things move people different ways, for some a terrorist action like this is almost a suspension of reality, something like a tsunami, or an earthquake maybe, where u just make the most of it and move on with life. Its one thing to mull over it and feel sad and depressed, its a tribute to the spirit of the city that people are already complaining about how they haven't been able to make it to work! In a most un-9-11-ish way, the city is raring to bounce back. No documentaries on tv about what to tell our children, no major placating placebos, just hard facts. Its a horrible horrible day, something that almost everyones been affected by in some way.

What we've just seen glimpses of till now is what will REALLY burn people up. The advent of the politicians. Theres some letter doing the rounds that its a Hindu-Muslim thing. The entire cliche that "terrorists have no religion" is gonna be pretty much forgotten, while the hungry clamouring for votes begins, by some its gonna be branded as an attack of Muslim invaders, like the Mughals, ransacking and demolishing Mumbai heritage, by others its gonna be some act against the Hindus, the Jews or whatever is most convenient to their mandates at that time.

Its just a matter of time before the entire pack of Hyenas descend. Everyones gonna be claiming this tragedy as their own. Branding and labelling and packaging it, slapping on logos, selling it on t-shirts and all of that. There are ALREADY despicable communications by everyone claiming the slain martyr cops as their own heroes. The BJP has already said its the weak government. If these same parties spend less on extra large digitial prints of our beloved cops n get their act together to structure a concentrated restoration campaign, around the VALUES that these people laid their lives down for, it would make some sense.

This is really where the true nature of shit here shows through.

Not in the act itself, but in our impotent and selfish response. Most acts of this magnitude show us clearly who our heroes are, and who are our villains. The outstation cops, army, NSG and super-efficient squads in whom we trust our lives stood up to the challenge. Their means and ways may be questioned, and puzzled over, but the truth is, they were THERE. Its a luxury on our part to be ABLE to question and comment. And it's a resposibility WE have given them.

I really really hope this brings out the better parts in politicians. Its a really great opportunity to be able to stand up and DO something for this city. Its a responsibility they HAVE. Set up restoration, make us believe the city is in safe hands, that you ACTUALLY give a f**k if we live or die. If u start your petty badgering and blame games, its really worse than the act itself. Enough people have died.

Really hope they have the moral values to respect them.

Constructive Feedback to the MNS!

Feb 2008

Just like most other crimes, murder, rape, thuggery and violence, the actions seen in Mumbai are deplorable. Nobody can HOPE to justify a handful of delinquents running around burning buses and taxis, imposing complete anarchy on a city that really just wants to get to work and fight normal life that is tough enough without these vandals going around doing all that we saw.

Nobody in their right senses can EVER, with a straight face, say that murder, violence or public damage is justified.Not even Mr. Raj T.

It really is a problem of myopia.Some communities have it worse than others.

These guys, people in power, REALLY have the opportunity to do SO much good, its not funny.The upliftment of the Marathi Manoos isn’t a bad, strange, or wrong agenda - quite the contrary.But if he REALLY wanted to do something about, he’d have bothered to study the problem in depth and come up with a slightly more constructive way of handling this.

The Marathi Manoos isnt represented in the railway board exams, he says.The answer is really not running around like delinquent 5 yr olds breaking, burning, demolishing tax-payer owned properties to protest. It really is in understanding WHY these guys aren't there in the first place? Is it a problem of basic lethargy? Is it an educational problem? Were they not informed about the tests? are they all busy erecting multi-million rupee statues?

In a country like ours, there are no simplistic answers, and an over-simplification of core issues is purely used to address mind-numbed political rallies, not as national-level solutions.You cant fool us buddy.

We’re on to you.

If he wants them to eat, he can do two things, one is snatch a meal from somebody’s mouth, or spend some time and TEACH them to cook.The second option is tougher, needs more time than a 15 minute incendiary speech, but is SUSTAINABLE. Let everyone compete in a free market, and prove their mettle. Survival of the fittest. And who can know this better than us Mumbai-ites?

It may mainly be a problem of an attention hungry young politician trying to do some good for the state. He’s probably TRYING to do it too. But he’s heavily blinkered. Maybe ego,maybe just Myopia.And mis-fired rockets don’t do any good, they just result in huge losses.

Surprisingly, there ARE answers.

Buddy, if you have an issue with the lack of Marathi signage at the International Airport, you may realise that the “5-year-old” mindset is to go blacken it with paint.What have you achieved? A label as a vandal, you haven’t increased the Marathi signage, and the general disrespect of most intelligent sane people. You have drive and the power to REALLY do something. What an intelligent, forward thinking politician ( in the best interests of everyone) would do is commission a design outfit to design a multi-lingual signage system, well worked out, well designed, an INTERNATIONAL pride. Rather than international shame.

Spare a thought for the Parsi’s. Look at their positions.They constiture 0.006% of the Indian population.Think they’re not represented? Politically? No leaders, no guiding lights, no strength to burn buses? Buddy, they’ve got themselves sorted out.They’re regularly setting up Hospitals, schools, public gardens, housing for their community, educational scholarships, freeships, low interest loans and a MULITITUDE of other Parsi-Manoos development schemes.They’ve got their head on their shoulders. Learn Buddy, learn. Its not happening in another country. Look around you.

Would urge everyone here to just think about things.

We’ve put these guys where they are.Not in places of power, but in places of esteem.Thats the true problem.See for yourselves, that they CAN do good things, they are CHOOSING not to.

This is not really a question of identity, language, colour, caste, Bombay’s really above it all.We’re the best.We love our city.Please DO NOT mess with us.