Its hardly been four months since I wrote that piece. Dejavu, as a reporter puts it. Sad. Yet true. Memories from that day are fresh. And to think Ahmadabad, Surat, Jaipur and Delhi - all four cities came under attacks in these four months makes me ask yet again - what next?
It took a few minutes of 'sitting in front of the TV', for the current crisis to sink in. Almost 24 hours after the drama unfolded, here I am miles away from ground zero, stuck with terror. And my first reaction is anger. But anger against whom? I don't have an answer to that question. Should I point it at those across the border? or should I think proverbially that when I point a finger in that direction, four others are pointing towards my own home? or wait, Am I responsible too? Am I contributing to this by not being there to stop it all?
I was just talking to someone whom I hold dearest in my heart. He hints at re-aligning his career interests to become an IPS officer. Spur of the moment? You may think. But we are talking about someone who has already left a lucrative career in the US to hole up in New Delhi, preparing for his Civil services examination. So lets not question his genuineness. But what am I doing here? I know I have missed the bus when it comes to civil services. How else can I chip in? What are you going to do about this? Cant we collectively do some damn thing about this? Time and again, almost every month, we go through this phase of emotions that range from remorse to anger to collective panic. But we choose to ignore it, undermine it, blame it and then at the end, forget it. All until it comes back to haunt us with an evil smirk on its ugly face!
What are we going to do? Are we going to be mere bystanders? Or are we going to try and make a difference?
