November 26, 2008 – Has it just become another date for us to reckon with? A date which we popularly call 26/11, why because it is reminiscent of 9/11 or just sounds horribly familiar?
This was the date all of us in Mumbai felt anguish, helplessness, irritability and more so self pity. Some of our most valued landmarks CST, Taj and Oberoi-Trident were attacked and that too so easily. It just took a few completely brain washed and misguided to youth to sail into our city with guns, hire a cab, enter these landmarks and scar our lives forever, taking the entire city hostage, as simple as that.
For the first few days, there was aggression, unification and a desperate want for change. However, this aggression was just till talk shows; candle lit marches and political blame games. Within a few months everything went back to what it was. The fight for the right of the “Marathi Manoos” started again – so much for us being united. Again Mumbai turned up with the most dismal voting figures. Filmmakers and channels tried to cash on this issue by carrying out short telefilms on the issue, registering film titles relevant to the film, coming out with terror based films and worst of all B grade 26/11 films like 26/11- the love story of Kasab. Yes, a love story based on one of the men who traumatised millions and has 31 crores being spent on him. Our judicial system is still as slow, like the 1993 riot report has come out sixteen years later, wonder when Kasab will finally be convicted. Our security systems are like what it was before showing equal number of lapses. To show that security has been boosted, well there have been security guards at all public places which do the most foolproof checking – opening the bag, putting their hand in the bag and removing it in less than a second and letting you proceed. They wouldn’t even know if you are carrying a penknife forget anything else.
However, there is something which has aggravated and that is suspicion and distrust. Though we all seemed unified that night and a few nights later, after that the suspicion in our minds was suddenly ignited. When we suddenly see too much of hustle bustle or many security guards, for a minute we wonder, “Is everything ok or is there a problem?” When traveling we tend to be a little more cautious and with strangers we think twice before making any kind of conversation with them especially if they are perceived to behave strangely. In fact there were some people who even cried bomb hoaxes to check on the alertness of the police. To add to the trouble are these frivolous mock drills conducted by the cops which are literally a mockery of the situation. Especially when they say that, “this will help you know what you are supposed to do when such an incident takes place again.” Seriously, our they waiting for one more? These are still minor suspicions. Unfortunately this incident has also brainwashed others into thinking that if you belong to a particular community you may as well be a terrorist also. So it’s not only youngster like Kasab who have been misguided but some of us have been misguided by their own perceptions.
I myself remember someone abruptly stopping conversation with me in the bus after getting to know that I am Muslim. However, it’s not only some people suspecting Muslim but it is vice-versa also. A lot of Muslims won’t interact with others because they believe either the opposite person will consider them as terrorists, or they consider them as “kafirs”, or they are just insecure about their own religious identity getting lost. Our media made a big hullabaloo when Shahrukh Khan was detained at the Newark Airport because of his Muslim identity, what are we doing? We have defined a religion with an interpretation of Jihad. The ironic part is we have learnt the interpretation from these brainwashed people known as terrorists.
We aren’t only suspicious about the people living in our on country but it just gets heightened when you say you are a Muslim and that too from Pakistan. Why do we forget that every Pakistani is not a Hafeez Saeed, is not a Kasab and not a Zardari? There are innocent people there who are victims as well. However, for them all we have is a culmination of suspicion and hatred. I am not saying all of us feel that way but a majority do. When you enter the Pakistani embassy in New Delhi, you will be tracked by an Indian official, at the immigration you will be asked the same question a million time “Why are you going there?” sternly and when you reach Pakistan you are asked the same question but with curiosity, after all “you are Indian so you must be hating us”.
Both ways this suspecting behaviour is just tearing us more apart than bringing us closer. We may keep saying that these terror attacks were meant to shake us up and let’s prove to them that they have failed, we are still together. However, somewhere in our minds we have been shaken up into becoming more suspicious people.
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