Terrorized
Bomb blasts, terrorist attacks, suicide bombings used to be something that happened only in other places, places I saw in TV news channels, read about in newspapers, not places I can imagine myself in. They happened in Kashmir, they happened in Afghanistan, they happened in far off Mumbai. Well they are still happening in far off Afghanistan, Mumbai, Bangalore, but what is the difference? These places are not far off any more. Terror seems to be knocking in my very heart, terror seems to be knocking at the very door of our national security. When you have loved ones spread all over the country and you see erstwhile terror untouched cities coming under the ambit of terror how can you not be worried.
In my life, terror is not new. In my childhood I have seen the face of terror more than once, but after every such incident, I seem to forget it, for there is too little time to be afraid. When I was seven years old, the country was torn apart by riots. There were riots in my place too. I remember the night when rioters attacked our colony. All of us huddled together, not breathing, fans switched off, no movement. I held on to a one foot wooden rod prepared to fight any advancing enemy, but I failed to fight my own tears. Anyways, after about 30 minutes the din outside the very walls of our house subsided. Few brave men of the colony fought away the perpetrators of terror. Next morning we woke up to find black smoke emanating from a few shops. A neighboring aunty fainted at the sight. My eight year old mind had woken up to a reality very different from the image of a secular nation I read about in text books.
After this there were a few more instances of mob violence that I had witnessed. They gave me the chills all right, but they failed to terrorize me. And now once again I find it hard to fight my tears. A bomb blast had occured on the very road my brother takes to office everyday. And not one there were seven blasts, I had visited some of those very places. My brother could have been in any one of those places. I was in Bangalore just a month back. I and my mother could have been among the dead if the blasts had occurred a month back. That is how close terror is now. I had a hunch that this is just the beginning, and that more blasts are to follow. I was most nervous about Mumbai. My best friend was in Mumbai at that time. Anything could have happened. My uncle lives there, most of my friends would soon be there. How can I not feel nervous.
Mumbai was spared, Ahmedabad was splintered. Surat was saved by a whisker. My sister lives in Surat. Last time blasts shook Jaipur, I came to know that a day before the blasts, a distant cousin of mine had been in the same market where a blast had occurred, with her infant daughter. This is how close terror is. Terror has left the premises of the Akshardham temple or the Parliament or the Embassy and is now trying to enter our homes, our hearts. What do we do ? Are we beginning to accept it as a normal phenomena. Since the Bangalore blasts, bombs are being discovered everyday in cycles, tiffin boxes, garbage dumps etc. Is it this easy to plant bombs in the very heart of our cities. I read an article about the fresh bombs found in Bangalore. Bangaloreans are unfazed; for them, life has to move on, malls have to be peopled, streets have to be crowded, offices and schools have to go on as usual. They did not waste another sweat on this 'fresh' bomb. It is heartening to know that the very purpose of the terror mongers has been defeated. But very disturbing too. This is unacceptable. Bomb blasts don't occur everyday. They should not. When they do, there is some serious problem. The sooner the powers that be realize it the better.
It is our responsibility to make our country safe. More so now. It is time that we wake up from the complacency of invincibility. Or should we call it the numbness of experience ? Even now, when I remember myself, tears running down my cheeks, rod in hand, I feel that cold chill, and I am feeling it again now. Fear has helped us survive the millions of years on this earth. Fear itself has given us the strength to fight it. Fire destroys fear. Fear even with its new name 'terror' is not invincible. Let it give us the strength to discover a new fire to destroy it.
In my life, terror is not new. In my childhood I have seen the face of terror more than once, but after every such incident, I seem to forget it, for there is too little time to be afraid. When I was seven years old, the country was torn apart by riots. There were riots in my place too. I remember the night when rioters attacked our colony. All of us huddled together, not breathing, fans switched off, no movement. I held on to a one foot wooden rod prepared to fight any advancing enemy, but I failed to fight my own tears. Anyways, after about 30 minutes the din outside the very walls of our house subsided. Few brave men of the colony fought away the perpetrators of terror. Next morning we woke up to find black smoke emanating from a few shops. A neighboring aunty fainted at the sight. My eight year old mind had woken up to a reality very different from the image of a secular nation I read about in text books.
After this there were a few more instances of mob violence that I had witnessed. They gave me the chills all right, but they failed to terrorize me. And now once again I find it hard to fight my tears. A bomb blast had occured on the very road my brother takes to office everyday. And not one there were seven blasts, I had visited some of those very places. My brother could have been in any one of those places. I was in Bangalore just a month back. I and my mother could have been among the dead if the blasts had occurred a month back. That is how close terror is now. I had a hunch that this is just the beginning, and that more blasts are to follow. I was most nervous about Mumbai. My best friend was in Mumbai at that time. Anything could have happened. My uncle lives there, most of my friends would soon be there. How can I not feel nervous.
Mumbai was spared, Ahmedabad was splintered. Surat was saved by a whisker. My sister lives in Surat. Last time blasts shook Jaipur, I came to know that a day before the blasts, a distant cousin of mine had been in the same market where a blast had occurred, with her infant daughter. This is how close terror is. Terror has left the premises of the Akshardham temple or the Parliament or the Embassy and is now trying to enter our homes, our hearts. What do we do ? Are we beginning to accept it as a normal phenomena. Since the Bangalore blasts, bombs are being discovered everyday in cycles, tiffin boxes, garbage dumps etc. Is it this easy to plant bombs in the very heart of our cities. I read an article about the fresh bombs found in Bangalore. Bangaloreans are unfazed; for them, life has to move on, malls have to be peopled, streets have to be crowded, offices and schools have to go on as usual. They did not waste another sweat on this 'fresh' bomb. It is heartening to know that the very purpose of the terror mongers has been defeated. But very disturbing too. This is unacceptable. Bomb blasts don't occur everyday. They should not. When they do, there is some serious problem. The sooner the powers that be realize it the better.
It is our responsibility to make our country safe. More so now. It is time that we wake up from the complacency of invincibility. Or should we call it the numbness of experience ? Even now, when I remember myself, tears running down my cheeks, rod in hand, I feel that cold chill, and I am feeling it again now. Fear has helped us survive the millions of years on this earth. Fear itself has given us the strength to fight it. Fire destroys fear. Fear even with its new name 'terror' is not invincible. Let it give us the strength to discover a new fire to destroy it.
Labels:
bomb blast,
life,
terror
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3 comments:
try posting it in some newspaper editorial or in "letter to editor" .. that way it wont be contained from many other ppls who would appreciate the humane effort ...
You won't believe Borna, in Bangalore 3 bombs blasted within 2km radius from our office and a high intensity bomb was diffused 100 mts from our office building. You won't believe how it feels to be so near the spot. Never thought I would encounter such an experience in life. But now it's no more surprising.
Yes, It is rather sad and not surprising any more.
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