This one comes immediately a day after my last blog on the first anniversary of the Mumbai attacks. I felt it worthwhile to mention this post.
Yesterday, I happened to watch the tribute to the attacks on TV. News Channels re-re-repeating the horror and macabre show in the finest possible detail over and over again. The victims and their families being questioned with dumb questions like: How do you feel now? As if that isn't evident enough. Leave them alone, damnit...Its grief that they feel and just to garner some TRP's, these channels replay something we all wish to leave behind. Rather focus should have been more on how the justice system has been painfully slow to punish the perpetrators and how even today, a year down, the victims and their families have not received their compensation and dues from the Government agencies, or these political parties who pride so much in drumbeating their own so-called accolades. Disgraceful to say the least. The day only left more of a bitter after taste, nothing else. Today's newspaper had opinion polls taken as to how safe one feels blah blah....Why this show? Save us the melodrama....If the media needs to do something, it is to "Shut the **** up!!!" and leave the victims alone. And at least ask the political class why are we not compensating the victims adequately? Yesterday the opposition took pot shots at the present govt. for not compensating the victims on time. Well, does it take an anniversary to say this? What is this supposed to be? The right muhurat??? Why couldn't the opposition or any political party gone ahead and compensated the victims and their families themselves? Why on this inauspicious day too, do they involve in a rabid blame game? But then to expect such gracious donations from our 'beloved' politicians is often wishful thinking.
And doesn't the media have any sense of responsibility? The best part of the evening was on a debate on a News Channel called 'Times Now', where this caller from Pune - a close relative of one of the victims of the Mumbai Train blasts of 2006 called up. Gracefully, she said she was glad that the hit this time was on the "elite" class. That is why the issue got so much prominence. Else who gives a damn about those who died in the train blasts? We all seem to conveniently forgotten. The Shobaa De's and the other "page 3" elite today talk about the 26/11 attacks because they were hit themselves. And one cannot feel the grief and pain more till one is hit himself. Where the hell were these "elite" class when innumerable blasts happened across the country? I bet these things would have not even remotely figured in their conversations then. And it takes a 26/11 to wake them up. Shameful...
Interestingly, the Debate on Times Now also featured a prominent guest - one by the name of "Gregory David Roberts" a.k.a "Shantaram". Yes, the same long haired handsome author who wrote a semi biography about his life in the city, especially in the late 70's and 80's. He is (for beginners) an ex convict who lost his daughter and took to crime then, and almost by fate, landed up in Bombay (As it was called then..), stayed in a slum, arrested to Arthur Road prison, and later became a part of the Mafia in the city, even with an unexpected trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan, to join the now-reviled Taliban. Later he gave up crime and after serving his term became an author whose bestseller - Shantaram, still sells like hot cakes. Mumbai for him is Home. And the sites attacked on 26/11 were featured extensively in his book. So, when he came to speak, I was keen to hear a Neutral Perspective of affairs and thoughts - which is as usual rare in our media these days.
As Roberts spoke from his perspective, he first talked about why the attacks took place, the motive and the inspiration for it. He talked about why he would call the terrorists as Jehadists, instead of terrorists. According to him, the Mumbai attacks were carried out by the ISI, some elements in the Pakistani army, and the Jehadists, who wanted to overthrow the democratic government in Pakistan, and take control of the region. He talked about the Jehadists plan for a New World Order called "Islamistan" and the attacks as being a part of this same plan. He said that the Jehadists plan to control the region of all the -stans, like Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and eventually our very own Hindustan, to establish their own hegemony here. And dictate terms to the world, through a dictator system where the cruel Sharia Law and the repressive, undemocratic and radical Wahhabi system would take over. And to achieve these means apparently, attacks like the Mumbai attacks were done to destabilise the system here and make India to go on war with Pakistan. This would apparently allow these Jehadists to take control of Pakistan and then India. He called for India and Pakistan to join hands since they both have democratic governments now, who needed to work together to fight the greater evil designs of the Jehadist Taliban.
As expected the "super-elite" panel suddenly turned loud and criticised Roberts left, right and centre. They said "Joining hands with Pakistan is blasphemous", to which Roberts calmly replied that even Pakistan is a victim of its own doing and they know and admit it. Apparently, as per Roberts, the Jehadists have told the Pakistan army that they would continue bombing Pakistan till Pakistan stops bombing them in return and targets India. I distinctly remember this news having come out a couple of weeks ago, in the newspapers and TV channels, and the person who said this was some Mehsud. Roberts called for India and Pakistan (read: the democratic elected governments) to join hands and be united to fight the Bigger evil - the Jehadists as he called them. He said that if this doesn't happen the region will slip into anarchy and the repercussions would be felt by not just India and Pakistan, but the whole world. At this juncture, Shobaa De, the panel and even the host - Arnob Goswami didn't allow Roberts to speak further and interrupted him dramatically while he was calmly explaining himself. And that's when I realized how the media diverts the attention and wants us to believe their version of the story always. The media is said to shape people's opinions. Here, they conveniently overstepped and didn't even allow for another voice to be heard. Maybe a voice of reason in these "charged" times....And the "elite" class as usual barked their oft repeated dialogue - Blame the system and the politicians. But then, who the hell is the system? It is people like you and me who form it, isn't it? If people like us, sit numb and enjoy our drinks with indifference as citizens continue to die, how dare we shift the blame to the "system". But then convenience is a factor and it is always "convenient" to point fingers. Right, Shobaa De???
(P.S.: Just wanted to say that one may not agree completely with Roberts's point of view, but that doesn't mean we suppress it, to the extent of not allowing him to finish what he had to say. And it is a shame and a disgrace to see the media being blatantly biased. So much for "Freedom"....).
