Terrorism......the art of spreading terror......yes, I call it an art because an art is anything that is possessed only by a few people and I wonder how many people would be daring enough to nonchalantly fool around with the lives of scores of innocent people.
Terrorism......the menace of modern times.....something which makes people unconsciously wonder just as they are leaving their homes to get to work or college or school or wherever as to whether they would be fortunate enough to get back home in a single piece....whether they would ever be able to stare into the face of their loved ones again.
Terrorism......the violent and unreasonable chase of few people to achieve something even they have no clear idea about....something out of which their gain is marginal and yet, what is at stake is their life and the lives of their near and dear ones and the lives of million others.
Terrorism......a wild goose chase for an abstract goal, a gruesome establishment of one's power, a cowardly display of disgraceful nerve/guts/courage (no...not courage....I can't insult that term!), a mark of shame to a nation, a warning for darker tomorrows to the world...........
Terrorism is nothing but spreading unabated terror indiscriminately...........Terrorism is not just about waging wars and fighting fierce battles.....it is an everyday battle that is to be fought by every human being. It is the battle of the mind......against fear....which is why people think twice before stepping out of the safety of their homes....it is a battle that people win everyday and yet, a battle that they are scared of losing eventually.........
Earlier, it used to be a pleasurable experience to pick up the newspaper in one hand, flip through its pages soaking in the previous days events while sipping a steaming hot cup of tea with the other. But nowadays, each day, the newspaper is the same.....some bomb blast somewhere, thousands dead and millions injured......I doubt if people can still take in their tea while reading through reports of such gory episodes....I, for one, can't....and that has nothing to do with the fact that I don't drink tea in the morning!!!!!!!!
Jokes apart, what is our world coming to???? Why are there people out there who get immeasurable joy out of creating discord and disharmony among people and nations???? Hasn't the world learnt from its violent past???? Have the lives of people become so insignificant that they are mortgaged against the minuscule wants of an irrational section of our society???? Isn't there anyone who is answerable to the victims and their families???? Or is it that the ones who are answerable are themselves searching for answers?? Are there no answers to these questions???????
Too many questions?????? I know, but all of them have deserved answers for long enough.......and each time they've been carelessly pushed behind other "more important" issues and left to be tackled as and when the "time comes"! And when will the time come???? I guess everyone knows deep down, whether they accept it or not, that the time has come......not only to answer the questions but to act.........
Its time we realized that we've had two super-destructive World Wars already and the last thing we need right now is a third one. Because this time around, people seem to be more intolerant and hot-headed, the weapons are much much more destructive than what was used in the past and all in all, what is at stake is a lot more than what was at stake in the 1030s-40s. We've survived two World Wars but there are many signs pointing to the fact that should there be a third one, an amicable pact is a far cry.....a near impossibility.....
Let's all sit back, shut our eyes and think for a while......Is this what our forefathers envisaged for us when they fought wars?? Is this is the legacy we want to leave for the generations that are to follow ours???? Then let me tell you, if things go on the way they are now.....there won't be a generation to follow us. The situation is grim, the future....dark all the way.
But again, there's light at the end of the tunnel.....and our aim should be get there as soon as possible. Somehow, I feel that the trouble is in our mind. In my opinion...and mind you, this is only my opinion.......our ancestors, when they fought, fought for peace. And they fought principally for moral purposes.....of course, exceptions have always been there....where we had a Mahatma Gandhi, we also had a Hitler. Where we had a Roosevelt, we also had a Napoleon. But essentially, the ultimate goal was always peace. But today, even the goal seems to be blurred. Half the people fighting their lives at the battlefront do not know what they are fighting for. They have no clue what's going to come out of the war. They fight because they get paid for it...it feeds their family and so they fight.......What is the use of such a war????? People are fighting singularly for their own selfish wants. And if these wants are not satisfied after the war, they will not hesitate to wage another war....and another...and another and the cycle continues.
Its a pity really that we are all witnesses and victims to this modern day war....an everyday war.....each night, we can only thank our stars that we are alive and pray for a similar tomorrow. Unpredictability and uncertainty looms large over our heads at all times. At this time, a poem by Thomas Hardy comes to my mind......it was part of our syllabus in grade 11 I guess....a poem that I always liked but one that holds special meaning to me now that I’m speaking of wars and terrorism........
The Man He Killed
by Thomas Hardy
Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have set us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!
But ranged as infantry,
And staring face to face,
I shot at him as he at me,
And killed him in his place.
I shot him dead because--
Because he was my foe,
Just so my foe of course he was;
That's clear enough although.
He thought he'd 'list, perhaps,
Off-hand like--just as I-
Was out of work--
had sold his traps--
No other reason why.
Yes quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You'd treat, if met where any bar is,
Or help to half a crown.
*************
How True!!!!! And how unfortunate!!!!! I guess the poem says it all.......War....a meaningless exercise which does a lot of damage and causes a lot of loss.....damage that's irreparable and loss that's irreplaceable.
So, it's time the warring agents put on their thinking caps - and sensible ones albeit!!!! - and decided to give the world a chance to recover its lost glory....leave behind a legacy of good sense, consideration for all and eternal peace instead of miscalculated haste, unreasonable decisions, hatred and discord. In Michael Jackson's words......."Heal the World.....make it a better place...for you and for me and the entire human race. There are people dying, if you care enough for the living...MAKE A BETTER PLACE FOR YOU AND FOR ME!!!!!"
Enough has been said on this for today..probably instigated by the blasts in Mumbai yesterday.......So, signing off now.....
More Later....Till next time, from slo, this is Tally-ho!!!!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Thursday, July 06, 2006
More on rains!
Well well........after having spoken so much about the chaos that rains caused in Mumbai, I felt sort of guilty about having spoken only about their disastrous side.....because, try as I might, I could never bring myself to say that I have had enough of the rains...........I didn't even feel that animosity towards the rains after 26/7. I am a total fan of the monsoons....
Probably a part of my affinity to the monsoons comes from the fact that I always spent my school summer vacations here in Mumbai and that coincides with the monsoons....so my stay in Mumbai has always been during this season and hence I've never seen any other facet of this place............
Also, Dubai is more or less devoid of rains.......if we're lucky, we'd have about 3 showers in a year.....heavy yes, but extremely infrequent, fun yes, but far too less to write home about. So, I've always been drawn to the rains......
And I'm yet to see someone who doesn't like the rains per se........there are people who may not like getting wet in the rains or who may be averse to the muddy slush that runs all over the place, but I don't think there could be anyone who would look out of the window in the rains and say, "How Gross!" or someone who doesn't enjoy a cup of piping hot "chai" with equally steaming hot pakodas. or someone who doesn't like to cosy up with family for a fun game of cards while it's pouring like crazy outside. Rains are always a delight......for everyone.....
The first rains when the skies open their heart out and soak the parched land and soil with the first drops of heavenly water............that intoxicating aroma of the earth taking it in greedily and gleefully.......the young and the old all looking up at the sky in excitement and welcoming the first shower......old people welcome it with a broad, all-knowing smile on their wrinkled faces, the young welcome it a little more boisterously, sometimes with a little clumsy jig while the little ones are already out on the roads throwing up their arms to the skies in uncontrollable glee! The whole atmosphere of the first shower of the year is one of happiness and joy!
And then, slowly, people get accustomed to carrying their umbrellas and windcheaters..........the first week, its not at all unusual to find people on the road running for cover the moment it starts raining because they forget to carry their "monsoon accessories" along with them......and then, the numbers dwindle until only those persons get wet in the rain who couldn't be bothered about their health and throw caution to the winds only to enjoy in the rain. I must say I always wish I could be one of them but............no chance! As the weather stabilises, people learn to gauge when its safe to leave home and when its time to say the byes at work and get back into the safety of the four walls of their house........they learn to identify when the heavens are going to get furious and lash out at the earth and when the skies are going to be calm and give them an all clear day!
The monsoons create the perfect aura for a romantic holiday and many couples take full advantage of it....it's the ambience it creates that really turns most people on!! Monsoons exemplify moods......it has romance on its best days, good cheer and mischief on the days it rains off and on, depression and gloom on an exceptionally dull cloudy day, exhilaration, anxiety and excitement when its cloudy one moment and sunny the next.....if you really take a close look, the monsoons have it all!!!!!!
But for me, the monsoons are God's way of reminding people of the beauty of nature. Its his way of making us notice all the wonderful artwork he's created for us. For me, on any given day, the best pastime is to stare out of the window and take in all the sights......be it the tall trees outseide, the Mumbai traffic, the distant Ghats, the tall buildings or anything.....this hobby is further indulged in the monsoons and I guess if I'm not stopped, I could spend the whole day just staring out of the same window.....looking at the same things.....but things that looks different every moment.......like the raindrops falling on the tree-leaves, taking a different shape every moment creating that mesmerising glazed effect; like the leaves falling to the ground creating a collage of sorts; like the clouds drifting aimlessly through the sky wondering where to explode next; like the sun trying its level best to peep out from between the clouds at the first opportunity it gets; like the birds huddling in the trees for shelter and taking occasional peek upwards to check if the coast is clear for them to take flight to a safer spot; like the rainwater dripping from the walls and glass exterior of the buildings and falling to the ground forming puddles in different shapes and sizes......just goes to show the top-grade artist nature is......these are common everyday things that most people don't care to notice or worse still, choose to ignore........for me, they are the little pleasures in life.....and like I had mentioned in one my earlier posts, some of the greatest joys in life come from the littlest things!
The monsoons come and go year after year but each year when they come, they are given the same excited welcome and they signal hope.....hope in all its various forms.....hope for a better crop for farmers, hope for sufficient water all through the year for civilians and hope for more fun-filled days for the youth! And soon enough, just as people have got fully accustomed to the weather conditions, the season changes and the rain-gods decide that its time to bid goodbye and find other places in the world to water!!!!! The monsoons recede leaving people craving for more and looking forward to the next monsoons with bated breath!!!!
That's the monsoon in Mumbai for you..............my favourite season, the uncertainties notwithstanding!!!!!!!!! I guess that was a fitting tribute to the best season of this bustling city!!!!!
Later now.......Till next time, Tally-ho!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Probably a part of my affinity to the monsoons comes from the fact that I always spent my school summer vacations here in Mumbai and that coincides with the monsoons....so my stay in Mumbai has always been during this season and hence I've never seen any other facet of this place............
Also, Dubai is more or less devoid of rains.......if we're lucky, we'd have about 3 showers in a year.....heavy yes, but extremely infrequent, fun yes, but far too less to write home about. So, I've always been drawn to the rains......
And I'm yet to see someone who doesn't like the rains per se........there are people who may not like getting wet in the rains or who may be averse to the muddy slush that runs all over the place, but I don't think there could be anyone who would look out of the window in the rains and say, "How Gross!" or someone who doesn't enjoy a cup of piping hot "chai" with equally steaming hot pakodas. or someone who doesn't like to cosy up with family for a fun game of cards while it's pouring like crazy outside. Rains are always a delight......for everyone.....
The first rains when the skies open their heart out and soak the parched land and soil with the first drops of heavenly water............that intoxicating aroma of the earth taking it in greedily and gleefully.......the young and the old all looking up at the sky in excitement and welcoming the first shower......old people welcome it with a broad, all-knowing smile on their wrinkled faces, the young welcome it a little more boisterously, sometimes with a little clumsy jig while the little ones are already out on the roads throwing up their arms to the skies in uncontrollable glee! The whole atmosphere of the first shower of the year is one of happiness and joy!
And then, slowly, people get accustomed to carrying their umbrellas and windcheaters..........the first week, its not at all unusual to find people on the road running for cover the moment it starts raining because they forget to carry their "monsoon accessories" along with them......and then, the numbers dwindle until only those persons get wet in the rain who couldn't be bothered about their health and throw caution to the winds only to enjoy in the rain. I must say I always wish I could be one of them but............no chance! As the weather stabilises, people learn to gauge when its safe to leave home and when its time to say the byes at work and get back into the safety of the four walls of their house........they learn to identify when the heavens are going to get furious and lash out at the earth and when the skies are going to be calm and give them an all clear day!
The monsoons create the perfect aura for a romantic holiday and many couples take full advantage of it....it's the ambience it creates that really turns most people on!! Monsoons exemplify moods......it has romance on its best days, good cheer and mischief on the days it rains off and on, depression and gloom on an exceptionally dull cloudy day, exhilaration, anxiety and excitement when its cloudy one moment and sunny the next.....if you really take a close look, the monsoons have it all!!!!!!
But for me, the monsoons are God's way of reminding people of the beauty of nature. Its his way of making us notice all the wonderful artwork he's created for us. For me, on any given day, the best pastime is to stare out of the window and take in all the sights......be it the tall trees outseide, the Mumbai traffic, the distant Ghats, the tall buildings or anything.....this hobby is further indulged in the monsoons and I guess if I'm not stopped, I could spend the whole day just staring out of the same window.....looking at the same things.....but things that looks different every moment.......like the raindrops falling on the tree-leaves, taking a different shape every moment creating that mesmerising glazed effect; like the leaves falling to the ground creating a collage of sorts; like the clouds drifting aimlessly through the sky wondering where to explode next; like the sun trying its level best to peep out from between the clouds at the first opportunity it gets; like the birds huddling in the trees for shelter and taking occasional peek upwards to check if the coast is clear for them to take flight to a safer spot; like the rainwater dripping from the walls and glass exterior of the buildings and falling to the ground forming puddles in different shapes and sizes......just goes to show the top-grade artist nature is......these are common everyday things that most people don't care to notice or worse still, choose to ignore........for me, they are the little pleasures in life.....and like I had mentioned in one my earlier posts, some of the greatest joys in life come from the littlest things!
The monsoons come and go year after year but each year when they come, they are given the same excited welcome and they signal hope.....hope in all its various forms.....hope for a better crop for farmers, hope for sufficient water all through the year for civilians and hope for more fun-filled days for the youth! And soon enough, just as people have got fully accustomed to the weather conditions, the season changes and the rain-gods decide that its time to bid goodbye and find other places in the world to water!!!!! The monsoons recede leaving people craving for more and looking forward to the next monsoons with bated breath!!!!
That's the monsoon in Mumbai for you..............my favourite season, the uncertainties notwithstanding!!!!!!!!! I guess that was a fitting tribute to the best season of this bustling city!!!!!
Later now.......Till next time, Tally-ho!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Mumbai Mayhem!
Hello friends, How are all of you doing??? All's fine at my end.....except the weather, that is! I'd be a total nut if I were to not write about the chaos here in the past week.......What better topic to blog about?!!!!!! So as you all know, its been pouring cats and dogs here for the past 5 days and we've had the constant pitter patter of raindrops falling incessantly on the same roads that were starved and parched for the rains just a few days ago! That's life for you..............when it’s hot, you want it to rain and when there's a downpour, you wish it away! Well, so, its been a wet week here so far and from the looks of it, things are not going to end very soon.......of course there has been some welcome respite from the rains since today evening but I have no idea how long the "dry" spell is going to continue! The rains started on Saturday evening and everyone welcomed it with glee but when it continued well into Sunday evening, everyone started getting anxious about the forthcoming week...and as feared, the rains poured nonstop on Monday too with mighty winds lashing out and umbrellas being rendered useless. Me being the ever-adventurous, over-ambitious creature and the "extremely sincere student” that I am, braved the rains to pay a visit to my esteemed college early in the morning on both Monday and Tuesday expecting the rains to be just a part of the regular Mumbai monsoon but seeing sense soon after, returned home immediately on both days......College was obviously closed on both days!!!!!! And today being declared holiday well in advance, I didn't have to prove my "smartness" yet again!!!!!
So, roads were water-logged and water had accumulated at many places in the city and news channels were, rather still are, continuously showcasing the mess that they claim Mumbai is in.........Seasoned Mumbaikars however seem pretty unperturbed and say that these are the sort of showers that they are used to and the regular showers that paralyse Mumbai for a couple of days every year! All the focus and tension is mainly because of the "Terrible Tuesday" 26/7 that totally crippled Mumbai last year and yesterday, also being a Tuesday was for many people an omen for a repeat of the same.......However, while last year, Mumbai recorded over 900mm of rainfall in just a day, this year, its "just" over 250 mm......a meek contrast!
I'm not trying to be brave or superwoman or anything but I do think that last year's havoc has made people paranoid about the rains and the slightest increase in rainfall seems to make them believe we are going to have chaos all over again.....even news channels are proving themselves to exaggeration kings and queens.....Let me quote a few instances.....
We had this reporter standing in the middle of a road somewhere in Kurla.....supposedly one of the worst hit areas....screaming her lungs out that the place was in utter chaos.....I do hope she knows what the word chaos means because all we could see was her and miles and miles of water all around....there was not even an insect to be seen anywhere in the vicinity....where's the chaos, madam?? She was upto her thighs in water but just a few metres away, we saw the water level just reaching the bottom of the wheel of an autorickshaw.....
And in an attempt to show how cars were stopping midway, we were shown a car moving slowly, navigating its way through the "sea" of water (why in God's name do people take their vehicles out in such forbearing weather, I have no clue......particularly when they can expect trouble and even see it right in front of their eyes??) And then all of a sudden, the car stopped and all the people got out of the car pretty gleefully to flash their Colgate smiles at the camera!!!!!!
And then there was this lady who was screeching on the mike about wading in knee-deep water and I think she must have mistaken her ankles for her knees!!! Of what they were showing us, all we could see was water submerging the toes at most! I mean, excuse me.... but people watching TV are not exactly blind or brainless!!!!!!!
And I found it sadly unfair that people were lashing out at the BMC and complaining that in spite of last year's mishap, the BMC has not learnt from its mistake and has not done anything to improve the situation.......but this is not true.....It seems from various reports and interviews, that a lot has been done to improve the situation this year. And I definitely feel that what is called for is not a minor change but a serious alteration in the infrastructure of the city.....I don't think it is humanly possible to achieve a change of such great magnitude in such a short span of time........Things have improved as compared to last year but it is too much by any standard to expect a total makeover so soon.......from the looks of it, the change is going to take nothing less than 3 years.......considering the size of the city and the work at hand, 3 years seems to be a reasonable amount of time to ask for....and its not as if they've been sleeping over the job......things have been better......
I was on the roads myself last night and saw that water had receded astonishingly in the very places that news channels had reported to be flooded barely a couple of hours ago.....the most susceptible regions were minimally flooded and as Mumbaikars say, that is something they've lived with since time immemorial. There were constables and rescue persons stationed at various spots to guide motorists on the roads......Railway lines were very well managed and the Harbour line railway which is the first to be hit and the last to recover was closed only for half a day.....so was the Central line and amazingly, the Western railway line was not closed and was continuously plying all through the day, albeit with major delays and at snail's pace but plying nevertheless........
Why is it that we are always first to complain and we always fail to see the beauty in every situation......probably because the persons who were really stuck had no choice. But I definitely say that the BMC has done a commendable job of averting a possible disaster this time, unlike last year........on the other hand, as I said earlier, maybe we never had a disaster in the first place and we were just anxious and paranoid after last year's fearful episode!!!!!!!
So I'd just say that while we're cursing the weather, let's not curse the people who've truly made an attempt to bring about a visible change in the disaster management systems here..........true, the change is far from satisfactory, but its there, only if you look hard enough! And I truly believe that fear is in the mind.....of course, prevention is better than cure and we've better off within the safe walls of our home rather than the roads, but the rains are no reason to panic beyond reason!!!!
If life in Mumbai halts as a result of these rains, it would be an insult to the indomitable and undying spirit of this ever-bustling city and its daring people!!!!! And mind you, true Mumbaikars would never let that happen! Come rain, come storm.......NEVER SAY DIE!!!!! What say my mumbaikar pals?????
So that was a detailed account of the mayhem here in Mumbai.....let's hope the weather and people's attitudes stabilise soon so life comes back on the fast gear and the superfast pace of life here is not disrupted!!!!!!!
That's from me for now............Till next time, from slo, this is...........TALLY-HO!!!!!!
So, roads were water-logged and water had accumulated at many places in the city and news channels were, rather still are, continuously showcasing the mess that they claim Mumbai is in.........Seasoned Mumbaikars however seem pretty unperturbed and say that these are the sort of showers that they are used to and the regular showers that paralyse Mumbai for a couple of days every year! All the focus and tension is mainly because of the "Terrible Tuesday" 26/7 that totally crippled Mumbai last year and yesterday, also being a Tuesday was for many people an omen for a repeat of the same.......However, while last year, Mumbai recorded over 900mm of rainfall in just a day, this year, its "just" over 250 mm......a meek contrast!
I'm not trying to be brave or superwoman or anything but I do think that last year's havoc has made people paranoid about the rains and the slightest increase in rainfall seems to make them believe we are going to have chaos all over again.....even news channels are proving themselves to exaggeration kings and queens.....Let me quote a few instances.....
We had this reporter standing in the middle of a road somewhere in Kurla.....supposedly one of the worst hit areas....screaming her lungs out that the place was in utter chaos.....I do hope she knows what the word chaos means because all we could see was her and miles and miles of water all around....there was not even an insect to be seen anywhere in the vicinity....where's the chaos, madam?? She was upto her thighs in water but just a few metres away, we saw the water level just reaching the bottom of the wheel of an autorickshaw.....
And in an attempt to show how cars were stopping midway, we were shown a car moving slowly, navigating its way through the "sea" of water (why in God's name do people take their vehicles out in such forbearing weather, I have no clue......particularly when they can expect trouble and even see it right in front of their eyes??) And then all of a sudden, the car stopped and all the people got out of the car pretty gleefully to flash their Colgate smiles at the camera!!!!!!
And then there was this lady who was screeching on the mike about wading in knee-deep water and I think she must have mistaken her ankles for her knees!!! Of what they were showing us, all we could see was water submerging the toes at most! I mean, excuse me.... but people watching TV are not exactly blind or brainless!!!!!!!
And I found it sadly unfair that people were lashing out at the BMC and complaining that in spite of last year's mishap, the BMC has not learnt from its mistake and has not done anything to improve the situation.......but this is not true.....It seems from various reports and interviews, that a lot has been done to improve the situation this year. And I definitely feel that what is called for is not a minor change but a serious alteration in the infrastructure of the city.....I don't think it is humanly possible to achieve a change of such great magnitude in such a short span of time........Things have improved as compared to last year but it is too much by any standard to expect a total makeover so soon.......from the looks of it, the change is going to take nothing less than 3 years.......considering the size of the city and the work at hand, 3 years seems to be a reasonable amount of time to ask for....and its not as if they've been sleeping over the job......things have been better......
I was on the roads myself last night and saw that water had receded astonishingly in the very places that news channels had reported to be flooded barely a couple of hours ago.....the most susceptible regions were minimally flooded and as Mumbaikars say, that is something they've lived with since time immemorial. There were constables and rescue persons stationed at various spots to guide motorists on the roads......Railway lines were very well managed and the Harbour line railway which is the first to be hit and the last to recover was closed only for half a day.....so was the Central line and amazingly, the Western railway line was not closed and was continuously plying all through the day, albeit with major delays and at snail's pace but plying nevertheless........
Why is it that we are always first to complain and we always fail to see the beauty in every situation......probably because the persons who were really stuck had no choice. But I definitely say that the BMC has done a commendable job of averting a possible disaster this time, unlike last year........on the other hand, as I said earlier, maybe we never had a disaster in the first place and we were just anxious and paranoid after last year's fearful episode!!!!!!!
So I'd just say that while we're cursing the weather, let's not curse the people who've truly made an attempt to bring about a visible change in the disaster management systems here..........true, the change is far from satisfactory, but its there, only if you look hard enough! And I truly believe that fear is in the mind.....of course, prevention is better than cure and we've better off within the safe walls of our home rather than the roads, but the rains are no reason to panic beyond reason!!!!
If life in Mumbai halts as a result of these rains, it would be an insult to the indomitable and undying spirit of this ever-bustling city and its daring people!!!!! And mind you, true Mumbaikars would never let that happen! Come rain, come storm.......NEVER SAY DIE!!!!! What say my mumbaikar pals?????
So that was a detailed account of the mayhem here in Mumbai.....let's hope the weather and people's attitudes stabilise soon so life comes back on the fast gear and the superfast pace of life here is not disrupted!!!!!!!
That's from me for now............Till next time, from slo, this is...........TALLY-HO!!!!!!
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