What can you say when people just don’t understand… peace leads to peace, hatred leads to hatred! I guess all you can say is: all the wonder that mankind’s intelligence is; is just for filling white spaces with prose and verse and ever-winding wordplay… the battles with bullets and the chivalry of might is what shapes the world… its been that forever and so it goes on…

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/fisk/robert-fisk-so-just-
where-does-the-madness-end-829936.html

The furor over the former foreign minister Mr. Jaswant Singh’s book A Call to Honour continued today with the PM Dr. Manmohan Singh daring him to identify the mole that was present in the former PM Mr. Narshima Rao’s cabinet during the 90’s.

The PM, the statement says, was very forceful when he was attacking Mr. Jaswant Singh and he said that “… only shows that the opposition has no real issues and they are seeking excuses.” The PM was forceful when attacking the opposition but he could not be so when issuing the statement after the blasts. He needed to have a written text to speak to the nation for a couple of mins throwing to wind caution of being politically incorrect and speaking the truth and not worrying about alienating a voting base?

Mr. Jaswant Singh was one amazing foreign minister and he atleast has the guts to speak about what he thinks. As far as I can remember he is the only politician who took on the world press and came out on top esp. after the 1998 nuclear tests when he spoke extempore about the need to strengthen our nation against rouge nations. And bottom line is that he was a man enough to go to Kandahar unarmed to get back our citizens, much better than the present leaders in power who fear to even step out in front of camera’s least they are caught saying anything except singing praises of their “phoren” party chief.

It’s been more than 2 weeks since the attacks now and except for people picking up pieces of their lives and moving on, nothing’s come of it. The parliament was adjourned today for mourning the death of Mr. Mahajan and I am sure from tomorrow, instead of discussing the important national issues, there are going to be allegations traded and walkouts. And all this on national television!

The other day I was reading a quote by an unnamed cabinet minister from the ruling party saying that the present PM is only for a term and that he would not be allowed to take any action because the party had the need to be in power the next term and that was all that mattered. So as long as this ideology continues, what will we ever achieve?

The PMO is prompt and forceful to issue statements as to how the opposition is responsible for everything that’s going bad with our nation but will any action be taken against the perpetrators’ of actual crimes in out nation? A dear friend and a fellow blogger articulates as to why we won’t go the Israel way but is it a solution that we must seek now? Has the time come for us to drop the wail of goodness and that of being pacifists and take up arms?

They will like us when we win – is something that is so right. Is the time here for us to push for a victory at any costs upon us now?

Update 2

So now the Govt. has woken up to realize that everyone’s using http://pkblogs.com to get to their sites huh! The pak blogs link worked till abt 10mins back and now its been blocked too. So now I am left with no choice but to use RSS feeds to access my site and check other blogspot blogs.

This is getting interesting now!

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Update 1

Its out in the open now that almost all of the ISP’s in India have blocked blogspot and the reason behind it seems to be the fact that the Indian Govt. suspects SIMI to be sending information through blogs to their comrades all over. All right so the Govt. is finally doing something to show that it is capable of catching the culprits but does it seriously feel that I will get some where by this act?

Firstly, I am quite amused that the Govt. chose the way of ‘blocking blogs’ to show that they are taking action. Bloggers have been the most vocal in their anger against the blasts in Mumbai last week and there would easily have been a thousand posts on how the Indian Govt. is incapable of handling a crisis and how little it is doing to assuage the feelings of Indian’s who feel they have not been given justice. Is it there way to prove a point once and for all that the people in power do read what is written in public domain?

Secondly, either the Govt. is sending a message across or they are being downright stupid. I am sure whoever is using blogs as a way to communicate would not elaborately post on where, how and when they are going to attack. Last I heard that one of the Simi activists is a MS in CompSci from Texas. The chances of terrorists using codes hidden in harmless blogs as a way to communicate is very high and if that’s the case how are the monitoring agencies going to deal with it?

Also, am sure there are infinite ways to communicate and blogs is just one of them in this virtual world. Consider scraps on orkut, reader comments of random blogs not on blogspot or type pad, comments section in rediff on topicals, mirror servers of mail clients and finally web-servers which allow file transfers which are routed through a dozen countries. Can the Govt curb all of these? It doesn’t take a CompSci graduate to figure out all this and am sure all these activists have redundancy built in everywhere to deal with this type of stuff. They know Pak Govt did this before so they would have thought abt it already?

There are stories around that PIL’s will be filed tomm against the infringement of Right to Information Act and that the Govt. will resolve the issue in 48hrs. But one thing am sure of is that there won’t be any info flowing from the Govt. As always there will be speculation all around and there won’t be one official from the Dept. of Communications or PMO who has the ballz to say we did something and these are the reasons and this is what we plan to do.

I am all right if the Govt. thinks it’s necessary to block sites in order to trace culprits or get vital info. Am ok with being in dark for hrs abt what is going on but I am not ok with is the fact that nobody from the ministries come and owns up to having done something and not care to explain the how’s and why’s. For me this is a blatant violation of democracy and this is bigger that not keep promises or not working hard enough to fulfill the aspirations of the people.

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It’s almost 12hrs since blogspot is being blocked in India and there seems to be no let up anywhere. All the accessing to other blogs and general info is through the routing system that is not only changing the links by itself but also ensuring that once this route is adopted, blogspot will work for the entire session.

I just spoke to my local service provider now and he says that its the work of the national ISP provider from where he takes a feed. Hard to verify the claim but he has no more news for me.

Please keep commenting and let me know if ppl in other countries are able to access blogs of Indian origin i.e. from Indian IP’s.

Time for India to Act – 1.

I wrote the above article when there was a fidayeen attack in Srinagar last year when a jeep full of explosives rammed into a building killing a dozen people or so. The story then was similar to what happened yesterday in Mumbai & Srinagar. There were loud noises made by the Govt. about the escalating situation of terror in the valley and then everything fell into the same old way.

Will there ever be a time when we will act?

The only statement issued by the P.M so far indicates that he is more concerned about spirit of our countrymen and how we still need to keep our calm in the face of all adversities but restrain from going after any criminals. His statement reads:

“This is not the first time that the enemies of our nation have tried to undermine our peace and prosperity. These elements have not yet understood that we Indians can stand united. That we will stand united. They have not yet understood that we will never let them win. Mumbai stands tall once again as the symbol of a united India — An inclusive India. Let me say, no one can make India kneel. No one can come in the path of our progress. The wheels of our economy will move on. India will continue to walk tall, and with confidence”.

Indians can stand united? Do we have a choice in this? As long as there is no policy to curb these incidents and when the mandate of the people is only for convenience, the whole nation is united behind policies of the vote banks.

Mumbai stands tall – Yes, it does. The wheels of the economy will move on, irrespective of the direction, it will move on.

We will walk tall…

Why the hell should we walk tall? What is this affair with walking tall and being the most respected, cultured, non-violent, peaceful nation in the world? Why is there a need to carry this tag anymore as it is not relevant in times of open attacks and guerrilla warfare taking place all around?

A nation is called great by the number of people it has saved, not by the number of people it has sacrificed. Yes, we have built this nation on honor, culture, tradition, value systems where retaliation is a no-go and that we take in all that is meted out to us but that’s precisely the reason why some things are called past and history! Can’t we ever draw a line and say that’s out history and now we have changed?

Is it so necessary to be known throughout the world as a nation of peace and integrity when in our own backyard we have the most dangerous place in the world continually churning out machinery of death? Is it such a moral imperative to keep putting a face of the resolute crusader of peace when the people who keep attacking have no belief in humanity and peace?

The world likes those who win and when we finally win they will like us. Till then can’t we put aside our image of being the land of Mahatma and show some iron will? The victorious is war shall be the kings in peace. That’s the way the world works today so why not embrace this line?

Terrorism is here to stay. Just imagine the number of people, who must have been involved in a project that was so well coordinated, 7 blasts all in a span of 30mins. The sheer number of sympathizers to a project like this tells you that the resolution of these people is strong and they will do anything to break our will.

The perpetrators of yesterday’s crimes just look like the everyday junta you see on roads. How do you put an end to a war that’s taken up by pregnant women acting as fidayeens? How do you stop such women from blowing up in public places? Forget the law of morals and ethics, even the law of nature cannot permit such wrong doings. So how will moral high-grounds and walking tall solve our problems?

Once again, everyone shouts out that there needs to be action taken. It’s difficult but a concrete start can be made. You have to take the war to the enemy in order to defend yourself. Didn’t we have enough catalysts already to make us act? Do we require more?

Update:

The day has passed and it’s a new morning again. The toll stands at 174 with over 400 injured. The western line is open and the T.V is full of images of early morning commuters taking the same trains that were hit yesterday to work.

Its more than 12 hrs now but there is no sign of the honorable PM. Mr. Singh or any top brass of the PMO of having the basic courtesy or the ballz to stand in front of the camera, look straight ahead and issue any statement as the what the hell they are doing to either help the people or prevent such incidents from taking place again.

The local authorities, like the rest of the junta have been caught unaware due to sheer size and precision of the blasts but what about the babus in Delhi. There is still no point man directing information flow as to where the injured are, where the dead are being placed or whether the families of the deceased have been identified.

What possibly is keeping these ultra busy leaders from letting people know about what they are doing or who the suspects are? It’s at times like this, when the tempers are rising that official machinery should rise to the occasion to show that they are doing something, if not on ground, but so much to assuage the feelings. What could possibly be more important now than attend to the tragedy that hit the financial capital of the nation?

The Mumbaikars need some answers now. Now is not the time for these VIP’s to come visiting and hampering the already chaotic work that’s in progress at hospitals and stations. Sonia Gandhi visited a hospital and a station yesterday night some time after mid-night right in between the whole mess and confusion and am sure the over-enthusiastic officials would have stopped all the people in her vicinity to impress her and score points. Is she needed there?

I can understand if it is the CM of the state or the PM but Sonia? Why the hell is she coming to a place where she is not required? And in what capacity? She holds no office. So what gives her the right to come?

It was on TV for a while that Advani and other BJP top brass would be visiting today and that the congress top-brass some-time later. So was she there to prove that she had the entire official machinery of the city at her beck and call and that she could arrive at any place however unnecessary even before the PM or the President. Why the politics man?

I saw the Home Minister and the Railway Minster talking about how people should keep calm and how political parties should not take advantage of the situation. Why those statements? Why are you holding the offices that you have? Why don’t you have the ballz to say that this is what could have happened – am sure the intelligence agencies would have had 2 or 3 situation figured out by now. Announce how swiftly the Govt. is looking into the matter. And who the hell could have committed the crime and whether the intelligence departments had any clue and if they did in what form and why no action was taken.

Lallu looked like a joke on TV with his comic presence when the mob surrounding him was soaked in sweat and blood. This is the time for information to flow from the people who they know, not a harried police official who is investigating the scene and doing his job. When will this democracy work in the way it should?

I still hope that the PMO sends one of its top-brass to stand and look into the eyes of the nation and tell something that will reassure people of some happenings. The PMO says the Mumbai and Srinagar incidents are not related while the Home Sec says they are. What is the truth?

I was up till early morning today following fellow bloggers who have done an amazing job of getting help lines in place so that relatives could be contacted. Have also read of articles of Indian’s from far of land doing all they can to bring some solace to the people affected.

When common men can rise to the occasion with such limited resources, I think its time for the babus to get of their asses and do some hard-talking and implementing them for tangible results. I know all will be forgotten in a while and most politicians are waiting for the blame game to begin to bury the actual issue but it sucks that time and again we are targeted and all the time we just rant and shout and nothing happens.

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Another Tuesday and more attacks. Firstly around mid-afternoon in Srinagar where 3 explosions took place in a span of 3hrs and then in Mumbai at around 6pm. The blasts in Mumbai, all in local trains on the heavily populated western railway route, first class male coaches. What else can be more carefully choreographed?

Oz has put up a complete bunch of initial reports and pictures. For people like him and thousands of others who have families in Mumbai, the last few hours must have been tense considering a complete break down of communication installations. And by the time I am posting this, the only response of the govt. is condolences for the affected.

I understand that this is not an appropriate time for blaming the Govt. but is it not time now to put an end to the same old rhetoric that comes from the official machinery:

I am in the process of getting the exact information. Before getting full information, it is not correct for the govt to disclose anything. We would take precautions but not a national alert. – Shivraj Patil, Home Minister.

The series of blast in Jammu and Kashmir and Mumbai are shocking and cowardly attempts. My heart reaches out to all those affected by these blasts… Citizens of Mumbai have faced terror more than 10 years ago. I urge the people to stay calm, not believe rumors and carry on with their activities. – PM Statement.

Our priority is to ensure that nothing untoward takes place as a result of the blast – Police Commissioner A N Roy

How many times have we Indian’s heard the people in power tell us the same old stories when any incident like this occurs? Why can’t they atleast change the language to make it a little more compassionate?

All the T.V News Channels have over-excited anchors literally shouting into the micro-phones and on the spot reporters acting important but why is there no official communiqué from the PMO reassuring the citizens and letting out vital information.

Is it so difficult to have a Press Secretary taking all the questions and directing answers from the PMO and telling the populace as to what is happening, who are the suspects what the official machinery is doing and other such stuff. Why should answers be deduced by reporters and not have a concrete information flow mechanism?

Well, time and again the same questions will be asked by infuriated citizens and the greatest thing about the politics here is that nothing will come out of the stone walls that wrap the seats of power. No one will be apprehended for the crimes and there will be no statement which even identifies the perpetrators of crime least the politician looses a section of vote base.

From the ‘93 blasts, Mumbai and from partition, Srinagar have been facing such horrendous attacks but every time something like this happened we all thought that this will propel the Govt. to take an action against criminal and extremists. But nay, the issue will be debated in blogs, on T.V and in the editorials but after a week or so, there will be nothing from the govt except that they are investigating. How long man?

These Mumbai attacks have been on the lifelines of Mumbaikars. Most people spend more time in these local trains than in their homes. What must be going through all of them? Won’t they seek redemption? If not that, isn’t it right to keep ‘m all protected?

Come on u democratically elected leaders! Atleast this time don’t let these Mumbaikars down!

As always you have to bow down to the spirit of the Mumbaikars. I have heard a citizen saying that he had actually seen people jumping into the flames to get people outta of those burning coaches. And there we have our true hero’s.