Spiga

Mumbai 26/11: Eye-openers

[This is the first in a series of posts on Mumbai 26/11]

In the wake of the impudent run of terror attacks across South Mumbai, I believe there are certain eye openers in the context of the unity of the country when an attack of such proportion takes place. The intensity of the attacks has been unprecedented and the sheer outrage within cannot be expressed by oft-repeated rhetoric but only firm and affirmative action.

Friendship with Pakistan is a myth
First of all, yes this point is open for debate. But before you are tempted to engage in the classic version of a democractic debate that won't help in the current scenario, please realize that Jehad exists and it is being waged against India in full flow, by brainwashed youth of radical Islamist organizations in Afghanistan and Pakistan with an unforeseen determination and so-called religious pride. It is scathingly launched from the mainland of our neighbours time and again, spewn with jealousy and stitched with ammunition directly obtained from the founding fathers of cross-border terrorism worldwide, namely the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

No terrorist possesses weapons like AK-47s and MP-6 guns, unless aided by more powerful organizations. We have perenially been sceptical about the Pakistani Army, the ISI and their unstable democracy and they, all along, have been perenially envious and resentful about a flourishing, growing India. The ice has broken and maybe Shah Rukh Khan would still prefer shaking a leg with Pakistani actors on bilateral entertainment shows or the media would want to "not bring Pakistan into this so early" or Asif Ali Zardari would want to claim that "Pakistanis have a little bit of India in their hearts", but a resolute comprehension is a must and a willful, power-packed reply a necessity.

More than it has ever been.

The media is more irresponsible than we can even imagine it to be
Another eye-opener is the role of the media. The same pseudo-secular reporters "terrorizing" people across the country with their spot commentary and "latest updates". For God's sake, stop discussing the NSG movements and plans on national television. But this is not all.

Padma Bhushan Rajdeep Sardesai and fellow CNN-IBN newsreader and "analyst" Sagarika Ghose held interviews with BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad and former Armymen on CNN-IBN and started off with "communalizing" terrorism themselves. The irresponsible Ghose, who deserves an outing in a jail for her utterly shameless and senseless questions, was reprimanded by Prasad for initiating a debate such as "What is the BJP's clear stance?" when Prasad had already made it clear that the BJP will not be critical of the Government. The BJP offered full support, which is a sign of hope for politics, but Ghose and co. were hell bent on provoking Prasad and getting him to speak exactly "what the IBN team wants to hear".

Barkha Dutt, with the fakeness of a full-blooded hypocrite, interviewed two women, one of whose husbands had yet failed to emerge from the Taj. What I heard next should certainly have infuriated any rational viewer of NDTV yesterday night. "How do you feel?", "What would you do if your husband fails to make contact?", "What do you think is going on in his mind when he is out there with the terrorists?" were some stinkers directly from the mouth of a so-called celebrated journalist.

Their coverage of the attacks has been completely self-defeating and highly immoral, if nothing else. They are causing as much damage to us right now, just not in terms of lives. Shameful irreverence from such tardy mediapersons is shocking in such times. They definitely have an agenda of their own, and I can bet my entire fortune on it that the unity of the people or strict action on terrorism is not part of it. They are too happy in their petty world of pointless debates, disuniting and cynical rhetoric and brainless remarks on sensitive issues.

Get off us, you burden of ills.

True heroes will never be acknowledged on a large scale
With the kind of world we live in, where Bollywood celebrities and cricket superstars are revelled and celebrated with felicitations of the highest order, the true heroes are never acknowledged on a larger platform. The deaths of Hemant Karkare, Vijay Salaskar and Ashok Kamte pain a few of us as the rest are hardly aware or do not bother to find out who truly protects them and ensures they sleep in peace.

False heroes become public figures and every word of theirs is blown out of proportion and felicitated in the mass media and by the largely oblivious masses. Where is Raj Thackeray? Isn't this the same Mumbai? What does the Shiv Sena now have to say about "their" Mumbai being brought to the ground? What about the Marathis killed in the attacks? Karkare, Salaskar and Kamte were all Marathis. If the Thackerays were true pioneers of the Marathi cause, they would at least speak up on their behalf.

Realize, fellow countrymen, that the true heroes do not speak, do not seek fame, do not come out in the open, do not think about themselves one bit before sacrificing their lives in these circumstances.







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18 comments:

  Mampi

Friday, November 28, 2008 at 4:57:00 AM PST

I agree one hundred percent with you that the media has emerged as totally irresponsible and that the true heroes will never be sung while the likes of Modi will go on hogging space and time on national television-to utter blasphemies in the honor of our national integrity.

  aShyCarnalKid

Friday, November 28, 2008 at 5:59:00 AM PST

Good words . I am so sick of the media, the English and the Hindi . I can't watch the news without swearing every now and then .

  Anonymous

Friday, November 28, 2008 at 7:05:00 AM PST

I totally and vehemently second your viewpoint. The media is irresponsible, Pakistan as a nation shall always be our foe and real-life heroics will always be one rung lower than'reel-life'. What a sorry state of affairs for our nation as a whole...

  Anonymous

Friday, November 28, 2008 at 7:18:00 AM PST

Re. your comment about friendship with Pakistan, you will find some of the observations on this post revealing:

http://satyameva-jayate.org/2008/07/09/india-pakistan-tehelka-summit/

See also:

http://satyameva-jayate.org/2007/04/04/raja-mandala-approach-to-containing-pakistan/

  Jay

Friday, November 28, 2008 at 8:36:00 AM PST


@Mampi
Yes.

@Kislay
Yes. You can't watch it without swearing again and again. Good point.

@Mithe
Yes. Glad you agree.

@Shantanu
Nice links.

Some links worth a read:
Terror camps across LOC
Ceasefire violation

  venkatesh

Friday, November 28, 2008 at 9:10:00 AM PST

first thing is now shoot at sight of p-secs... they are cancer to the indian press and country as well..

  Jay

Friday, November 28, 2008 at 9:16:00 AM PST


@Venkatesh
I would agree with that, seriously.
Do away with Barkha Dutt, Arundhati Roy, Rajdeep Sardesai, Sagarika Ghose, Deepak Chopra etc.

  Mana

Friday, November 28, 2008 at 2:06:00 PM PST

The media is creating more panic than the terrorists. Barkha Dutt and her stupid annoying questions. She asked the same questions during Ahmedabad blasts also.

  Anonymous

Friday, November 28, 2008 at 11:30:00 PM PST

Very eloquent, and captures the thoughts of so many of us!

  Jay

Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 1:54:00 AM PST


@Silver Sparrow
I dont think that will happen. But your concerns are justified.

@Manasa
She should resign or commit suicide. Or do both. And take her fellow pseudo-secularists with her. And even, the Thackerays.

@Rambodoc
Thanks. I can't express the pain much better. It goes way too deep and even my monthly paycheck seemed futile to me this time. If my employers (outside this blog) wouldn't have given it to me, I wouldn't have complained.

  Smitha

Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 8:21:00 AM PST

So so true.. I totally agree that our psuedo-secular media does more harm. In the midst of asking meaningless questions and getting countless celebrities to cry on camera - actually forget some real issues. Also one wonders if the reaction would have been the scale if some slums had beem hit instead of the taj and the oberoi...even if the casualties had been equally.. can't help wondering..

  Anonymous

Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 5:37:00 PM PST

It's nice to see a blogger I respect take on the p-sec media. If only these terrorists take over the studios of the likes of NDTV and CNN-IBN, we would be much better off. But that's just a dream, isn't it? Sigh!

  Winnie the poohi

Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 2:42:00 AM PST

2000 percent with you!

  Jay

Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 6:11:00 AM PST


@Smitha
Thanks for agreeing.

@Krishna
Thanks. Yes, I was thinking the same :-)

@Winnie the Poohi
Thanks.

  Anonymous

Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 8:21:00 AM PST

well , friendship is indeed a myth . although we citizens want it ...the pak government doesn't want it .
media could have *been responsible but still media did a good job ..

  Anonymous

Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 5:37:00 PM PST

I find myself in complete agreement with Kislay.

BTW, I think you were lucky to have missed the Times Now coverage.

  Jay

Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 11:51:00 PM PST


@Arvind1187
I dont think the media did a good job as such, friend. I believe that a good job in these circumstances was to NOT DO YOUR JOB, where the media is concerned.

A little more responsibility could have been to just update the viewers on the number of hostages rescued etc. Talk nothing else. But they crossed all boundaries.

They could single handedly be held responsible for the deaths of the NSG commandos.

  Jay

Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 11:52:00 PM PST


@Ottayan
I have not missed out on their "coverage" either. They were as irresponsible as any of the other channels. I just didn't notice anything particular to highlight in my posts.