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....