The terrorists struck again, the states blamed the centre again, ope-ds have been written on relooking at the "root" of terrorism again and as ever, and there have been articles on how life goes on in these two cities. Being as we are in alien lands, whenever the news of a bomb blast in an Indian city is aired, thousands of us are gripped with anxiety. And then relief: thank God, it wasn’t my city. And then anger: but why Bangalore? Why Ahmedabad? Why Jaipur? Why India? There are discussions and ruminations as I am sure there are in India. There are explanations to be given to concerned colleagues who want to understand if the Muslims in India are as “bad” as they are elsewhere.
How can I answer this? I who went to a catholic school where more than half of us were Muslims? I who grew up in a Muslim majority city and would look forward to the Id as eagerly as to Diwali? I, who had always had friends that were not colored Muslim or Christian or Sikh by my parents? All I know is that those who flew those planes into the towers were not born and brought up in the US. That however, is not true in case of many behind the bomb blasts in India, Muslim or otherwise. And what causes them to erupt once in a while in demonic anger that compels them to burn, blast and destroy living, walking, normal people like you and me on the street who have nothing to do with their angst? I don’t know.
All I know is that when that happens as regularly as it has been happening nowadays, one part of me is desensitized. One part of me is depressed. Another part of me just wants to ignore it. But an overwhelming part of my being roars in anger. Anger at the mockery of the government that we have elected. Anger at the world at large for largely ignoring this (remember how many days we were subjected to images and discussions on the London bombings in July?). Anger that there is no one who would issue a war cry on behalf of all us against this putrid form of human emotion. Anger at my own helplessness and that of our useless wimp of a prime minister who has sacrificed his spine at the altar of the lady in a cotton sari so-far-away in her attitude and outlook to the murk that has befallen us all. Anger that the so called moderates among us just play the blame game. And that the world seems to fall in darker and deeper despair. This independence day, when the PM talks of sovereignty, I will be angry again, I know.
What does sovereignty mean if we cannot take any action against the very people who inflict this upon us?
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