Salaam Bombay ?? Not anymore !!

The Mumbai blasts claimed hundreds of lives. And yet the brave Mumbai commuter shows resilience. He is back to work from the next day. The politicians speak out amidst thundering applauses about the 'never say die' attitude of Indians. No bombs exist that can scare us. We represent the true spirit of courage !! Really ??

Recently I happened to read an article in 'Vijaya Karnataka' written by a journalist - Pratap Simha. It talks about S.L. Bairappa's experiences during his visit to Israel. In Israel, Bairappa says, anybody, an engineer, doctor or whatever for that matter, has to undergo military training compulsorily and must pass in it.

About 2 weeks back, the Hamas extremists held hostage an Israeli soldier, and demanded for the release of a thousand extremists being held prisoners in Israel. And you know what Israel had to say about it ? They said "If you dare kill our soldier, we will kill your prime-minister". Israel is surrounded by muslim countries, and yet they stand out bravely, enough to put their enemies into hiding.

What happens when there is a hostage situation here, as in the IC 814 flight held at Afghanistan ? The news channels are able to shake governments, by showing images of people crying, shouting, and asking what action the Government is taking. Did anybody think of the number of lives lost just to catch hold of that one terrorist, who is now being allowed freely to zoom away in a brand new car.

True fire-power was shown by fighters like Subhash Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh. Being resilient in this case is not something to be proud of. It simply shows how thick-skinned we Indians are turning out into, how compromising on everything (including the lives of people) has become a part of our blood and how scared we are to stand up against our enemies. Prime-minister Manmohan Singh announces - "Such kind of bomb blasts cannot deter us". India's nuclear scientist Dr. Raja Ramanna says "Strength respects strength". Only when a brave man exhibits patience, it can be called as a virtue. Otherwise, it is simply cowardice, with a mask of 'patience'. As long as India is ruled by cowards, we perhaps have to learn to live with these bomb blasts, and perhaps be 'resilient' and go to work bravely the next day onwords.

Who says we haven't been following Mahatma Gandhi's principles ? If slapped on one cheek, we proudly show the other cheek. The only difference is ... its no more a matter of pride, its a matter of shame !!