India - The Ailing Nation

The nation's capitol was tested yet again and yet again....... it failed. The heart of India lies ailing. Delhi blasts have shattered not just people's faith in the nation's security but also the trust in the men who bear the task of protecting the nation and its citizens. People in India have been living with terrorism so long that it has become a part of our daily life. It doesn't surprise or amaze any of us anymore. The question to be asked here is, why has the common man accepted this most outrageous of human behaviors? is it because people have started to believe terrorism as justified or is it because the security agencies in India have proven to be so useless that it is no longer a surprise that they cannot stop these blasts from happening. Why in a country, whose foundation was laid on AHINSA or non-violence, HINSA or violence has become a trade? Why has the government yet again failed to protect us?

It was a similar situation 60 years ago. One country had used terror to take away our freedom, but taking one of the oldest and biggest civilizations in the world for granted had proven very expensive for them. When deprived of their freedom, Indians back then had marched against one of the biggest empires in the world, with courage and resistance against the terror of the British and took back their freedom. Today the situation is very similar, the only difference being that the enemy back then was a known face but today it hides as a thought in the mind of men not very different from you or me. This enemy like the previous one has taken away our freedom. No place can be considered as safe anymore, bus, train, airplane, hospitals, even a children's playground has turned into a battlefield. People no longer have the freedom to move carelessly in their own country without the fear of getting killed, mothers are no longer care free to send their kids to school without any worry or hesitation. We are back in the same old days of slavery, living in fear, the freedom for which our forefathers paid with their lives has again been snatched from us. Who is to be blamed for this? the simple answer is - it is us, "the citizens of India", who are responsible for this state of misery. Amidst the busy schedule of life, people have forgotten that earning money and feeding one's family alone is not enough for survival, that one of the key parts of the definition of survival is to live FREELY without any fear or care and that freedom was earned by our forefathers and it is our right and obligation to guard and protect it, it wasn't given to us on a silver platter back then and it will not be handed to us like a bouquet now. Nothing in this world worth having comes easy or free, it has to be earned and fought for and it is time we - the people of the nation - start understanding the value of our freedom and the importance of fighting for it. Its about time that we and our leaders re-organize our priorities and carry out the duties in the fight against terrorism.

Today's headlines were filed with news that the government is planning to come up with a new position in the cabinet called the "Terror Minister" to deal with internal security issues. Without doubt this is one step worth mentioning the government has taken, but does it have the right motive or direction? Terrorism has spread across the world like cancer, and governments all around have taken oath and are trying their best to surgically remove terrorism by its roots. But down this road of battle against the biggest enemy of mankind, governments all around the world have forgotten the actual enemy they are fighting against. The issue at hand is Terrorism and not the Terrorists. Human mind has the potential to be as brilliant as Einstein or as corrupt as Osama. The fight against terrorism is the fight against the mind, the thoughts that make a man to choose to become an animal, its these thoughts that need to be cleared, its the cause leading to terrorism that needs to be erased. This fight cannot be carried out alone by our leaders, help is invariably vital, the help from people, the help from the common man. But how will a common man, without the skill or expertise of warfare be able to put up a fight against an enemy which he/she cannot see? though this being a question worth a discussion and one with the potential to start a debate, has the most easiest of answers - KNOWLEDGE. The power of education and literacy helps a man not only with the basic needs of survival but also enables him to understand right and wrong. Anyone with a common sense can differentiate good from bad but to choose a more right option from 2 right options and a less wrong option from 2 wrong options can only be taught by education. Knowledge has the potential to equip a man with the skill to evaluate, analyze and then decide the better path. It is the ultimate weapon against all enemies, seen and unseen. In our world were humanity has almost vanished, were the mind of young men has become so feeble that it is as easy to mend it as a straw, it is our responsibility to educate our brothers and sisters to unite and use knowledge to fight against the CAUSE of terrorism and not the terrorists. If we can carry this out, take the necessary steps and never stop trying then maybe.... maybe, one day we will celebrate a new independence day and that day terrorism will no longer be a topic of talk shows but a chapter in long forgotten history books.