Enough Said But Not Enough Done

Time is really a strange term. It flies when you don’t notice it and when you do, its inching away at terribly slow speed. It’s been a month since television channels started airing undisclosed footages and paying tributes to those who went away to never return back. Some even reviewed the security post 26/11 at sensitive spots to expose the apathy of a Government who hasn’t yet learnt its lesson. A year down the line, nothing has changed really. Mr. R.R. Patil whose famous quotes still make my blood boil is back as a Minister. So are many other politicians who went on terror tours.

No matter how much is being said about the fortification of the city by the Mumbai Police and other assorted forces, we all know the truth. It is this truth or rather the realization of it is reflected in the eyes of the average Mumbaikar. People talk endlessly about the ‘spirit’ of Mumbai and how the city has a habit of bouncing back from every calamity that continues to mar its beauty. I have a question- Do we have any other option? The wealthy guys will stop going for work for a month and quit travelling by first class in locals and opt for private transportation instead, the middle class will take a leave of two days and then resume going back to the old grind but what about those whose salary is on a per day basis. Can this guy afford to stay back at home citing fear of a terror attack? Everyone tries to put up a brave front and act tough and at the end of the day, the fear of losing your livelihood overrules the fear of losing your life. This is the spirit we all talk about.

Shabana Azmi rightly said “We are a society looking for short-term solutions to long-term problems.” So many citizen groups were formed after the attacks stressing the need for a secure neighborhood. Facebook and Orkut had hundreds of communities and groups coming up to which people swarmed to express their solidarity. How many of them are active right now? These people aren’t even close to what they are trying to be- heroes. My hero is the victim who has the guts to visit the same place where he escaped death and speak about it. My hero is the widow who continues to run from pillar to post trying to get compensation instead of indifference from the Government. My hero is the policemen who patrol the streets assuring people of their safety when they know that their pistol won’t come close to killing the terrorist and the only weapon they have is their courage. My hero is Karambir Kang and many others like him who chose to respond to the call of duty even when their own safety was at peril. My hero is Ratan Tata who re-opened the Taj in a matter of few months to show that the there a few cracks in the building is not enough to break his courage. This is the spirit we should be talking about and not the spirit to travel again in local trains after the attacks.

After a year, all I wish to do is to pray for the victims and their family because it is not easy to draw strength knowing that your loved ones could have been saved. It requires immense resilience to accept the fact Kasab alive and that your money is spent on keeping him alive. I just hope this is the last time I express my anguish over our own apathy and helplessness. Let this be the last time please.