India Bleeds...Yet Again

By Aman Thind

War and Peace (Photo: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty)

Oh God! Not again, please. Exactly that was the expression on everyone’s face that came to know of the brutal terrorist attack on India’s financial capital, Mumbai.

At first everyone thought of it as a minor firing incident and later a bomb blast as in recent past, but as the drama unfolded on our TV screens where “live action” was brought by the news channels, the world was shocked by the intensity, precision and ruthlessness with which the attack on India was carried out.

The Aftermath at CST (Photo: Xinhua/Reuters)

The Mumbai attack was in many ways, uniquely different from the past incidents. Earlier, timer devices were used to carry out simultaneous explosions in crowded places while the culprits slipped away. Instead, this time they were here to make a bigger statement as they carried out a full blown Fidayeen attack using trained and fully equipped gunmen to inflict maximum damage in terms of causalities. In retaliation, Indian Armed Forces, Mumbai Police and NSG commandos, undertook the operation code named Black Tornado to free the hostages and clear the area of the attackers.

NSG Commandos take positions at Nariman House (Phopto: AFP/Prakash Singh)

From there on, in the past three odd days, the world watched, with shock and anger, what happened. Final Blood Count: close to 200 dead, over 300 injured.

Apart from fear and frustration, the question in mind of a normal citizen is that how many more terror attacks, how much innocent blood shed, how many bullets, bombs and AK-47s, will we as a nation have to face before something concrete is done, before this ends?

As they say, history repeats itself, so that we learn from it. If we don’t, it repeats again, and again until the lessons are learnt. And, every time it repeats, its cost to the society increases.

So, having seen and gone through all this, let’s not forget it as another bad incident, let’s not let the terrorism become a part of life. Rather, let’s bring the nation’s best minds to a forum, let’s talk, debate, discuss and find a way out together, and above all, let’s stay united. Surely, there is anger, frustration and shock. However, it needs to be channeled into positive thoughts and action. We need to rise above the divides of religion and region to tackle and overcome this evil.

Let's not Forget (AP photo, courtesy timesofindia.com)

As Mahatma Gandhi famously said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Let’s be that change, a good change towards a better society, stronger nation and a beautiful world. So that the generations to come can sing with pride and honor, “Saare Jahan Se Acha, Hindustan Hamaara.”