They say it’s over and we should and we will move on, the way we have proudly and silently done in the past. But no, it is not over. The worst is yet to come if we, citizens of India, do not take the reins in our hands and demand certain things. Yes, it is going to take some time to get back to normal but I am not sure if I want it to get back to normal.
Right now we are a nation in mourning but we can not afford to be for long. The anger, the anguish should not subside or repress.
If you note, we need to whet our stance in almost all the fields which definitely going to take time since most of them are deep rooted in our blood but we certainly have to start. NOW. This is a wake-up call for all of us.
After this carnage I have jotted down some major steps, you all can add some more, keep the discussions on and I’ll update the post accordingly. Each step is a mammoth task in itself and will be opposed by some but then it is also said that nothing is impossible.
1. Strong leader. We need strong leaders and not politicians. Young, educated, dynamic, clean & raring to go instead of plump old corrupt puppets with criminal records tagged along whose funerals, foreign trips and Z category security is paid by our hard-earned money.
When our economy had slumped down, we gave charge to an expert called Manmohan Singh to pull it up. I don’t think it will be difficult to find more experts in different fields. People like Kiran Bedi, Narayan Murthy, R K Misra.. there are plenty in this nation of billions. Remember the ad “expert ka kaam expert ko kerne dena chaahiye” ?
2. Strict law & order. No soft corners for anyone. Prime minister, president, a famous film star or a common man, all are equal. Spreading hatred of any kind, be it religious, communal or regional, should be dealt with utmost seriousness. Let us get rid of all Uma Bhartis, Raj Thackerays, Mamta Bannerjis and such likes. The message should be strong and clear.
I definitely do not want my countrymen making hue & cry when a pigeon shits on a statue and rape a nun because she happens to belong to a different religion.
Grow up !!
And yes, we propose removal of caste/religion column from all application forms.. .. right from nursery class to job hunting applications.
3. One rule for all. We can not afford to have some people above the law. I was pumping my fist with anger to see politicians with their ‘family & friends’ coming to the site to outdo each other. Instead of helping the operations in any way, they were obstructing and distracting it. A chunk of police force which was supposed to take care of the common man at the time of crisis was busy protecting these vote seekers.
I fail to comprehend why incharge of operations can not be empowered to refuse them. And did I mention there were two politicians in the hotel who were escorted under ATS cover much before others non-VIPs ?
4. Upgrade defense. Latest weapons, instruments, trainings and infrastructure for the police and commandos to perform their job effectively. They are our ultimate saviours. My heart goes out for the policemen killed because of those flimsy lifeguards and helmets. When I saw Hemant Karkare wearing that jacket I had shrieked.
The metal detectors, CCTV cameras, wireless sets, lathis.. .. all need to be overhauled. BTW, can somebody tell me what president Pratibha Patil was doing with that gun ?
5. Increase vigilance. The general public should be constantly educated and encouraged to keep vigil and inform the authorities in case any suspicious man or thing is seen. Toll-free telephones nos and people friendly patrolling police can play a vital role. The media can help in spreading the message of the rights and responsibilities each citizen has. Communication from one department to another should be instant.
Also, blue prints/maps (for entry/exit, staircase) of each building should be readily available in case of emergency.
We need to take every single information seriously and yes, harshest public punishment for the hoaxers who want to act extra smart.
6. Join Defense. Publicize & make Army, Navy and Air-force so lucrative that public thinks it as a better career option than joining an IT firm. Instead of having 200 NSGs for entire nation, time has come to have 200 for each state. Make them our heroes, our idols. Increase salaries & subsidies and make them visible to the masses.
May I suggest one year compulsory training in any of the branches just after completion of school ? Why at that stage ? Because this is the stage when a person chooses a career, and given the exposure I am sure many will want to go for it. At a later stage when people have completed their studies and have already chosen a career, it is difficult to make them change their field.
How to ensure the one year after school training ? Have one checkbox for this in all courses they further opt for. Deny admission unless they serve the defense. An indication in voter-id card can also suffice.
One of the heroes… TV Shot, Photo Copyright : Cuckoo
7. Instill patriotism. Patriotism doesn’t come with two free national holidays, delivering speech behind bullet-proof glass and singing of national anthem. It has to be instilled deeply right from the childhood, leading by example.
I have earlier written here about a patriotic little girl. The people should have sense of responsibility & ownership towards the nation in the sense that whole country is theirs and they need to protect it from outsiders as well as insiders.
One small unrelated example – While strolling in a park in Geneva, I once saw a small kid going to a rose plant to take a flower. His mother ran towards him, told him it belonged to all of them and hence he should not take it.
Immediately I happened to compare with what we adults do in India. We go to park with our wives or girlfriends, shamelessly pluck a rose and haughtily present to them. Oh, how otherwise on earth we can show our oozing love for them ? What do we expect our children to learn then ?
The attitude “Others are doing it too” will HAVE TO GO.
We must have sense of commitment and accountability. When are we going to learn that whatever we destroy in a fit of rage, they all belong to us and we all are accountable for its upkeep ?
8. Corruption. Insist, respect and reward honesty. Do away with corruption. I know it is going to take a long time and lots of self-discipline to even execute it. (In separate posts I’ll cite two examples of daily life that happened recently). But say NO to corruption and black market. Insist on a receipt even if you buy a loaf of bread. Let that shopkeeper at the end of your lane know that he needs to keep a receipt book and also pay his dues.
It was corruption in the form of greed of wanting to earn a wad of notes on the boatman’s part that he took and let the terrorists use his boat. Do away !!
9. Curb freedom. We all need to curb a bit of our freedom. Freedom to walk into an airplane, a mall, railway station or a cinema theatre without any security personnel moving his hands on us. Rather insist on getting checked and if they are not performing their duties, let them know you mean business.
Yesterday only, our 17 year old brat alongwith his friends went to a mall. Four of them had guitars on their backs. No one bothered to check at the entrance. He & his friends insisted on their gig bags being checked. What was security person’s excuse ? “I knew it was a guitar inside”. Bloody hell !
This is a little price we have to pay in order to make us feel secure and safe.
10. Decongest major cities. Develop small towns into corporate hubs with all required infrastructures. Many companies, though they are willing to shift to smaller places, can not do so because of lack of basics like electricity and good roads among other things. Here, companies like Reliance and Tata can chip in.
11. Better Investment. I am an income-tax payer. To me tax is an investment for the betterment of my country. I certainly do not want my hard earned money being spent on erecting a statue or giving Z plus security to a corrupt politician.
Now priorities would be in the order of.. ..
My security – from terrorism, natural calamities, communal/regional hatred etc.
My necessity – hospitals, primary health centers, latest equipments, doctors, schools, courts etc
Convenience – railways, roads, fuel price, computerization, other facilities and infrastructures
Luxury – stadiums, tourist places etc
Many more things but definitely not a statue or a corrupt politician ahead of the above. Now, can we have some tax experts to look into these matters ?
It’s time not to forget this tragedy, for, it will only get worse. We need to galvanize public opinion and demand accounting for all lapses on all fronts.
We need to be more upfront and more zealous in our own cause to clean up our country.
Let us make India a better place to live in.
Let us wake up.
NOW.
Jai Hind !!
An Update :- Musician Vishal of Vishal- Shekhar has filed a petition in Mumbai high court so they take the cognizance for making it a PIL (Public Interest Litigation). We must help him to get as many signatures as possible for this petition so that things can move faster. He is asking for a code of conduct for media.
You can read his interview here and sign the petition here.
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