For a long time I have been neglecting this blog. I have been itching to write something but the great ideas just don't come. So I have decided (not for the first time but yet again) that just like batsmen need to spend some time in the middle when they are out of form, I need to spend some time writing before the ideas arrive. We will neglect the small detail that batsmen who have never shown promise don't get any time in the middle. Since this is my blog its like that street match in which I am the kid with the bat and ball. I get as many innings as I want :)

So as the ideation engine is just outputting garbage, there is only just one way to go. Write about a cliched topic, which every tom,dick and harry has written about (and Sarang is about to be added to that list).

26/11, India was attacked yet again by terrorists. More importantly Mumbai was attacked yet again. Between the rains, the Raj and the ruffians, it looks like the city is soon going to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The terrorists are bad and yes, it is a shameful thing to do and all that. The thing that comes most to my notice is that the sense of outrage is so much more because they attacked the centers of elite prodigality. When I see all those theatre personalities and socialites sitting on the news channels talking about taking radical measures, I only see their mouths opening and closing but not really the words they emit. What I hear instead is, "How the hell did they dare attack the Taj Hotel? See we are all peace-loving Gandhi followers as far as you bomb those ruddy local trains and create havoc in murky back lanes of Pan Bazaar in faroff Guwahati or even in the parliament. But attack 5star hotels, disturb our cozy repasts with foreign businessmen and you have crossed a line. Lets just bloddy carpet bomb Pakistan."

Seriously, all this talk about waking up of the middle class angers and frustrates me more than the attack itself. The news channels are in it just for the moolah. Why are Simi Garewaal and Kunal Kohli talking about what India's strategy should be now. And who in hell is listening to them anyways. Much ado about nothing.
What is even more exasperating is the venom venting that some people start after such incidents.
E.g -:
1) Lets just kill all their families. They are not afraid themselves but the only thing that scares them is potential harm to their families.
Yeah sure! Great Idea. But who exactly are they here? If we had any clue of that it would be a better option to catch them in the first place. And yeah, in case you don't remeber, some have already tried this option. Remember Gujarat?? Yeah that helped a lot, thanx.

Now you might ask, what do you have to offer in way of a solution??
I might not have some big plans like carpet bombing Pakistan or declaring war, but I know two things. The motives of the terrorists are two-fold -:
1) To disrupt our lives, and scare us away from venturing out of our homes and also maybe scaring away potential foreign businesses from coming here ultimately denting our economy.
2) Divide us up, make us do foolish things and gain legitimacy for their actions.

I think that as individuals we donot have the power to bring about a sudden change. What we are capable of is, a) A slight bravery - Instead of being afraid of the next attack and playing into their hands we need to be defiant. I think most of us are. Its natural to be scared but not cowardly. And b) Not listen to the devil's advocates and be united.

It is such simple acts which will help us not only recover but make their jobs more difficult.
The setting up of a dedicated Intelligence department and carrying out of covert ops behind enemy lines should be left to the experts. If you want to contribute, then choose your leaders wisely, instead of just blindly going forward and choosing someone who is a co-religionist, speaks your language or is a champion of your caste. If more then become a leader yourself. Appearing on television and talking seriously, as if you are the director, CIA doesn't help.