फ़िक्र को धुंए में उड़ाता चला गया

It was yet another villainous night for Mumbai. Time and again the people of this country have to deal with this new kind of brutality that innocent lives are facing more than ever.  They are expected to show resilience, patience and are asked to return to normalcy, the sooner the better.  Once again the politicians deliver the same speech. These cowardly acts are condemned by our leaders. They share the pain and the grief of the nation, and the country moves on, once again.

The PM said, "The government will do everything in its power to prevent future attacks." This saddened me. Does this mean the government wasn't doing this earlier ? But then, what else will he say to express his solidarity with the people who have suffered from this barbaric attack. Like always, a small amount of money was kept aside from the PM's relief fund for those who are suffering.

The way the media covers such attacks in India is anyhow highly irresponsible. How the news channels reported the casualty numbers on 26.11, even before they came out from the authorities was outrageous. Their exclusives on bringing the bad news to the screens on the idiot box, their ways in which they try to be the first to report the latest numbers of the dead is so similar to the way they handle the TRP numbers. Isn't this abuse of power ? Sangram, a friend of mine said, "This is early christmas for the news channels." And I don't blame him for having this mindset after the 26.11 coverage. May be I'm wrong, but I made a conscious effort to not watch any news or read any articles after this attack, with the exception of the PM's speech. Staying 8000 miles away from your country can help you in staying away from this news.

I'm sure we all will move on once again. And many have already moved on. I find this briskness to normalcy also scary at times. Scary because, by simply moving on, we might be accepting the failures to prevent these attacks. Are we not admitting these as routine affairs that might continue to happen time and again ? Are we neglecting the signs of an incompetent intelligence or government ? 

I'm not sure of the answers to any of these questions and don't want to write anymore. So just like many others, my heart and prayers for Mumbai and for those who suffer. I will try to end this post on a pleasant note, so read these beautiful lines that my friend Tushar shared on the internet or step into the magical world and witness the "terror" of the one who must not be named, by watching the new "Harry Potter" flick, which I did not find that great.

"तन्हा ही सही पर दिल यहाँ हँसता है,

और खेल ज़माने का चलता है !

तुम भी बनके किरदार उलझे रहो, खुलते रहो ... "

Also read: Happy Valentine's Day ?

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"A moment of joy with some friends at Marine Drive, Mumbai"