Level of endurance

These past days I have been doubtful of my contribution towards the nation. Questions like 'Why do I make profit for some other country?', 'What can I do to contribute to the well being of Indians?' sprang up my mind. All because of the tragedy that happened in Mumbai. A bunch of armed a**holes entered places where people resided and engaged in acts of violence and brutality. It took 48+ hours to finish them off. The scenes shown in the television were shocking and I could not even imagine the situation of the hostages who were inside the Taj, Oberoi or the Nariman House.

'Patriotism' is a feeling that came to me very scarcely. But the retaliation that was shown by the armed forces, the army, the NSG and the ATS made me proud of my country. The brave martyrs showed their true colors by not succumbing to the tremendous pressure and fighting each of the f**ked up bastards with courage and valour. It was also great to see the people of Mumbai rushing towards the commandos, shaking hands and congratulating them and applauding them after the operation success. The sound of slogans 'Jai Hind' and 'Vande Mataram' sent a chill through my spine as it did for many Indians.

There were people who tried to take the situation to their advantage, like the politician who gave out a dramatic speech during the terror. But the people became smart enough to understand this and intelligent enough to express their discontent and anger towards such petty publicity stunts. They wanted results. They were paying their taxes and trying to make ends meet. The least the government could do is to provide them with a terror free atmosphere to live.

It is a fact that the forces arrived too late. It is a fact that even after getting sufficient hints of the attack, the forces were unable to avoid the situation. But every mistake is a lesson learned. Its by time we took the security measures up a notch. How would a bunch of people come via the sea route with a s**t load of ammunition to a place closely guarded by the patrol ? Corruption may be your answer. Inefficiency might be one. Inefficiency can be treated but corruption must be eradicated.

It also made me think about the countries where military service is compulsory. A year or two. It is a good idea to equip most of the citizens with self defense techniques so that a terror situation could be handled with a cool and calm head. The forces could also use all the help they can.

I was watching the movie 'Letters from Iwo Jima' yesterday and was deeply moved by the portrayal of Japanese soldiers who were willing to give their life for their country and emperor even though they had no ammunition and no eatables. Would writing or talking about it make a difference ?