This one is long coming.

Last two weeks has hopefully shaken every Indian to the core. The siege of Mumbai for days has asked the most uncomfortable questions to all the people who believe in the idea that is India. I say an idea because India is a place for all humans to be equal and to prosper. To live and to grow. The reality of India is quite different. An Indian today is a hindu or a muslim or a christian. He is than a brahmin or a scheduled cast or an OBC. He is than a maharashtrian or a bihari or tamil. He is than rich or poor. And finally he is an Indian. The only matter of consequence is whether he will vote for you. That’s what an Indian is to the politicians for India.

Few things changed a couple of weeks back, or atleast I like to believe so. Call me naive, but I am hopeful. The last few shots of Hemant Karkare donning the bullet proof vest just before going to battle to salvage the idea of India make me. The Indian does exists. And the count is becoming more prominent now. Two weeks later, as the NDTV runs their tribute every now and then, I still try to imagine how Hemant, Kamte, Salaskar, Sandeep must have felt as they began their campaign to salvage the idea of India must have felt. But I know, there is no way I will ever know that. I am a bystander, I accept whatever is dished out to me, I complain about the system, yet I have done nothing pro active to change it. I have become comfortably numb. But things have to change. Blogging is one medium. But that’s not the end. Enough is enough is the common man’s movement that has started.

The media has brought out the imbecility that exists in our politicians, whether it the home minister’s comment, or the lipstick comment or the dog comment. The aam admi has heard & seen it and is disgusted. Let’s see if we are still shameless enough to vote these nalayaks back into power. Therein will lay the real test. I was pretty outspoken in my own little way about what I thought of our now ex, good-for-nothing Home Minister Shivraj Patil. But these are extra ordinary time. Heads have to roll. Infact I would demand that the PM step down. This may seem a bit extreme, but the accountability for the sheer mess the whole intelligence system that tackle the cross border terrorism is, demands some introspection in the pmo’s office. If his home minister, intelligence system could not protect the innocent mumbaikers, then he should own up to it. But I guess the sad part is that there seems to be no one who is charismatic enough to lead the nation right now in the Congress.

As the visuals of the nightmare is played countless time on by the media that looks to feed upon such tragedies and sensationalisation of these, the visuals of the gun battles, grenade explosions, the commando air drops, the gunshots, the faces of the family that lost a hero, compels the viewer to pause and take cognizance of the times we live in and appreciate the courage shown by the Mumbai Police, the NSG, the MACROS as they without any reservation entered the conflict zones to save lives and the idea that is India.

I am sure that this will not be the end of such tragedies, but hopefully the process to take actions to prevent them from occurring has begun. The first step being electing the right people atleast this time around.