I, like so many of us here in the Bangalore, watched in jaw dropping horror, as the events unfolded in Mumbai. I was both proud of the soldiers and dismayed at the lack of direction and coherence in our response to the misdeeds.
The Law enforcement was completely overwhelmed by the information overload coming at them. Even the elite NSG seemed stumped for a while. I am shocked that the powers that be are so stupid and have managed to push us to this dismal level of unpreparedness to handle crises. We have sacrificed many a life in the forces and among civilians while the politicians muddled from one blunder to another.
Even thought all blame cannot be heaped on the narrow minded politicians of today, they have been crass, stupid and self serving at all levels. Both in the government and outside. The horror is compounded by our total lack of equipment, training and preparedness. Just 10 odd fiends managed to bring the whole city and much of the nation to its knees.
How do we get ourselves in this spineless mess ? We seem to get bogged down with petty issues and have no respect for the lives of our fellow citizens. Our “chalta hai” (go along) attitude has been fatal to some of us and I don’t think we are owning up to the gross negligence we indulge in.
If Mumbai suffered the brunt of it in November, Bangalore getting its head bashed in, is not a stretch. It has gaping holes and way too soft targets on several fronts. Heaven forbid if the NSG wants to snake its way into town from any of the airports in the traffic ! Or the medical response teams want to get people out.
I hope the events get us thinking seriously about how we can come togehter as a nation to get this addressed. It has to be a ground up revamp. I, like so many mumbaikars and Indians all over, seethe with frustration with the callousness of our system.
Less said about the terrorists the better…..
Vishwa Kiran Photography 