Do or Die

There used to be a time when my father used to visit Delhi for shopping. The capital of India wasn't a safe heaven even then. There were a few occasions when we used to be worried about his safety due to tensed political situations, and bomb-blasts. The reach of terrorism was only upto Kashmir and big cities like Delhi and Mumbai, but recent incidents of terror attacks show that even small towns aren't safe. The entire world has become vulnerable to terror-attacks. We are watching the new face of terrorism. Terrorists are becoming tech-savvy, even highly educated people are executing terror attacks.

on 26th November 2008, Mumbai was taken aback once again by the deadliest and the bloodiest terrorist-attack in the history of India. Few guys sailed down to The Gateway of India with explosives and machine-guns. They took hundreds of lives at various places like Taj, Oberoi, CST, Kama Hosp, JJ Hosp, Ville Parle and finally, lost their own lives. That's their latest style: fidayeen attacks.

Hundreds of precious lives were lost. Many families were wounded. Few of them were our guests - from foreign countries, some were our brave policemen and commandos. Innocent people - men, women, and children - lost their lives and left thousands of relatives crying. And we were left horrified, scared and angry. How could such thing happen? How can there be no security at all? Isn't it possible to live in a fearless India? Its time for us to think about it. Everyone is trying to find the answers.

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We saw a lot of discussions and talk shows discussing the causes and remedies of such terror-attacks, but I wasn't convinced by the solutions the 'experts' came up with. Everyone talked only about strong laws, well equipped and active police, efficient judiciary system and better coordination between intelligence agencies and various forces. Well, these things are certainly needed, but we need something more. Something we've never thought about. I, surprisingly, didn't hear a single voice of concern against the 'hatred'. I think terrorism and hatred are synonyms.

'Hatred' is the deadly poison that if not controlled, can kill this world. We always hear about clashes between people of different religion, color, ethnicity, country, language, .. the list is ever increasing. Instead of fighting hatred, we are nurturing it, and that's why terrorism is increasing. Hate can't be fought with hatred within. Being strong is of course necessary, but being sensitive is must.

Another reason, I think, of terrorism is 'pessimism' amongst under-privileged ones of the society. Pessimism is often cultivated in absence of strong positive motivation and inefficient governance. Under-privileged are often trapped under the criminal-mindset. They usually end up hating the privileged ones. They blame only the society and the society for their own problems. Ignorance of self-worth prompts one to be pessimistic and causes hatred for those who are privileged. This is the time when one needs optimism, motivation and positive vibes. Motivational religious-thoughts and proactive governance can effectively kick negative thoughts out of one's mind and prevent him from hating others.

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Why have so many terror-attacks happened in India?

The simplest answer would be: Because our system has failed.

• It has failed to protect its own people.
• Despite of imposing infinite number of reservations and quotas, it has failed to bring social equality.
• It has also failed to spread the benefits of economic growth equally to everyone.
• It has failed to get a place into the hearts of its own people - the very people that make it. People no more have trust into this system.

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How can we fight terrorism?

Immediate measures:

• Sharp intelligence
• Strong & unbiased police force
• Efficient judiciary
• Better coordination between intelligence agencies and various forces

Long-term answers:

• Love is the answer to Hatred: Let us start spreading the message of love and peace amongst people. Let's say that 'we don't want wars, we love each other'.
• No more divisive politics: Politics has always divided us, into groups based on religion, cast, region and language. Let's hold each other's hands tightly and tell them that 'we are united, you can't divide us'.
• Education: One must learn that 'terrorism' is not the way to go. One must experience the joy of living in peaceful world, where everyone has a sweet smile on his/her face.
• Motivating religious leadership: Religion has become a bad word today, because of its representatives. People are going away from it, because there are very few religious leaders who teach us the very reason why religion is necessary. It teaches us that 'Other is not other, he is my divine brother. We all are children of one God. How can I kill my own brother/sister?'. We need religious leaders that bring people together.
• Economic prosperity: An economically stable person is less prone to hating the world. Living good life makes more sense to him rather than taking lives.

Think about it..