"I strongly condemn the Mumbai terror attacks. The terrorists will be taken to task and the spirit of Mumbai will overcome this too".
Now, replace 'Mumbai' with any other city and you have a write up any politician worth his salt will probably have ready in his office to be dispatched to news-hungry newspapers and television channels for whom page-3 sneezes are breaking news.
Most of these terror actions and the reactions that follow have become so commonplace in our lives that I am not ashamed to say that it does not hurt as much as it did in an era gone past.
I have no idea how the national intelligence agencies operate, but what I do know is that this is intelligence failure of the highest order. I wish our so called leaders would do more than just ask scapegoats to step down from their posts.
The terrorists seem to have come in with greater planning and preparation. The call by the terrorists for people with British and American passports is clearly aimed at maiming the image of India as a preferred destination for business and pleasure. So, if not for the sake of our citizens, whose basic necessities have long been neglected, at least for the sake of maintaining India's image, there must be some national strategy to tackle this ever growing menace.
Another new thing that happened during the Mumbai attacks is that for the first time, the rich and famous have felt the heat of the terrorist fire and this is bound to have repercussions. These bodies cannot be hidden and the death toll cannot be brought down artificially. These are wealthy and powerful people who have lost their loved ones and this time the politicians cannot get away with just their poll time promises.
I have one request to the our leaders -- next time when we point our fingers conveniently at our neighbours, let it be after successfully thwarting a terrorist attack, not after hundreds of Indians have been massacred.
Photograph: Sanjay Sawant
Also see: 'We are mad as hell'
Advertisement
"I strongly condemn the Mumbai terror attacks. The terrorists will be taken to task and the spirit of Mumbai will overcome this too".