Miles to go..

Yes, you guessed it right. I have not quit writing on the topic, mumbai and its aftermath. I was going through ibnlive.com and the citizen’s comments there under each article. I do post there my opinion occasionally too. Anyhow, the following is one post I came across, which made me think. Posting it for you to read too.

User: abhigyan_dg

Post:

Hi Rajdeep,

I watched Mumbai being shattered by 10 so called ‘motivated’ people. Undoubtedly it was painful, to see a few fanatics holding a 10 billion strong country at ransom! Like most, I blamed the government, the politicians, the administration, the intelligence … et all. Until last evening when I was pondering over the crisis we currently are in. 
And … I blamed myself, a citizen of India, a common ‘urban’ man (I use the term ‘urban’ purely because it is primarily urban India which is under threat from terrorism). Zillions of questions cropped up!

- Vigilant: I scream of in-efficiency of the security forces. How much did I as a common citizen contribute towards keeping at least my neighborhood if not the city or the country safe?

- Co-operation: Airport security, if tightened for some reason, passengers are the first to protest, with arguments that they were ‘harassed’ and ill treated. It is only now, after the recent Mumbai attacks, that we are slowly coming to terms with the extra security measures.

- Votes: I blame the politicians and rightly so, because they have failed in performing their duties. Question is, was I a part of the voting system to start off with? Sadly, the answer is NO! Am I not shying away from my social duties as well? I come up with excuses like, ‘it is a difficult process to ensure the name appear in the voting list’. Tax filing in our country is an equally difficult process. But since I expect gain out of it (refunds), I will go to any extent of this difficult process, without complaining.

- Casual: I have been hearing about the Spirit of Mumbai since the 1993 blasts. It is said that nothing can dampen my spirits, the spirit of a Mumbaikar, the spirit of an Indian. But do high spirits mean putting everything behind me and carrying on with my day-to-day activity from the very next day, as if nothing had happened? The list can go on, but due to paucity of space, I have highlighted just some of the points which I felt needs attention. 
This is purely what I feel about myself. But, I am certain that there will be many like me who will have similar thoughts. Yes, our agitation against terrorism and corruption is completely justified, but along with that, as responsible citizens, we need to sit back and think of ways of becoming a part of the ‘cleaning process’. No country can be sanitized by the police, intelligence, politicians or the armed forces from terrorism, without the contribution of the citizens of that country. Things are changing, India has woken up, authorities are being questioned, but with all of this, let us, as individual citizens, wake up as well and contribute to a safer and cleaner society. Let us not wait for the next eventuality to happen. However little it might seem let us act NOW.

The blast over, the tryst with terror over and all the noises are settling down…

Thanks to media, right now our emotions are expressed with two or three curt phrases. NDTV says “enough is enough”… CNN-IBN asks, “How much is too much?”

Yes, questions are all what remains. I can ask you, and you can ask me. But who will give the answers? I think that was the root cause of all the frustrations. We lacked someone. Someone who could come up and say, “Don’t worry, Mein Hoon Na?” Someone from the authority, who could say, “Yes, I know we could have done better. Still, let me correct the situation first and then let us talk”

What really mattered in the first few hours , we lacked a few A’s…

continue reading…

4 days, we spent in front of the computer, switching between live telecasts of ibnlive and ndtv on Mumbai. The news was shocking. The amount of details contained in each report was even more shocking. Each moment we were asking between us, “Will this kind of live reporting fail the mission?”….

We felt it would, so also a lot of others.. and somebody has decided to make a change, by moving a public interest litigation over the issue. If you also feel that the media coverage of the Mumbai attack was a way bit outrageous, sign the petition here – http://smallchange.in/

The news is  here – http://www.rediff.com/movies/2008/dec/02mumattacks-vishal-versus-the-news-channels.htm

When I say “change”, it reminds me of Obama’s campaign for “change”.  Let me borrow his words, “yes, we can!!”

Right now, I feel it – “Yes, we can”…

For the past 7 hours, we are in front of the computer, switching between ibnlive.com and ndtv.com, occasionally browsing Times of India and New York Times, listening to the live reports from Mumbai. What happened was indeed something scary and a very disturbing fact that a bunch of intelligent terrorists have landed upon us. A bunch, who knew the power of divide-and-rule policy, a bunch who scattered the whole city with multiple attacks, a bunch who knew whom to take hostage, by attacking the elite places.

I can go on and brag about the technology advancement we have which empowers me with the news from across the globe, live. But, right now I am angry and scared. The same technology can bargain the lives in an entire city, if used foolishly.  Listening to each update given by the reporters, I am more scared. If I, an insignificant citizen sitting in US get this live piece of update now, doesn’t it also go to all those villains out there who planned and executed this terrible attack?

I don’t think what all things I have heard so far. So many reports, and the mind doesn’t register all of it. Still, it went like this.

“The NSG is about to arrive in 1 hour”

“The NSG has arrived and they have started operations”

“I am hearing gun shots, ofcourse something is happening.”

“Looks like the operation at Oberoi is nearing an end”..

I even saw the positioning of the NSG commandos through live cams. I heard about the replenishment of force. I heard about the army and navy joining hands..

NSG has specifically instructed the media not to discuss the strategy. All the reporters use it as their starting statement and then move onto blurt out whatever they wanted to, zooming their camera to all directions of their choice. Only one person dealt with it in the true sensible way. Its Rajdeep Sardesai of CNN-IBN, who was reporting from outside Hotel Taj . Whoever it is, he is the true citizen of India. May be, his age made him take wise decisions.

I am scared of each minute. I am scared of a moment, where some stupid reporter blurts out that one of the missions (out of many for the day) is accomplished. I am scared, that will be the end of all other hostages. Its high time media redefine their social commitment, instead of sensationalizing their surroundings at the cost of others’ lives.

At this point, my thought is: Do we really need extensive live coverages EVERYWHERE? When is the media going to distinguish between a cricket match and a war against terrorism?

My friends, do you have an answer?

They are also doing so many good things. I see flash news requesting for blood in Mumbai hospitals, I see helpline numbers from Taj and Oberoi hotels, and a lot more.. All these helps should not be clouded by the “extreme reporting” due to media competition.

I hate advertisements. Still, I wouldn’t mind watching advertisements, rather than knowing that the information I hear may be deadly to hundreds of lives and will be favorable to a handful of villains. I am sure every sensible Indian would think the same. Dear channels, please put some advertisements for us till you get solid result from Mumbai.

“Na bruyal, sathyam apriyam” – Don’t say truth, if it hurts others.

Keeping my fingers crossed, for the success of great India and its harmony, defeating all the villains out there.