The Train Ride That Ran Over a Few Tigers

I have travelled by train more than a thousand times, including the Mumbai local, but it’s never been a front page news ... I would not want it be either as only chance for my train travel becoming a news is, if there was something untoward like an accident or bomb blast .... That said, the train ride that was making news or rather breaking news in India a couple of days ago was the one that Rahul Gandhi (RG) made ... you may call it a political statement, but I for one feel that it was a political gimmick that does not add up!

The implied purpose of the ride was to get a feel of the Mumbai local and connect with the average Mumbaiker and the undisclosed agenda seems to have been to send a message to one of the sole proprietary owners (yes there are two firms dealing with this, as on date) of Marathi Asmita! Again not sure if either of them worked. Travelling in a sanitised (security wise ... Yes some commentators have described the move as security unwise though) first class coach of a Mumbai local with more SPG members than travelling public is not the best way to get the real feel of the Mumbai local or connect with the Mumbaiker, so the stated purpose is for sure defeated ... and this train ride in no way is going to change the way the Sena goes through with its brand of politics.


The interesting aside to this train ride was that the Maharashtra government had deployed 10000 policemen for RG’s protection during his visit. Now, that’s pretty skewed ratio ... I mean in a country where the Home Minister at the central government is talking about the police department being understaffed, having 10000 men for the protection of 1 citizen (irrespective of the face value or place value of that citizen) is a huge commitment. What that also means is that if the Maharashtra government feels the need it, can muster up the numbers to ensure law and order. Can this meaning be further extended to mean that the vandalism, chaos and looting that is let loose by the so called MNS and SS workers is something that the state government chooses to ignore or (even more sinister) sponsors as a silent supporter?


You might have guessed by now that I am not the most avid congress supporter, but then I am at times in awe of RG and his efforts to rejuvenate the party. By the look of things he seems to wield the power to overrule not just the Congress party’s “democratically” arrived at decisions, but also his own security advisors at the SPG. But is he using these powers to the best possible end results? The last thing that one expects from the to-be Prime Minister of India and the harbinger of the next generation in Indian politics is to be scoring political brownie points... Let’s look at a couple issues that the country is grappling in the International arena as on date...


Bringing the perpetrators of 26/11 to justice ... we have as in the past, blamed the Pakistani government’s inability to reign in the terror elements in its own soil. We accuse the Pakistani government to be unwilling, incapable, covertly supporting and so on and so forth when it comes to tackling elements that use Pakistani soil to spread terror in India. So much so, that we almost stopped short of waging a war against that country.... but more rationally cut of the dialogue process that existed between the two countries. So what does the central government have to say to the government of Maharashtra? What about the state government going soft on those spreading terror amongst fellow Indians? Is the tough posturing, warning of serious consequences etc applicable only to neighbouring countries and not to Indian States? Why do we doubt Pakistani government when it says it’s doing everything it can and accept the same as genuine statement from Maharashtra government when the results in both cases are identical? Why don’t we sympathise with Pakistani Government, when we know that little monsters that we grow in our backyard, can one day, loom so large that, we end up losing control over it, as that is exactly what the Government in Maharashtra is finding out!!!


Another issue is of racial discrimination against Indians in Australia.... with what standing will the External Affairs Minister of India (who is a member of the same party as RG and the party that rules Maharashtra and Goa) ask the Australian authorities to act against those who attack Indians in their country, when there is not much action being taken against Indians who attack fellow Indians in Mumbai and the Russians who get raped in Goa? Or is it okay if Indians attack Indians or for that matter Indians rape Russians??


Riding a Local Train in Mumbai is according to me not a solution for these issues. An influential leader whose diktat is the gospel truth for his party should rather come down heavily on these governments who are turning inaction into an art by itself. To me lawlessness is a commentary on poor governance than a function of powerful goons ... for proper governance ensures that goons will never have the power... As a leader whom a lot of the younger generation looks up to with expectations, I hope RG will take tougher decisions and more meaningful decisions than this train travel in the times to come ... or will I be wrong and will have read the news which goes ... “RG drives a Taxi in Melbourne and snubs some Kangaroos???”

How I Helped Blow Up Mumbai...

The carnage at Mumbai was unprecedented… the response ever so predictable … rhetorical, knee-jerk, one of anguish and of helplessness… the usual suspects emerged out the clouds of smoke that emanated from the Taj as it burned… did we in the interim, ignore the scores that were massacred at the CST station (they were not Page 3 Celebrities in any case, who deserved prolong attention on National Media electronic or otherwise) …anyone who had access to a mouthpiece jumped in with a comment (me included) … blaming our politicians, with them blaming Pakistan and Pakistan claiming innocence … so now that we have gone through the routine set of manoeuvres, what next …


The Central Minister handling Home portfolio, set the tone by resigning on “Moral grounds” (Thank God for English dictionaries, the word “Moral” still clings on to its meaning as originally intended by those who devised the language)… As a follow up the Deputy CM of Maharashtra too has put in his papers succumbing to his inner voice (which had not spoken as late as 48 hours ago when he said that there was no question of his resigning over such small matters that occur in big cities) I believe many more policy makers will succumb to their “Moral” side in the coming days (at least if media reports are to be believed).

The Media, on its part outdid itself … live coverage that laid bare every aspect of the commando operation (as much as was possible from the distance, that they were allowed to operate) for the whole world (and the terror groups who probably were masterminding the attacks) to see …A live telecast with a blow by blow account of which floor the commandos were and what they will be doing next … with expert opinions by ex army honchos who give their predictions on how the operations will pan out, I wish our good old DD took a few lessons from this and covered our cricket matches as effectively …

The media called out for unity amongst political leadership and coming together for a common cause; all while trying to establish their channel as the best and indulging in one-up- man-ship by getting out “Exclusives” and “Breaking News” at periodic intervals … there were also these immensely popular reality shows with the people who have just lost their close ones put on the camera and asked “How do you feel??” … move aside Big Boss ... this is by far more emotional and gut wrenching!!!

The last blog entry that I put out which is there right below and can also be categorised as a knee jerk reaction to what was happening to my country … an attempt to express my anguish, helplessness and maybe point fingers at the obvious suspects … to find scapegoats and entrench my patriotism to a country that has given me so much to be proud of … but then, since the time that I have posted it, until now I have indulged in a little bit of soul searching … a peek into my own cupboard which I have kept locked for obvious reason … the skeletons inside it have a different tale to tell …

This is the story of how I (stands for Indians, I guess almost all, if not all) have held my country to ransom … how I have been hand in glove with the conspirators and have contributed to the massacre in Mumbai …

I drive around in Bangalore and I am sure anyone else who drives in an Indian city will agree with me as to how chaotic we can be on our roads. I would rather gain a couple of inches in traffic than the let the other person cross at an intersection… I would squeeze my vehicle across the signal even after it has turned red or for that matter, set into motion even before it turns green … I would overtake from the wrong side, drive through no entries, park below no parking signage and all this without a second thought … why because I know that the chances of me being caught are minimal and even if I am, I can always get away with anything between Rs. 10 to Rs. 100 depending on my bargaining skills …. Almost a rule I break queues, resist frisking, grumble to participate in security checks… You might wonder what this has to do with what happened in Mumbai … well it has, I am responsible in playing my role in building a chaotic and corrupt society, which in turn is definitely a soft target for terrorists.

I get my driving license, passport and pan card through “authorised agents”, paying much more than I should be, getting these documents in double quick time … I get almost everything, without the necessary documentations, mobile sims included… I do not need to really go through a driving test (even when I do, it’s a mere formality, as I have already completed the “more essential formalities”) to get my driving license or the mandatory police verification (or take part in it in absentia) for my passport… these documents hence are available for the taking, for who ever wants it, as long as one is ready to grease the right palms… so for a terrorist getting hold of a driving license or a fake address proof or a new mobile connection does not even involve breaking a sweat

Remember the iPod I bought from the grey market? Or the Digital camera for that matter? What about the pirated DVDs ad VCDs?? For sure they cost less than half of what they cost in the real stores and yes they are available much before the official launch in India… but then they are the building blocks for a parallel economy that funds these terror groups… the money I shell out in these pursuits are also my humble contribution towards making our coastline porous… a portion of the money that I spend in acquiring these inexpensive alternatives, is what is used to keep our coast guards and coastal police away from boats and trawlers that bring in smuggled goods … It is quite possible that the dinghies in which the terrorists arrived for their Mumbai rendezvous was mistaken for another regular consignment of smuggled goods arriving at city…


I feed the corruption in the system; I eat into the entails of my country’s administration to satisfy my hunger… I punch gaping holes in my country’s security set up (for what ever it maybe worth) and when all these loopholes are exploited by some brainwashed I-will-blow-up-myself-for-the-virgins-in-the-heaven morons I still have enough fall guys to point at!!!

Don't Cry For Me...

More than a 100 human beings who started their day on the 26^th November 2008, like you and I have today, did not live to see the dawn of 27^th November 2008…

(Image Courtesy: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/11/26/world/1127-MUMBAI_index.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink )

Nameless, faceless away from the glare of the media these are mere statistics that keeps popping on the TV screens and front pages of the newspapers for most of the world; but to the families and friends for whom these were men women and children made of flesh and blood, my heart goes out to them …

This will be forgotten, these people will go down the history sheets as also lived most probably without ever being mentioned in the end credits but then these people amongst whom you and I are not included as of today (not because of us being any special, but because we were not at the wrong place at the right time) are screaming examples of our ineptitude … our callousness and complete lack of self respect

It’s not just the nameless and faceless; we are a nation that does not keep even our heroes in our memory for long …. Several hundreds who lived and breathed last for us no longer in our thoughts or prayers …. We have sporting heroes dying poverty or ending their lives in the most gruesome manner for the want of dignity, military heroes’ families languishing in obscurity … All this while politicians who loot us in daylight passing on their legacy to their kith and kin!

They will be out sooner rather than later extolling the undying “Spirit of Mumbai” and eulogizing the “Resilience of Mumbaiker” … exploiting our own uncanny ability to see ourselves as a Nation or a Culture that is unbreakable … we are a Nation that so blindly believes that we are larger than life … that we are above judgement and as a Culture that has contributed so much to the World, we are superior to everyone else … the sad fact is that Mumbai wakes up after every tragedy and limps back to normalcy, not out of any super human quality but out of sheer necessity … Majority of Mumbai is made up of migrant people who cannot afford to miss one day’s wages or the average middle class worker who dreads a leave on “loss of pay”

To use this desperation to as a façade for inefficiency and an empty rhetoric to cover up the lack of preparedness has to be stopped … those in power both at the state and the center, presently and in the past have to own up… the people who have systemically eroded the functioning of our police force and military units have to be made accountable … people who shamelessly surface every time after the damage has been done and point fingers at each other have to be banished to forced political retirement

It is easy and very fashionable to accuse Pakistan and claim that the people behind this attack were originally from there, but I personally have been hearing these accusations from the time that I have been able to understand news… has anything changed? Have we been able to protect our countrymen because we have identified the so called source of terror? If not what are these statements intended for?

Indians and Pakistanis have for decades lived in unity in many foreign territories like the Middle East and the UK … I can not for nuts understand why we cannot live like that in our own countries …. The political clan once again uses the so called historical hate factor created amongst these two Nations carved out so cruelly to again camouflage their failings, the Brits introduced us to the concept of divide and rule, we have perfected it … As an Indian I grew up with such prejudiced views about my neighbouring countrymen and that I was shocked to learn that they were so much like us in most aspects and not as barbaric as I was led to believe…

Moreover, let us set our priorities right, put our house in order and set the right infrastructure in place to counter terrorism than keep adopting a finger pointing technique every time something goes wrong … All that happens after a tragedy like this is condolences, empty rhetoric about “zero tolerance” and declaration of ex-gratia payments to the dead and the injured from whomsoever’s relief funds

The 5 lacs that has been announced as the relief that will be given to kin of the each of the dead is welcome but then this huge sum of over five crores could have been better spent on improving the plight of our police force or maybe even our intelligence system… we would not do that for that does not account for a populist measure … in fact though we will keep using the choicest of words to praise our forces we will cringe and whine to hike their salaries or provide them with sophisticated equipments.

I wish we have a leader with vision and the will to lead us during these troubled times. I do not mid going through a period of emergency if that promises a safer society for the future generations… I wish we have the strength to accept our failings and take help from who ever is capable to help us deal with this situation rather than talk about Indian Pride and keep letting Indians die

What use is pride when it cannot save your fellow countrymen? What is use is the economic growth in percentages when people end up being mere statistics? What is the use of controlling inflation and bringing down the value of essential products when human life has no value? A state that cannot protect its people is no state at all, no matter what its lineage is …

What saddens me the most is that my own helplessness in dealing with what is happening around me… for all that I have written I am no different when it comes to my forgetfulness, in my lack of gratitude and resolve … I will forget this, I will forget Mr. Karkare, Mr. Salaskar and Mr. Kamte, like I have forgotten Mr. M.C. Sharma… I will forget the final “score” that the terrorists notched up, I will be soothed by the high decibel debates that will rage on live television for the next few days, until another juicy news “story” slowly takes control of Prime Time TRPs … and next time there is elections I will either treat it as a wasteful exercise that’s below my dignity to be a part of or instead of casting my vote go ahead and vote my caste