Lord of War

Opening up the news websites, or on switching on the TV, I regularly see images of soldiers carrying weapons, or protesters demonstrating in front of policemen armed to the teeth. Add to this the image and news of regular shoot-outs in various neighbourhoods.

On one such occasion I couldn't help wonder what I would think on seeing the same images, if I were to own a significant number of arms and ammunition factories. Supposedly, I had connections in the shady east Europe, or North Africa or South East Asia, to name a few, this would have been fairly easy too..

What would be my thoughts? Would I be noticing the weapons, the nature of usage, the country, and going over my deals and plan my charts? Will I call up my execs and ask for ground report? I would maybe run calculations in my head on which gang leaders I would want to meet, which lobby gangs should I fund, which political party to add my weight behind and so on.

I would be a very busy man for sure, as competition is heavy in this business.
The low cost Chinese models make it hard to negotiate with the rich yet stupid clients that we arms tycoons have to regularly deal with. And the rascals who run for shit like peace and charity missions continuously make me lose markets. But then the damage they make hardly makes a dent in my profits.

Dealing with politicos is the hardest part everywhere. The shady goons in their employ bring good deals, but going ahead with their cuts has to be a very discrete, else I would be the one who has to face the music. Its easier to deal with anarchies and rebels, and hence our organization has been dedicated to creating more and more such markets.

Well, last but not the least the domestic markets are booming everywhere. Ranging from people who keep guns to defend their property from neighbours to those who want to keep their illegal empires intact, I have a big list of customers.

Its tough going these days, but we are good at this, so don't be surprised if you find your closest friend or relative in my customer list :) sooner or later..

opening the Pandora's Box..

And before I knew it, I had hit ‘Send’.


I feared that if I thought through it any more, I might change my decision. Seeing the confirmation message sent waves of relief over me. I felt as if a huge load has been lifted off my shoulders.


But things are far from over. I knew what exactly I had to do and had everything planned out in the last couple of months.The exit has to be quick and silent. Getting into the taxi waiting for me at the corner would begin a chain of similar escapades.

Once outside the reaches of the Organization, I can be in relative safety. But in this dangerous game, safety is an imaginary luxury of temporary nature. My worries are seldom about my safety. I had made peace with the fact that I was cannon fodder, the day I started taking up the 'special' tasks. All these days, I was on the run with two fears in my mind. One was whether I would be caught before I could finish what I was upto and the other was about my friends and family. I now have only the latter. I only hope that I have done enough to protect those whom I care about.

A word about myself...My name is John, and I am not a terrorist or a spy.
I am a regular computer technician, working for Blueberry Marts, the largest retail chain in the world. My expertise is in data assimilation and pattern analysis, a part of which we use in the regular work to identify purchase patterns for ad and product planning.

I lived a regular life until about a couple of years ago, when I was approached by two guys in identical black suits. They made me to undertake some special tasks, the nature of which would be public and known to all of you in a matter of hours.

almost similar...

Then it would be upto each one of you judge for yourself the nature of my actions and of those that is mentioned in the mail I have sent to the editors of the leading dailies all over the world. I only know that I would have suffocated with the nature of secret I had to keep all these days.

Right now, I wish I could sleep for a while. It has probably been a month since I slept properly. I know that the organization has sniffed around and realized what I was upto and soon their dogs would be at my doorstep baying for blood. Time is of essence and I need to make haste.

Pray for me, my family and most importantly for humanity, for such is the nature of the content I am placing for all of you to behold.

Adios..
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This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.(All images are obtained from Google Image Search and copyrights are retained by their original owners)

This post is also dedicated to the thousands of brave whistle blowers out there who put their lives in grave danger to expose shocking truths about human rights violation, censorship and other illegal activities by the very same organizations we trust to uphold these values.  Hats off, without you guys we would have lived in a completely ignorant and blind state forever..

Lanka Dahanam

Yes, I did watch the movie Madras Cafe, but this is not the first movie that talks about the problems in our neighbouring country. And this post isn't about any movie either. I just felt compelled to write this article while I was watching the movie.

The history of Srilanka was always intermixed with that of India from ancient times. The arrival and the subsequent colonization of the island nation by the imperialist nations in the Imperial Age wasn't different either, except by the factor that a large Tamil population was now present on the island to work on the increasingly profitable plantations and other areas of work.

The strife between the two communities had begun during the British times itself and it naturally percolated down to modern times. After winning its independence in 1948, it didn't take much time for communal tensions to reach a point where the LTTE came into existence(1976) with Vellupillai Prabhakaran leading from the front. The rest is history.



The conflict continued for more than a quarter of a century and ended in a bloody, very bloody showdown.


Living through those days
The developments of  the struggle was a popular subject in the subcontinent, at least in the southern parts. We used to hear the adults talk about it every other day, and the news channels and papers used to carry news of the distant struggle almost every week or so. But apart from that, the one thing that stood out was the name of the notorious leader of the outfit, Prabhakaran,commonly known as Puli Prabhakaran. He was regarded both as a hero and a villain, kind of akin to the fame that the forest brigand Veerappan enjoyed among the common folks.

The 'general' knowledge was all there about how India was involved, and that Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by the LTTE for it. But what didn't percolate down to the kids at that time was the intricate politics of power,ethnic cleansing and economic strength. For me, the Srilankan struggle was a by default something perennial and didn't change through the busy days of school and college. I saw it as two sides opposing each other's communities and had taken up arms for it. Seemed too ridiculous a reason at that time, given the way Indians live with all communities in relative peace. The names of Puli Prabhakaran and Veerappan were held at same regard until curtains fell on them soon enough(each killing carrying its own clouds of controversy with it).

But it took me many more years to understand and fully denounce the horror of the conflict in the tiny island, which was supposed to be a beach paradise and cricketing power. A few books and mostly lots of reading on the internet after watching movies like Kannathil Mutthamital and Mission 90 days helped. But the real eye openers were the articles I read after the bloody showdown in which the tiger of the Tamils was silenced in deceit. The swiftness and the aggression showed by the Government naturally hinted that all stops were off and killing was relentless. There were no rules on the ground. And the thousands of international reports, leaked picture,stories and footages, international appeals and studies; everything pointed in the same direction. A grotesque genocide in the neighbourhood under the watchful eyes of all the international big brothers and the perpetrators walk scot-free!!

I think both sides were responsible for illegal and inhuman methods of targetting civilians for their own military needs, but with the wipeout of the LTTE(which could have been avoided by the Government if it had not gone back on the unconditional surrender), it is now only the Government officials who are supposed to be tried in the international court for rampant war crimes. Horrifyingly, all international appeals and reports were simply rejected or oppressed by the Sri Lankan Government.


Watch the video below titled Sri Lanka's Killing Fields by Channel 4. Viewer discretion is advised as the footages shown are raw, violent and often grotesque. You need a very tight gut and brave heart to sit  through the terrible scenes that have been caught on camera. The accounts of systematic brutal attacks on hospitals and civilian settlements makes one feel like the so called "tyrants" of the Middle East that the Security council is happily declaring war on are Messiahs. Even the UN officials who were forced to leave express their views that it was a deliberate move by the govt to have no international witnesses on the ground for what was to come.
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It makes me wonder, how a proactive organization like the Security Council can crackdown on minor ethnic oppression in the middle east countries while turning a blind eye to the almost Nazi-style ethnic cleansing in Lanka. Well, the way I see it, the dynamics of oil rich countries is different from that of an island nation whose support can help countries gain footholds, both economic and military over the entire Indian Ocean. And that is not a small factor at all. Shipping line supremacy is a very very big factor for every economical  power and having military presence is absolutely necessary to balance power against the rising dragon.

But unfortunately, all this happens at the cost of millions of innocent civilians and the Indian political and bureaucratic paraphernalia got entangled with this conflict in all wrong manners. The Tamil population has bled itself and is at logger heads with the centre over this issue. Also the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi added so much masala into the landscape of Indian politics that essentially took away the ruling class from the common man. Traditionally, being slow at making right judgements, the Indian bureaucracy presents sitting ducks for the hostilities this quarter century long episode has generated within and around its national borders. 

The issue is very complex and I am no expert on the topic to write any further. Refer the follow links for substantial reports, books, articles by international news desks,supporters for both sides and so on..
Genocide Watch
Reports without Borders
Wiki: War Crimes in Sri Lanka
War without Witness
Official website of the LTTE
South Asia Terrorism Portal(SATP)
Human Rights Watch - Sri Lanka

Pray for peace...

Deadly Decisions

Post 26/11,with the entire population breathing down the neck of the politicians and many on rampage,the politicians are struggling to weave strategies to hold power while calming the people.

The political game has begun with the resignation of Home Minister Shivraj Patil.He is just being made a scapegoat,someone to point to by either sides ,instead of looking at the clear facts and taking difficult decisions.NDTV just reported that there are moves to break the five year ceasefire at the LOC and increase troop concentration,which means an escalation of military activity against Pakistan.After watching such strategies being used over and over by the ruling governments,we the people shouldn't go by their game.

We,as the taxpayers and the ones who elected these bureaucratic demons onto power,should see through their plans.An announcement for military action against Pakistan would satisfy many a commoner whose is now chanting "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and profanities about Pakistan.The government is surely going to cash in on this kind of emotions held by majority of the population.And sadly,that is exactly what the evil brains behind the attacks want India to do.Breaking a 5-yr ceasefire has long lasting effects on the political situation of the subcontinent.Also,considering the huge costs involved with such a military action,it is always unwise to resort to full scale military action without proper consideration.The government is clearly planning to divert public rage for some time by going ahead with this dastardly decision.

A war at this point will hurt the diplomatic relations with Pakistan(it is of atmost importance that we do not consider Pakistan as some country simply surviving at our mercy),as well as hurt our already reeling economy.This also serves as a good diversion for governments,politicians and even other similar evil parties to avoid media and public attention for their activities.I vehemently oppose this attitude of resorting to military action every time attacks occur due to reasons other than direct infiltration via LOC.How else can they justify this decision??

This and all the other attacks in urban areas that have taken place in India is clearly due to failure of intelligence,negligence of officers at duty or bottlenecks created by bureaucratic issues.I would have been happier if the Government had issued an order to check and fix the reasons for such intelligence lapses,deal with bureaucratic bottlenecks regarding security of all important locations in India.The voice and inputs of local intelligence and officials should be considered in this matter.

A report shown in a news channel,just showed how deplorable our coastal security system is.Let's demand our politically elected loudspeakers to show some guts,show some spirit and to show some life.Instead of pushing the country into yet another war,I wish and I want them to realize the vulnerable situation of the nation and take strong measures to fix it up.I also want all responsible citizens reading these paragraphs to take caution against the vile speeches and propaganda of any political side.We should keep vigil and maintain clear vision of the situation and demand our governments to do the right thing.I also request you to please educate nearest fellow citizen who thinks that the military action is the solution,about the possible outcomes of a war(which is never,never good).


We have seen lots of deaths over the past many years,this time we even saw it Live on TV,how they dug in and fought us,killing our countrymen and our guests indiscriminately.There were no politicians involved in the rescue of the hostages or elimination of hostile forces.The only people affected were the security personnel,the guests,innocent civilians and their kin.So,lets keep the faith and respect we had in our men who simply did their jobs well,unlike the politicians and corrupt/negligent officials who couldn't prevent it from happening.We don't want another bout of bloodshed at the borders.We can stop it.We should demand proper action,not just action.Let us raise our voice and make it clear that the people of this country cannot be duped again.I wish our brothers and sisters who are taking huge processions and protests at various places understand that it should not be something that recedes when the government gives such diversions or die down in a matter of time.

As I always say: "The Power is Ours!!"

A nation burning...

The news is everywhere...all know...the facts...not going into it..

Eyes burn and heart bleeds,watching the live coverage on TV on the Mumbai attacks(I would rather term it 'war' or 'siege').I announce here in my blog,where I get to post my views that matter to me:I really feel now that my nation is burning in all sense.

Terrorist attacks,fidayeen,blasts have always occurred in northern parts of India,for quite a long time now.J&K related stuff is almost like daily news,and with the growing media coverage the ones in cities and metros are also given lot of limelight(though only when it is hot news,not later on ..like investigation etc...clearly indicating the TRP as goal).This year itself,there has been numerous blasts ,killing many people and also this time the south coming under the scanner with the emergence of the group called Indian Mujahideen,which is believed to have networks in Kerala(thats chilling,but compared to an average Kashmiri,Naga,Assamese,Mumbaikar or Delhiite,it is nothing).

But what makes the current situation different and scary,is not a single reason,but many of them.First of it being the very idea of fully armed men freely attacking important public places of the top metro of the country(also the financial capital+a city used to attacks).I cannot express the shock I felt when I came to know of the proper situation by late evening of 27th.These men clearly looked like highly trained(and I mean highly and thoroughly,unlike the shabby terrorists usually shown in TV) personnel,using the perfect amount of arms,provisions and environmental facilities to conduct such an operation.Their modus operandi is quite unknown to the media used to covering incidents and the local police force as well.The moment I saw the images of those guys caught in CCTVs, what raced through my mind was images on commando operations and hostage standouts that are seen in foreign countries and which I have seen in some video games(believe me,they make it as real as possible that some are used for training combat soldiers).I could imagine the risk and threat these guys posed,and I really felt horrified on realizing that the nation has come to such a situation.

The intensity with which the security forces were resisted and the strategies employed by these guys,just strengthened my hunch that this was not going to end soon,unless something dramatic happened.But nothing like that happened,possibly owing to the sensitive and soft civilian targets that were chosen.Another fact that was brought to light by the media nearly made me fall from my seat.The route of the terrorists being through the sea was something I didn't expect to happen,at least not directly into a huge city like Mumbai,with strong coastal patrolling plus the naval base being located there.

Among several important things to note here are these:
--Scale of infiltration
--Precise co-ordination between attackers
--Almost perfect choice of targets
--Armed to the teeth with modern weaponry
--Tactics to confuse media and/or security forces to strike fear and confusion

This is being termed as 'India's 9/11'.Truly,this is what it seems like.It deserves that label owing to the scale and intensity with which the attacks have been carried out.It has shaken the very sense of security of each Indian citizen.I congratulate the NSG commandos for taking up the tough task head on and slowly but surely cleaning up the conflict zones(who would have imagined calling the five star hotels of Mumbai conflict zones).After the dust clears,all lot of heads will roll.Politicians will soon be back into doing their duty of pointing fingers and giving token speeches.But there needs a proper understanding among the people and the administration as well,all over the country on what steps should be taken to avoid such a situation in the future,and in case it happens,how to smoothly handle the situation.

Hope the situation in Mumbai clears as soon as possible without further heavy damages(I fear that the last standing guy could do something desperately).The lives of thousands of people will be transformed due to this event.Many have lost their kin,friends and suffered losses which may never be recovered.Let's pray for the departed souls and try our best to stand by those in grieving.Let's not waste our time and energy in pointing fingers or speculating.The world watches,as the emerging power of the world struggles to handle the situation.The mark of a strong nation are strong-willed people who share each other's happiness and sorrow.

May my nation stand tall in all kinds of crisis, and its people find the heart to live on ,learning from the experiences....