This is written by a 15 year old girl, Payoshi Roy. If more of our generation
think on these lines, maybe there is still hope for our future!
STOP THINKING CRY LOVE
The siege on Mumbai left even the most experienced of us, stunned. Even those
who have become immune to grief and tragedy stopped for a second. The 48-hour
encounter with these extremely sophisticated and trained terrorists of
Pakistani origin left India burning in every sense of the word.. The versions
and accounts are endless. Trying to quantify people's grief would not only be
futile but indeed low down. People who went for their daily evening session of
beer and gossip at the Leopold café, that special once a month dinner at the
Taj or for the bitter sweet occasion of farewell at CST Station never returned.
This isn't the first time we're hearing about something like this. These
stories have been talked about through out this year and to be honest through
out our lives. We have experienced five separate series of bomb blasts across
the country in this year alone. The dreadful cries of the Gujarat riots are yet
to recede from recent memories. The 2006 and 1993 Bombay blasts and riots haunt
their victims even now.
However, we are not here to talk about the grief that these victims suffer. Nor
do I wish to discuss the various and repeated intelligence failures and
lackadaisical attempts of the government and its security agencies. We are here
to figure out what exactly is wrong with us, because it is evident that there
is something horribly amiss in this country and it's people.
People are not born terrorists. Teenagers do not get up one fine day with the
conviction that violence is the path of their lives. The terrorist that battled
with NSG in the Taj hotel for over 24 hours was not more that 25 years old. Can
any of you imagine the kind of courage and determination that this young boy
exemplified in accomplishing such a feat. He is a terrorist, a terrorist who is
responsible for the death of over 150 people. He is also a mere boy. A boy whom
we have forced into becoming the man he died as. The Indian mujahidin consists
of young boys from the JMI College in Delhi. Sadhvi Pragya is in her early
twenties. These people are our age. They are people who we see in movie halls
and at street corners. They are not aliens of another race. Terrorism was not
brought in from Mars. It breeds within us. The worst part is, that we created
it.
Every kind of terrorism stems from extremism; and extremism is the most
obvious ramification of discrimination.. Discrimination is sadly practiced in
every nook and corner of our country.. We think it's insignificant, we think
that it's just the way people are. But it is discrimination and if only we were
brave enough to face it.
It is discrimination when the age-old story of Hindu parents refusing to
marry their daughter into a Muslim family repeats itself. It is discrimination
when parents of Muslim children refuse to sing Hindu bhajans. It is
discrimination when Christians refuse to participate in Hindu and Muslim
festivals. All of this is discrimination. And every form of terrorism and
extremism finds it's roots in this kind of discrimination, which is practiced
in each and every one of our homes. That is why we need to look at our homes
and our thinking before we cry out in rage and protest against the government
and security forces.
Last night you had emotional and angry Mumbai mobs screaming out anti
Pakistani slogans. That is the beginning of terrorism. Have we all gone mad?
What does the normal Pakistani family who is probably in their own way praying
for the Mumbai victims have anything to do with this? This is the
quintessential problem that we are facing. When will we realize that by blaming
each other the problem will only intensify.
The Hindus destroyed the Babri masjid. The Muslims blew up a Hindu coach. The
Hindus killed a city full of Muslims. Wave after wave of madness. Stop! How
long can we go on like this? An eye for an eye has never been the answer and it
should not take us a thousand years to accept the truth of this statement.
You had Raj Thakare chasing out the north Indians and Biharis from
Maharashtra. Over three hundred North Indians of the NSG saved his beloved
Marathi manoos. Where was Bal Thakare then? Forget about this one man, where
were the rest of our cosmopolitan Mumbaikers who let this man get away with
what he did.. Where were the progressive and peaceful Hindu leaders when
churches burnt in Orissa and Karnataka? We should all hang our heads in shame.
In another 60 years we'll have Bihari terrorists attacking Maharashtra and
Maharashtrian terrorist retaliating... Next we'll have border security
squadrons for our state borders. Don't smile skeptically. The India-Pakistan
feud had also started off in 1947 with Muslims being chased out of Delhi and
Hindus being chased out of Lahore. Look where it stands now.
Today you have every news channel proudly acclaiming the army, NSG and
Marine commandos as heroes. People in Mumbai are running out on the streets to
congratulate them.. These heroes weren't born today. They have been here all
this while. Where were these people of India, the Media, when the IAS used
their Machiavellian minds to reduce the salaries of all the Defense Forces.
Where were these people when the corporate world squabbled over a few hundred
rupees rise in the salaries of these men who always risk their lives to keep us
safe? I could not see the bureaucracy putting their life on the line to save
hostages in the Trident. I did not see the corporate world dying at the border
during the Kargil war. And I did not see Indian citizens who today call these
soldiers heroes defending them when they needed us the most.
You want to know what the problem with India is? We're cowards.. We don't think
as a single nation and we can't stand up for what's right.
I'll give you a small and perfect example of what is wrong with us. We
all complain about this country's dirty roads. We love holidaying in London's
spick and span streets. The most educated of us are yet to hesitate while
throwing a sweet wrapper or lays packet on the street. Or we'll throw it in an
already existing dump on the street. We can't even wait till we come across a
dustbin. This is what is wrong with us.
We have enough and more to say about Manmohan Singh and Advani and
every other useless politician and rightly so. But the fact is that in all
honesty we couldn't care less. The best of us don't vote, don't contest in
elections and don't even help out N.G.O.s When we can't do anything for our
country how dare we, I repeat, how dare we expect anyone else to do anything.
We can go on talking about stepping up security, straightening out our
coast guards and eradicating terrorism. But the problem lies not in our
security system but in us.. It lies in our madrassas, in our temples, in our
schools in our homes and in our minds. And until we realize our role, until we
open our eyes to this truth, not a thing will change.
Everyone talks about this new India, a shining progressive and young
India. Well it's time for Young, New and Shining India to prove herself. Stand
up and prove your worth. This so- called liberal and progressive thinking
generation needs to root out those weeds that grow in the oldest corners our
gardens. We need to start thinking and start talking. Talking to ourselves and
to others. We need to start doing. This has to be a national youth movement.
We have to make it the beginning of a revolution. Every historic movement
starts like this. Vague, uncertain and hesitant but moving towards a common
calling motivated by the same inspiration and dream. This is our chance.
Don't tell me that we won't be able to reach out to the people who need to
hear what we have to say. These people live among us. There is no limit to what
people can achieve when they set out to do something. You are talking about a
country whose founding father won a war without raising a weapon. Who have
lived on stories of Subhash Chandra Bose calling out for blood and promising
freedom. Well we've bled. Now it's time to get our freedom. Freedom from our
own mindsets. Freedom from shackles we've placed on ourselves.
These last two days have been the worst attack that India has ever dealt with.
If this alarm wasn't loud enough, no alarm will ever wake us up.
How many more people have to die before we respond to India's desperate plea
for help?
Payoshi Roy
Class XI
Bishop Cottons Girls School
Bangalore
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