A year passed but Nothing has changed !

No one cares !

No matter what happens we (our government & ourselves too) will never ever react, our thinking and our reactions will always remain clouded trying to worry about no innocents being dragged in our quest for the villains.
If we cant hang Qasab yet how the heck can we ever do anything to the terrorists that exist outside our custody.

I am feeling as Cynical as one can get.

Very true and touching Gul.. have a look at these too … http://ow.ly/164eK5 and http://europenews.dk/en/node/24746

very well written

Well said. When are our ‘higher’ authorities going to work? Lethargy seems to be the mantra.

Great article… always love to see a different take on things..

I guess why Mumbai attacks were different from others, as you said it was an attack on “the elite and the privileged”. People used to assume that if they reach such status in society, maybe then they can feel safe about themselves. But this attack took away that hope as well. It proved that no place, no position is safe. Also how police chiefs were shot on camera and terrorists laughing with guns in their hand, roaming around in most populated city of India was a scene noone had seen before.

It rains on the just and unjust alike.

No Idea why we are always negative after such attacks!!! These things are happening all over the world and we are no exception.. With time and efforts things will improve.. No country is perfect.. It has to be made so!!

Gul, that’s indeed food for thought. So amny questions! No one can ive them a satisfactory answer.

As for the media hype over 26/11, it’s not about how many people lst their lives. More number of people die of starvation and malnutriiton every day. It’s thta 26/11 was the first attack in recent memory to have continued for many days. News channes did a “live cverage” of the happenings, and they obviously have tonnes of footage, than any other terorist attack on Indian soil. Why wouldn’t they use this “resource” to gain TRPs?

Midhun

Why is 26/11 a big deal? Have we conveniently forgotten the other attacks as they hurt the common man most?
Personally, I don’t remember 26/11 as the day the Taj or the Trident were attacked. What I remember is our security forces battling it out, the shock and outrage of people and ignominy that we ask a nation were faced. The shame was no more or less than the other attacks; why would a common Indian like me care more for a celebrity’s death than another commoner dying?
What I would want is that our government knows that we have neither forgotten or forgiven and that this time they should not count on the public outrage to die down and then they merrily continue with their inaction. 26/11 needs to be a symbol for Indian action against terrorism. World knows of the US reaction on 9/11, and what was our reaction to 13/12, 29/10. 11/7 etc?
I am tired of being governed by impotent assholes.

You wrote exactly what was on my mind…Was listening to a debate on some news channel the other day, where a well-known socialite (I don’t want to name) said , that they should be protected being high-profile citizens…Security should be tightened in the 4 and 5 star hotels….We talk of democracy and equal rights – where we human beings don’t even remember what went wrong and what could mend that wrong. If we keep on demarcating ‘high-profile’ and ‘low-profile’ people, humanitarian ground is totally lost. Do we at all realize that we all are in-secured in a manner that poses a threat to us every moment? How can terrorism save us when we ourselves block our minds with terrorized thoughts?

I agree take one of the comments by Shobha De on one of the TV shows that its not an attack on elite its just that for the first time people could see the battle live (being Mumbai) and thats too for 60 hrs.
But Elite factor cannot be ruled out !
You not even mention about the North-East, where every day there is a bomb blast and our so called national media never reach.
Few questions still are not clear……is it possible for 4 men with a bag of weapons to take hostage of a huge structure like TAJ (with out not visiting the place before??) for 60 hrs??? Thats too when the counter is NSG (300+)and the best of Mumbai forces?

Hi Gu
Well said….. I agree with you that the basic system needs reforms and fter every such incident, there are debates, discussions, flaring tempers, protests, peace marches, but we all settle with the system remaining the same as it was……. Have we bothered to check and ask government on what as ben done out of the several actions announced in emotions…..We only end up spending 31 crores on the national culprit who shd have been hanged long time back

The basic thougt that we all need to inculcate is the value of human life In India, where we have 120 Billion people, there is a problem of plenty and hence due value and respect to a human life is not there. Till we learn to respect the value of a life lost, we wil continhue to live lifelessly….. for ever

‘So why is such a big deal being made out of 26/11? Because it’s hurt, for the first time, the elite and the privileged? Or because it’s Bombay, the commercial hub of India? Or it’s India’s New York, as one of my twitter friends described it?
Maybe all of the above and maybe none. Why is this event singled out as if it’s our “first” terror attack? Why do we continue harping on what went wrong?
”

I think the reason is that for the first time we could put a face to our attackers. It is not about the elite or privileged or even mumbai. The usual ‘hit and run’ or suicide bombing or cycle/car/baggage bomb aside, this was the first time the people got to see the faces of the terrorist among the public. The only other time something similar happened was during the 2001 indian parliament attack. But that was swiftly contained and the normal people were not affected. That incident seems almost erased from public memory now!

Its heartening to see that you have the courage to speak your mind on issues like these. Your perception of the incidents and their after-effects is quite valid considering the fact that there are innumerable causes for loss of human lives in the country. Why all these causes like hunger, disease, accidents, are not considered important is because we don’t see them happening gorily in front of our eyes. Its a time of visuals and Live ‘BREAKING NEWS’, a world of sensationalized ‘news’. What makes 26/11 notable and worth all the attention is all the footage it received from the numerous cameras around the Taj that day. Same is the case with 9/11. So much has been seen, written and heard on it that it becomes a hallmark in itself. The truth might be hidden somewhere beneath the heap of reels and reams of paper that shout out calling it an attack on democracy, and TERROR is created with the hype from it. Watch the movie ZEITGEIST which brings researched raw information that shows how the image of the evil (Osama, in 9/11 case) is created to keep the country together against it, and to justify USA’s attacks on Afghanistan, although No links of Osama to the attacks have yet been established. Come to think of it, more people die of HIV/AIDS than any terror attack in US ofA! lets hope optimistically that we’ll have the media shouting out for the world to unite against AIDS and hunger and malnutrition someday!!

@gulpanag Nice article n nice coverage of all aspects as a citizen what v r dng. We dont have time to think about those things. We are experts in blame game, giving advices, talking lot about such incidences and condemning the things happened @ end of the day. But had we ever looked inside us? had we cross checked ourselves for all those things? Aren’t we responsible for all this? As a citizen of this country I am also responsible for all that happen in this country. Its not only about mumbai. When all will start thinking about country? And even after this one year if we can’t change our attitude for society then its shame on us who are sitting @ their offices and talking on those incidences. About NEWS channels I don’t remember when I heard NEWS today they looks like Story Tellers(Like the one we used to see in childhood Potli Baba Ki)…..

I am not sure if the noice about 26/11 was because it was an attack on elite or on Mumbai. I feel it is because of a terrorist attack at the heart of the commercial capital lasting for more than 2 full days. It was a sheer shock that such a thing can be done by people ( terrorists) who are so far away. Nevertheless, it served as a wake up call that metros are not immune to such attacks and that we need to get serious about our security.
Agreed that we needed that incident to wake up. But to say that we didn’t learn much from it is not fully agreeable to me.
Our home ministry is working more strongly than ever before. I could see many public infrastructure being guarded with much better vigor these days than ever. Intelligence seems to have improved with many terror attack warnings being issued (remember the threats existed always, more of them come out now).
Public should be able to contribute to the intelligence without being personally affected, point taken.
Need to improve further with respect to security, no doubt, especially when we are surrounded by hostile countries (similar to what Israel is experiencing). I must say though, that Israel’s way of handling hostility is not correct. I believe in dialog at all times.

Gul, I agree to most of your views but the only reason why Mumbai attack takes the top spot is because this time we had proof, we had a live face which was undeniable & made our neighbours accept some facts which were denied till date (with some western coaxing, of coarse). Also, I don’t think “citizen alert” is a solution. It’s just a work around to the existing problem that not just one alien but a group of alien nationals arrived into our country, with arms & sad to say but they succeeded in most of their goals. Even though it is very difficult but it is the need of the hour to make sure that our borders are plugged well. Internal matters would then start getting more attention & budget. Otherwise, our taxes will be spent on on buying guns and bullets. Spend money on long term solution rather than spending crores on bullet proof vehicles waiting for another attack.

Very Very true and touching Gul jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Hi Gul ,
We are all dead people , we are just happy coz the bullets or splinters have not pierced our family and “My people ” are safe..Is that attitude gonna save us…?? ” Oh there is an attack in Mumbai ! , Thank god i am in Delhi ! ” …needles to say. We will die like rats in our holes due to impotent governments and security agencies we have been inherited with.

We have seen Kargil , my brother laid his life there…Why the government has no guts or will to punish those Intelligence Bureau officers who carelessness in vigilance caused things to exaggerate to a full scale war.
The Intelligence failure report on Kargil must be biting the dust in some South Block office Haakim’s Cupboard

I am afraid that all our sentiments will drained out if things go on like this…

It is easy to make the point that the reason 26/11 attacks stand out is because they hit the privileged amongst us. However, that is only a part of the truth. The reason the attacks captured our imagination and have stayed in our minds is not the class issue – it is, the sheer audacity.

Imagine, there is a bomb explosion. The bomb explodes. People die. It’s over. It’s time to pick up the pieces, report the stories and move on. In two days, it’s old news.

Compare this to 26/11 where there were gunmen running around, waving guns, killing people, taking hostages, throwing grenades. There was anticipation, expectation, hope, anger. It was not a bomb that exploded… it was continuing horror.. that went on for more than 60 hours and was broadcast live into our drawing rooms.

That stands out.

26/11 was not exceptional. Such attacks have been happening for years in Kashmir. I am sure there are other attacks and bomb blasts that have caused more damage.

26/11 broke a pattern. It gave a new idea to us about the kind of attacks that could happen. It made us feel unsafe at a whole new level.

The fact that the victims were from the english-news-channel audience added to the edge of the story – but did not cause it.

Could we protect ourself from someone who is prepared to die himself and doesn’t value his own life? मुझे लगता है कि terriorist को देखते हि गोली मार देनी चाहिये. जो Suspects है (अगर innocient है तो भी चलेगा) उन्कोभी गोली मार देनी चाहिये. ऐसेभी एक terriorist १०-१२ लोगोंको तो मार हि देगा. Terriorist को ईट का जवाब पत्थर से देणा चाहिये.

Nice article. One thing you missed – terrorists strike once in blue moon? What about the local goons? What about the riots that happened. The scale of people killed is 10-20 times more than this. I fear more of this than the dreaded terrorists. 9/11 was special to US because they don’t lose lives on this scale except for natural disasters like typhoon.

The day we can enter police station and complain without the though of we being harassed is when I think of the terrorists.

yup..the middle class mumbaiker doesn’t have a choice but to ‘bounce back’ …if he had he wouldn’t go out on the road for a single day!!

Apart from the examples given by you, should we also not include Gujarat riots or any other minority riots in recent memory. How is this external enemy different from the enemy within? We need to have a holistic view to solve issues like terrorism.

It is very true… all the comments, the debate by itself but what I am thinking is what do we need to do as common people. What is their in our control? so that we don’t feel terrorized or atleast have the strength enough to be able to reflex back at these attacks or even the thoughts. The question is not what the government or others are doing about it? The actual question is what does a common man need to do in order to save himself and his family.

Well to begin with you have started on wrong note. Nobody would have made a big deal if it would have lasted for 60 minutes. Its because they made a mockry of the system for 60 hours. And it was one of its kind. Its not about elite being killed there were N numbers of ppl who died at CST, they all come from labour class or lower middle class.

Now about the failure of system . You think The authorities are not equipped with proper tools to keep a check on each every person coming to mumbai, I agree. But such kind of attacks are stopped at much higher level. Thats why we need intelligence agency. I am still pissed of with the system because IA suggested attacks on luxury hotels through via sea route 4-5 times. But nothing was done. Gov was sitting on the report.

And obviously it makes a difference because it happend in mumbai and not some forbidden place. Because its the most populated area in India I guess. So it does a make a difference when you attack a financial hub of country. So lets be realistic bombay and delhi are most imp city in india. Just like brain and heart are most imp part of body. Why should we shy away from giving bombay its importance?

and obviously nothing will change becuase neither you nor I have changed. Would like to see your reply on this.

26/11 is different in that it was a “hostage crisis” and it involved “the Taj”.. The Taj is no ordinary place.. It holds a special place in India’s history..
And speaking of no persecution for people reporting to the police – I dont believe they are persecuted.. They might be invited to speak in the Court but none of us have the courage to attend a court session as a witness..

We can all learn from the J&K girl who single handedly gunned down terrorists without any fear of a revenge attack..

Well written after some research considering the audience, I liked the way you concluded it Gul. I tend to get emotional when I begin writing about this touchy subject, too many thoughts in my head and putting mind to paper becomes a tedious job.
However, thinking of 26/11 just brings out the hard facts today:
(1) Not a single accused has been punished till date
(2) The country has hardly done anything in terms of putting pressure on Pakistan to act after the initial months.
(3) We hardly hear news of the Paki Organization which was involved on 26/11 these days, most probably the’ve been let off and are enjoying asylum in Pakistan.
Yes, there was news of indictment recently but it could well turn out to be an eye wash. Who would verify that the right people are being punished or punished at all?
Of what use are any reflections on the past unless the above was addressed?
… and that is where… what you said in the last 2 paras… really makes sense!

You are brainy.
Usually Miss Whatevers are not brainy
Miss Whatevers may be smart but not brainy.
You are brainy despite being a Miss Whatever.

How come a brainy person like you got involved in this Miss Whatever non sense
Miss Whatevers usually say they are interested in social work
Are you like usual Miss Whatevers
Or are you an unusual Miss Whatever

if you are really interested in social work and do not say such things because you were a Miss Whatever
Email me on prabdesh@gmail.com

Today, Mumbai polish Commissioner said……..We are well prepared after 26/11,
Why thery are not well prepared before 26/11 ?………we can ask many ???? like these…
Very good article Gul…

Hi Gul,
Nice article ……
I think this attack was a big deal as it was not the usual bomb that got exploded as planned, this was a proper organised attack which lasted long due to the bad management of the then gov. This attack was similar to the naxals fighting in the rural parts of india, no one thought of similar incident happening across a metropolitan city and that too Mumbai. Though we have a huge security lapse, no one wants to accept that fact. A part of all this has to be blamed onto the media as well as they have also played a sad part by being irresponsible. We as citizens need to be more alert and not just leave everything to the security agents and the government. After all we are the government!
As you said its about choice of going in the trains to go to work. But aren’t we supposed to be more vigilant and responsible than one another. If one finds something fishy going around all one has to do is communicate the same to the police and help them in the investigation process, and not just sit and gossip around. If someone knows how to get illegal ration cards or passports report it to the administration.
Regards,
dneo

Hi Gul.

I think why 26/11 stayed in the minds of people all over the world (I come from Germany) is because it lasted 3 horrible days with full media coverage… At some point it was like a live version of 24. While the blasts in 2006 were of course terrible, too, they happend and the next day (or at latest the day after that) Mumbai was back to normal… Of course one is impressed with that too… But I think the pictures of the burning Taj Hotel will stay in peoples mind like the pictures of the falling Twintowers in New York will…

I think it is rather sad that some people ask what “they” (meaning the politicians and the armed forces) have done since then. Shouldn’t the main question be what every single person has done and can do in the future that things like this will not happen again? No where on our planet?

well, i can say that is probably the most impressive article i have read today abt 26/11 and that is the question ,the answer to which i hve been looking for so long!!!”why is it hyped so much??”
well,the first reason can be,as u have already noted,is that its the first one to effect the elite class!!!!!yes,i totally agree to that..but the main reason behind all this hype is the duration for which it happened!!!i mean,a terror attack going continuously for 2 days!!! for 2 days,the terrorists inside the hotels killed the innocent people and our whole nation could do nothing but to watch helplessly (mind you,what our special forces did was the last,extreme step coz the terrorists had no plans of turning themselves in)….
never before had our nation,which is prone to so many terror attacks(maybe even used to them) had witnessed such a traumatic site!!!!
i think this is the reason behind all the hype!!!!

Hey Gul Panag,

first things…reading comments by my fellow bro’s n sis’s…touching…anger…frustration…n lot more…. they all had one thng in common…negativity…so does ur article… i appreciate the effort….
I look forward for more positivity… Its not the government… its how we are… its how we do… its jus us…
i see a lot of change…i see it coming…. its that where ummm…. “we” should be part of this change….its tht time we unite n think…. its tht time we unite n act….its tht time we unite and stand….its tht time for us to move on…n unite to make wat were destined!!

Jai Hind!!

Que: Are 26/11 attacks different from other terror attacks which India has witnessed in the past?
Ans: I disagree with popular public opinion that 26/11 was same as other terror attacks.
No it was clearly not for reasons

1. All previous terror attacks were attacks which happened and then the world came to know about it whereas 26/11 and 9/11 were attacks which were for lack of a better word a ‘reality tv show’. It makes a marked difference when someone sees something happen/unfold in front of his/her eyes as compared to hearing about it
2. The incidents of 26/11 did not have a bias in targeting only the elite – I think we all will agree that targets like Nariman House, CST Station, JJ Hospital are not symbols of elitism in Mumbai.

Que: Why can’t our investigation/counter terrorism agencies be like Israel’s?
Ans: Its not apple to apples which are talking. Israel and India do not stand to be equated in terms of size, history and the role they play on the world stage. Ofcourse wanting to be like someone is one thing and I obviously would not contest that part of your argument however do we need to be like them is something which is debatable because its not that Israel’s CT agencies just are groomed differently. They are a nation of people where the propaganda is way different then what we have internally. They have a history of trying to save their entire race from getting eliminated and hence their attitude for what they do and mind you Israel is not a place where a lot of people want to put their money. India is.

Que: Is the fear of dying in a road accident similar to fear of dying in a terror attack?
Ans: Its like saying being hit with a water balloon is same as being hit with a rock. Number of fatalities cannot and should not govern our opinions entirely because yes you are right that terrorism kills less but think about the profound impact it has on our physic and if we do the math – it will be apparent that they are not the same.

Que: Should we not appoint a career diplomat as the National Security Adviser?
Ans: Are we saying that if the NSA would have been someone from the forces with Counter insurgency experience it would have been any different. We all agree that counter insurgency operations carried out on the borders are not the same as the ones which needs to be played out when something like 26/11 happens in an urban landscape. Hence I think that whether or not the NSA is a career diplomat or not should not matter to us. What should matter is whether he can deliver or not and his delivering is dependent on availability of the right resources for his and his ability to take a rational decision.

My Opinion: 26/11 was and should be made a big deal because until and unless we make a big deal no one will pay attention. It will sound funny but there are still a number of people world wide who do not know what 26/11 means. Until and unless we ourselves make a big deal out of it we would not be able to make anyone notice us and unless someone notices our cause/issue will stay the way they are. War clearly is not a option – it will be stupid on our part. Forceful diplomacy is.

Very, Very true. But I think the reason behind the hype of the date is that in all other incidents, I mean bomb blasts, there was never such an open challenge to us all. It’s because we had all seen bomb blasts but we had never seen terrorists openly killing on roads. It’s the difference of a hidden terrorist and an in-your-face terrorist. That, is something we had never faced in the past. The point is that we make sure we never face in future too.

Gul
You do have a point that our policy on dealing with terrorist does not involve collateral damage. I feel its a decision of convenience which our political system has taken. I cannot also visualize that ever getting changed because that would mean political suicide for any politician who will have to decide on that.

However I’m not sure whether having it will work in our favor or not.

I would really need someone to define what having a ‘collateral damage acceptable’ in our policy will mean.
Like would I want life of my friends/family member to be decided upon as ‘Collateral Damage’?
No – I would not even want a person who is a stranger to me life be treated as ‘collateral damage’. In a country like ours where we forget our ‘Heroes’ having a policy like ‘Collateral Damage acceptable’ will make it more easy for us to be insensitive and forgetful of them. I would hate to be in that position.

We do not need to follow what US or Israel does – what works for them might not work for us. I think we are headed in the right direction. I’m happy we have remembered 26/11 a year after it happened – that goes on to show that we are learning and that we are interested in holding the govt and its agencies accountable.

Ok,the “What happened,did something happen” argument,better than some of the other reactionary
No one has mentioned Why mumbai was attacked what did they do wrong,in what way did they deserve to be attacked .Where is India,at fault.There hasn’t been any introspection what so ever. It was a political act and needs a political solution or as a few have suggested covert balck ops,but definitely not a maintenance of the status quo,chalte hai attitude which interests in the pak army and indian establishment prefer just so they can make money from the drugs,human and arms trade.

Hi Gul

Agree there were many incidents before where number of people have been killed. Still why we remember 26/11?
Well that is what the terrorists wanted us to do? To remember it, they prolonged it for that reason,struck the targets which were never touched before , the elite class. And the difference made it stand out from other incidents.

So what do we do now? Forget it no way but only remembering it also won’t do us any good.
Tough situations need tough calls that also promptly not after years and crores spent.
Shilpa

Sat sri akal Gul,
I think it all in quite a different way or rather I can say that there are some scientific and social reasons for the crimes including terrorism. Since human population is increasing drastically and equally the earning resources are very limited, resulting in the increase in corruption in every field because it is the easiest mean to make more money in a very short time. Therefore we can find lapses in our internal as well as external security system. The population of South Asian developing countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, SriLanka etc. has more or less similar priorities for their living and they have similar mental make up too. They want to compete with each other for their unnecessary materialistic needs and the easiest way for it, is “Crime (including corruption)”. Becoz we have a lot of examples of corruption in our security system in both internal and external as well and there isn’t a single example in which the culprit got death sentence, either in the case of Bofors or Lalu Yadav or Madhu Koda or Telgi or Jain Hawala or CRB capital or Harshad Mehta etc.etc……
And finally I don’t apologize to say that we have lost the feelings of nationality and humanity, we want that there should be more Bhagat Singh born but in the neighbor’s house, that’s the root cause of our social instability and differences. Our political system can only enhance this problem as they have more benefits in this conditions.
If we really want to sort out this problem then we should change our thinking, priorities and values, we have to develop the spirit of loyalty towards our nation……..!
Thanx and regards,
Dr.Navdeep Singh Bains

until today i was avoiding this 26/11 thing perhaps i thought this is not going to happen to me anyway so why should i be bothered or may be i am just a cat who thinks by hiding my face in my hands will secure me from rest of the world.

thanks for writting this blog and making me realise the intensity of the situation.

regards

kanu gaur

respected gul panag ji

i hope u rememebr me…in beginning i used to write a lot to u by the name punkaj
and u replied me too

iam happy that we in india have beautiful as well as intelligent actresses also ..hehe iam talking about u …u always talk about issues concerning about common man

i just w anna say u

india chal nahin raha balki chalaya ja raha hai dhakke se…

just imagine these cases in our great nation

when share market sinks we pump 85000 crores in market to make it stable but when farmer who are our lives commit suicides w e give them not even ear to listen to them

we c an give crores to some actresses for 10 second thumkas but not sewing machines to widows etc….to run their livelihood

we fight within country for various reasons and even kill our own people inspaite of fact that our soldiers are laying their lives daily for people who even dont love their own people…

we take out candle marches shout for justice and take out flags but we dont have guts to even offer 1 time food to kids who work on streets

we are starting new issues for children who work in televisions and considering it child labour but what about real child labour on strtee factories industries in homes

we always fight with pakistan and when ever they commit wrong our leaders says we wont talk to them until they stop firing etc……and after some days they say nothjing can be resolved without talks

i wonder what our bhagatsingh ji shaheed sukhdev singh ji rajguru ji would be thinking that they laid their libves for this bharat…..?

gul panag ji i hope u will read my post and answer it thanx

we make them cry who care for us
we cry for them who never ever care for us
and we care for them who will never ever cry for us

this is the truth of life gul ji
once u realize it its never ever too late

regrads to ur family

pairi painna to uncle ji auntyji

wishes to uf rom heart and i wish to my pirs saints and shiv bhagwaan ji to give u best of life…

motalala0000

cool_seasons@rediffmail.com
kiss_me_on_the_moon@yahoo.com

That’s an interesting thought. But I do agree, the ‘elite’ being involved did bring in more of media attention on this attack. There have been so many attacks which lasted for 3 days in mosques/villages, and they make headline for a day or two. We have seen that if GOI wishes, it can have a robust intelligence.But we are in dire need of better managers/politicians way upto taluka levels, not just any illiterate bas**** who ruins tax payers money!
On a side note,we do look at people dying from terrorist attacks, but look at the daily life,thousands of people die from measly diseases like Malaria each year!

the answer is -technically no. Don’t feel safe- for a variety of reasons……..
Thats absolutely true.
In Pune I saw a family of 4 going in a car wearing masks (against H1N1) but none of them wearing seat belts.
They are afraid of dying of Swine flu but does not realize that dying of an accident is more in Pune.
Reagarding 26/11, I have written about it in a humerous way in my blog.
http://joezachs.blogspot.com/2009/11/indian-express.html

Completely agree with you.

26/11 is a big deal because the rich and the famous were under threat from the terrorists for the first time.There had been several such attacks in Kashmir earlier. Every alternate day a person was killed or gunned down by the militants…Did we have an anniversary for all those people who lost there lives…Only those who lost there lives near Taj were praised or being shown on television ….what about those who lost there lives near C.S.T….who is accountable for them…The poor have been neglected in the past and they will be neglected in the future too..Strange but true

Gul,
great to read your views, but don”t you think you need to write some more.
all the best!
dev.

26/11 got more coverage (then and even now), coz the attack was covered Live by the Media. While the massacres at Cafe Leopold, CST & Cama Hospital happened in quick succession, they were over and done by the time the media got there. Terrorists holding a structure and hostages in front of Live TV for 3 days would have got Prime attention anywhere in the world.
Isn’t 9/11 firmly etched in our minds only because the TV coverage of the two aircrafts winging themselves into the Twin Towers? Does anybody talk about the other 3 aircrafts that crashed into Pentagon, New Jesey and half way into the Senate buildings?
As a nation, we have been always lackasidical about Security. We always love an armed forces person, as long as it’s not in our own family. How do our movies treat security and defence? A melodramatic mix of young men singing and crying and dying on the borders? Is this all there is to security even in the popular media?
Our country, despite it’s imperfections is a Democracy, which still works. The only thing that works is Voting.
The politics, ideology, dialogue and engagement with the people changed only through the Vote of the people.
The stupid political ideologies changed in the 80s & the 90s when the people decide to vote in one ideology & vote out another ideology. This has forced even the Minority Vote bankers to tone down their stupid Politics of the 80s and 90s.
Today, the shoe is on the other foot.
What i am saying is that let people vote out a few political big wigs through elections, on the issue of Terrorism and the nonsensical approach to National security. Our politicians will automatically pick up the cue. For all their faults, our politicians know the mood on the street better than anyone.
So, the only way to expect any change in security management is to vote out incompetent politicians.

I’m of a firm belief that every citizen of this country undergoes mandatory one year military train-and-serve program.

I always wanted to be a fighter pilot but I’m color blind – Deuteranomaly.

Anyways, military training will make the youth strong and disciplined and bring in a sense of controlled urgency in situations requiring focussed thinking and quick execution.