Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye

Yes, you are lucky. You are lucky because you are able to read this post. Even I am lucky being able to write it. In this environment, where there is more terror in the air than Oxygen, we need to be lucky to be still alive. Hence, the heading!

India is not united. We are diversified to the core and hence, we are falling apart like a castle of cards. There is no unity in diversity – there is no unison in anything now – no feeling of brotherhood – no sense of oneness. The last few days, during the post math of what happened in Mumbai, I have seen and noticed that all around. Every time I opened the TV, I heard some news promising me the above thoughts. They say India is most prone to terror attacks. They never try to ask why. People are afraid of raising this issue. People are afraid of telling what they can feel around them. The media or the common man always tries to stand with things they would regard as ‘modest’ or ‘polite’ moral values. We know that these values are not practiced anymore, but still we do not say so – afraid of annoying certain groups of the society. So, we keep mum and wait till we get killed in another such incident.

Let me tell you how I feel, before something happens to me. I have been combing through NDTV, Aaj Tak, Times Now and CNN IBN for news regarding Mumbai attack. These four channels were major ones during the last few days. It was hilarious to browse through different channels when one channel showed (zoomed in close up) videos which the other channel did not show due to security reasons. How united the media is! In one of the channels, news readers were more than happy and content to say, “Delhi stands with Mumbai” or “Kolkata stands with Mumbai” or even “India stands with Mumbai.” How ridiculous can that be! If there is a theft in your house, do you say that you are beside your father in this time of dismay? No. It is a problem of the whole house – all stand with each other and face the situation together. An attack on Mumbai is attack on India and we are acting like segregated foreign strands wishing good luck to each other. If the US President elect Barak Obama says that he or the US stands with India, it is more likely. This gesture gives a clear indication that we are isolated and separated. Hope the terrorists do not laugh at us after seeing this reports. Only the old pro, Pranoy Roy said that we all should stand together – he never mentioned India or Mumbai or Delhi in particular.

Politicians played a role that can be kept as benchmarks for all the aspirants in this field. Wow! Three cheers to them. First of the lot was Maharashtra Deputy CM R.R. Patil who reiterated the famous lines from DDLJ: ऐसे बड़े बड़े शहरों में ऐसी छोटी छोटी बातें होती रहती हैं! Was he joking? Was he making a shaggy dog story of the selfless martyrs? Or does he not know Hindi? Cannot ask him any more – he resigned and went absconding. Then there was the CM himself, bringing his son and the not so famous film maker Ram Gopal Verma while visiting the devastated Taj Mahal hotel. I did not find it much irrational – but it did not amuse people all around for their own reasons. He is going to resign too. There were a few more comments from a few more leaders that caught attention of the press and we saw on the TV. The best one, however, came from the CM of Kerela, Mr. V S Achuthanandan. When he went to meet the martyr NSG Commando, Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan’s family and wanted to probe that these people originally came from Kerela, the martyr’s father denied his presence and asked him to leave. The old man who lost his hero son recently could not see the Marxist CM to gather political compassion on his son’s grave. In return, the honorable (??) CM said, that if it would not have been for Major Sandeep, not even a dog would have visited his house. Can anyone think of any leader in all history telling something as ignoble and as disgraceful as this? Shame, shame Mr. CM!

This is how the country has reacted. This is how the leaders lead here. I should be happy that I am allowed to work in Bangalore even though I am from North Eastern part of India. I should be grateful to the people of Bangalore that they have let me to stay here and work. I was stunned by a comment by a crook a few days ago in office when he told me that it is a shame that I am in Bangalore and I do not know Kannada. I wanted to tell him where he was standing is a part of a country – of which I am a citizen too. But you would agree if I say that he would have been the last person to understand that. Such narrow mindedness is not only in here in Bangalore – it is spread all over the country. In a country where Academic Gold Medalists from big metros (Mumbai, in this context) do not know where Agartala is, I can expect people with little knowledge to say so. People in Chennai (Tamil Nadu as a whole) take pride on being Tamil to the extent that they paint boards and road signs in Hindi all black. Such low lives! Raj Thakrey – the youth icon in Maharashtra – how can one forget him? He waters the seeds of communalism and racism in India like no one else. Where is he now? After all the havoc in Mumbai, he is nowhere to be seen. Is he busy with personal meetings with the militants? I do not disagree with the same. People from Bihar are all over India, as Gujrati people are all over the world. Still they cannot stand other Indians staying in Bihar. One reason why I do not want to work in Kolkata is because of the communal feeling in the common man there. There is less of communism and more of communalism in Kolkata these days. You need to be a Bong to be there amongst the Bongs.

I have travelled extensively through the villages and cities in India. The best of hospitability I received was in North India. Yes Mr. Raj Thakrey, if you are reading me – the best people in India are still the North Indians. The greenery that they live in has gone into their hearts too. I have lived in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan and have seen people behaving with someone from the other end of the country. I felt I was in my own backyard – roaming with my own family – which I am yet to feel here in Bangalore. The same sorrow story when I was in Chennai – in fact, it was worse than here. I have stayed for 6 years in Arunachal Pradesh – amongst the tribal from all North Eastern part of India. I have seen then become ferocious off no cause at all. I have seen them creating massacre and being bully – but in spite of that they were not bound by narrow minded communalism. They always told that that was their place so, they would rule it – that came out of under-civilization and low levels of education. There was a sudden flow of money into Arunachal Pradesh in past 20 – 25 years (thanks to varied 5 year plans) which they did not know what to do with. They were like self declared kings of their kingdoms. But they never indulged into cheap communalism. More or less, the same situation prevails in all the North Easter States.

I wanted to write more; but then, you would say it’s getting long. I do not mind making it long as long as you read it. Thanks for reading. I have just mentioned the problems – have not given any solutions to any of these. The truth is that I cannot think of one solid solution to this situation. I have thought of many-a-things – as my mind was denying to sleep when all the countrymen are awake for days now. But none of those thoughts could actually come out victorious. We do not want another ‘Operation Blue Star’ or another case of Iraq or Afghanistan to happen; but in case this is unavoidable, we should go for it whole heartedly. I do not see myself as a good troubleshooter at this point in time – but I am quite assured that you would like to think about it too – now that you have read it this far. If we think together; if we could stand together; if we would stay together, we would be in a better position to counteract these terror strikes. Think about it. We need to be united again – for a better India – for a better tomorrow.