The battle was declared over at 8.50 on Saturday morning.
The war, however, wages on...

There are so many reactions to the recent attacks on Bombay: shock, fear, outrage, hatred, sadness… Personally, my greatest emotion is disappointment. I am obviously disappointed by the enemy who has wreaked such havoc on our city and it’s people. And the enemy here is the militant, a human machine, devoid of a conscience, of emotion and of rational thinking, preying on innocent victims, trained only to inflict maximum destruction, dispassionate and committed till his last breath. I am disappointed that children have lost parents, brothers have lost sisters, that we all have suffered an unnecessary loss of precious human lives at Victoria Terminus, Cama Hospital, Nariman House, Café Leopold, Oberoi-Trident and the Taj. I am disturbed and disappointed that human beings are capable of such atrocities towards one another. But to be disappointed by the enemy is to have had high expectations of them. A contradiction, no doubt. The true disappointment is that we have been let down by our own leaders. Blame games seem to be the national sport! War and terror are nothing new to the history of the world. Since time immemorial, man has waged war on his neighbour and on those he declares his enemies. Now, more than ever, we live in a time where we are subject to the politics of hatred. The United States of America created its’ own worst enemy and invited wrath on it’s own doorsteps. And between India and Pakistan, neither is free of blame. This brand of inflammatory politics has led to a common enemy of civilization and humanity – terrorism.

Terrorism has thrived, first and foremost, on weak political leadership. Terrorism knows no distinction – it has killed the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the weak and the strong. Terrorism has unfortunately become as much a certainty in our lives as death and taxes. Terrorism is unpredictable and it changes our lives forever - as did 9/11 and 7/7 and 26/11 and so many others. So if terrorism is inevitable, isn’t it inexcusable that we are not better prepared to fight it? Why aren’t our intelligence agencies able to detect the threats and take the action necessary to protect the citizens of India so-called Shining? Why aren’t our coasts and borders defended, as they should be? Why don’t we have systems of crisis management in place? Why did it take such a long time for forces to be deployed? Why weren’t the fires that broke out at the Taj put out instantly? Why was a crowd allowed to gather at Nariman House, impeding the operation and risking the lives of bystanders? Why, at a time of crisis, instead of uniting to battle the common threat, were our ministers making fools of themselves with statements to outdo one another? Why is it that our true heroes have been made martyrs in a matter of minutes? How pathetic is it, that in trying to preserve a democracy, a nation, it’s leaders and it’s people, those that put themselves in the line of fire, are themselves not valued enough to be better equipped with protection and training. What an unnecessary way to die. Do you forgive your zedsecurity-toting leaders for lining their own pockets with riches instead of the chests of our officers and armed forces with more impenetrable armoury? How many times will we allow ourselves to be victimised, abused or simply taken for granted? How many times will we give in to empty lip service? How many deaths will it take till we take equal responsibility for being an apathetic nation.

Undying spirit, blind faith and endless patience is not enough anymore. Something has got to be done! And it’s up to all of us to make that change happen. Why is it that, in this country a billion strong, we are not able to see through selfish political ambitions and don’t have the collective courage to stop voting for those that don’t deserve it? What kind of a democracy is this here we constantly complain but continue to accept mediocrity in leadership? Why do we continue to pay taxes and expect no accountability in return? Bombay, especially, pays the highest taxes in the country. To what end? As we’ve just seen, we don’t even enjoy the benefits of decent task forces – the police force, fire department, and emergency services. These are not luxuries! They are essentials! On camera, as we watched the tragedy of this recent crisis play out, all these pitiful services made our city and our country look like a theatre staging a farce. The enemy knows these weaknesses. It preys on them. It’s the very reason we are targeted time and again. It was only the Military and Marine Commando Operations that inspired more confidence. Here’s a suggestion for our words and emotions to get noticed – we should all stop paying our taxes. This is the war that the everyman can wage! What could they possibly do us if we are unanimous in our actions? India hasn’t understood the ideology, privilege and power of democracy. I believe, that for real change in the world, there needs to be a change from within. We can’t blame neighbours for hating us if we are not able to treat our own countrymen with dignity and respect. Our leaders seem to have double standards and refuse to acknowledge that it’s not just the Islamic factions that are capable of terror – the BJP and the Shiv Sena conduct strong-arm tactics and indulge in divisive politics in a supposedly secular country. An honest cop like Hemant Karkare was on the brink of being hung out to dry for his Malegaon blast investigations in which the ‘Saffron Brigade’ would have been implicated. Ironically, it was death that saved him from infamy and made those same leaders hypocritically sing his praises and claim him a hero, a martyr. Does each and every one of us treat our co-workers, our family, our friends equally and respectfully, with no judgement on their caste, creed, colour or economic standing? Only then can we begin to treat our neighbouring countries and fellow citizens of the world with genuine respect and expect the same from them. Kindness, empathy and understanding may be the stuff first graders are taught and perhaps we would be naïve to expect those traits from our politicians. But I have a feeling that, in that simple approach we may be able to truly mend broken bridges and avoid the frustration that leads men to raising arms when their voices go unheard. And if anyone comments that it is because the elite have been hit this time that our voices are being heard, then I say, all of us, citizens of India, rich and poor, have been crying ourselves hoarse at different times. The more important issue is, who out there is listening to any of us? I didn’t suffer any personal losses, but I have lost something - my national pride. It’s my daughter’s birthday today. For her, and the next generations of this country and the world, I wish for a future in which there is true humanity and equality and most of all, peace! And to all those who sacrificed their lives and those who put themselves at risk saving others... We salute you!