Sitting Ducks

sitting duck definition
n.
someone who waits unsuspectingly for doom or destiny;

Oh wait, scratch that. I think it's time to redefine......

sitting duck definition
n.
A resident of Mumbai, whose most likely cause of death is a terrorist attack, about which he/she can do absolutely nothing;

Ahh...feels more appropriate now, doesn't it?? It's time to be brutally honest, so if you would like to continue to feel the comfort of your fairy-tale world, read no further.

A few hours ago, there were blasts in Mumbai. Perfectly coordinated. In three crowded areas. Yet again. We just don't seem to be able to get off the damned carousel of tragedy - every couple of years we're back where we were before, and it's not a nice place to be. Déjà Vu is an old friend now; in fact, we've known each other since 1993! 

Mumbai 1993

July 2006

November 2008

July 2011
At this rate, #mumbaiblasts will be trending way too often.

Anyway, I tried to think about what more we can do to prevent something like this happening on a regular basis (yes, every couple of years is regular, in this context)......

Can intelligence gathering be improved? Yes.

Can we improve security? Yes.

Can we be more alert? Oh yes.

Will these improvements make a difference?? Hell, no!

There is a simple reason for this - we are dealing with people who have nothing to lose. They are willing to give up their lives for their pathetic cause, while we are not - and rightly so. If they cannot blow up trains, they attack hotels. If they cannot attack hotels, they put bombs inside dustbins and under umbrellas. Till this level, you feel it is still possible, however difficult, to at least minimize the chances of an attack, if not eliminate them. The problem is, they are willing to go one step further. If they really want to kill people, they will stand in the middle of the street and blow themselves up, ensuring that they cause as much collateral damage as possible. How do you deal with that?? The answer is, you don't. And.......we stay on the carousel.

So what now? Do we stop progressing as a country (and as a city) to make them happy? Do we give them Kashmir?? Over my dead body, you say. Well, if you want it that way, just wait a while - everyone's turn will come eventually.

Let's be real....we are not going to do either of the above. So what then? Sit like a duck, and wait for some deluded moron to pull the trigger and erase all traces of our existence? Quack, Quack, BOOM!??

The way I see it, there are two options. The first one is a bit risky - pray hard, everyday, that you will not be the next victim, and get on with life. Until now, this is the option we all have chosen (being the daredevils we are!) - with dire consequences for some. Maybe it is time to consider the alternative - and it saddens me that I  am forced to use one of the most popular quotes of all time to elucidate. Run, Forrest. Run.

No Love Lost

Last week, I witnessed an incident which made me decide that I am NOT going to live in our (apparently) wonderful city for the rest of my life.

I was driving to work when the car in front of me - a Honda City - suddenly hit a young delivery boy on a bicycle crossing the road at a junction. Now, from what I saw, it was partially the boy's fault, but fortunately there was no harm done. That is when things got worse. The owner stepped out of his car to see if the boy had been hurt (or so I thought), and of course, a few people who were hanging around with nothing to do joined the party - a road accident in Mumbai is, after all, incomplete without the presence of passers-by just looking for an outlet to vent their frustration. The owner walked up to the boy, and then - Slap! Slap! Yes, he slapped the boy twice. Hard. Very hard. The boy could not have been more than 10 years old, and so obviously could not provide a fitting response. All he did was wheel his bicycle somehow across the road, and pick up a stone, threatening to pelt the car with it. The car owner gave him a murderous look, and began advancing towards the boy again, when the boy dropped the stone and held his hand to his cheek. He was obviously hurt. And humiliated.

I was repulsed by what I saw, and ashamed of myself. All this while I was thinking I should get out and help the boy, but I was late for work (as if that's a valid excuse) and I did not want to get involved in the whole affair. I drove on, cursing the car owner and our city administration for the next half an hour, and promising to get out as soon as possible.

Now, my description is detailed, but the point I want to put across is that in our city, or our country for that matter, there is a severe lack of respect for a fellow human being. There is no consideration of factors (in this case the age of the boy) other than one's anger, frustration, or obsession with having to show everyone who really is the biggest bully in the playground.

Whatever the reasons, a lot of people in our country seem to enjoy causing others harm, whether consciously or otherwise. The thing is, we are such a deprived society, and there is so much frustration inside everyone, that we are living in a proverbial tinderbox - one spark, and Boom!, someone (usually someone weak or vulnerable) pays the price. It's just wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Road rage is just one example, there are many others - incidents in Godhra, Kashmir and countless other places provide enough evidence. Truck drivers in our capital are known for carrying guns with them. There is just a complete and utter lack of caring and respect for other human beings - and this applies to the educated class too. If a mistake is made, the price has to be paid! There is no concept of a second chance. Someone could just be having a bad day, or make an honest mistake. Who the **** cares?!! You scratch my back, I scratch yours - and I make bloody sure I do it a million times over. That's the attitude. It's pathetic.

Look familiar??

The worst thing is that there seems to be no end in sight. People will continue to be frustrated and angry, and other people will continue to be their favourite targets, whether on the road or anywhere else. The only time we have and will continue to come together is when disaster strikes us all collectively, and fortunately (or, in this case, unfortunately?), that doesn't happen too often.

It is sad that the country which gave birth to Gandhi has to look beyond its boundaries to understand the concept of treating a fellow human being - or worse, a fellow countryman - with dignity, at least whenever possible.

....and Hatred.

P.S. On a completely unrelated note, I found this brilliant picture online while searching for images pertaining to "road rage india"(!!), so I though I'd share it.