On the attacks...

I heard about the attacks from my friend Manish at work. I've stopped visiting the Indian new sites very often, because all they give me is uneasiness and unwanted frustration. So I just skip the crap and spend more time on finding good online deals to shop for. I quickly ran to make a call and check if all were Ok at home. God's grace and everything is Ok.

But now that everything is over, almost 200 people dead, I recall a few incidents that have happened in my life over the past few years and I start to join the dots.

I was around 15 years old. My grandmother had come to Bombay from Mangalore. She was entering the building, when a young boy, grabbed the gold chain around her neck and ran. My grandmom, healthy and fit as ever, ran after him and screamt. Some folks caught that poor lil bastard a hundred feet from the scene of the crime. First, he got beaten black and blue by the public. Then the cops arrived, packed him into the van and took him to the station. My grandmom and dad also went there. There, as per what my grandma told me. They stripped him to his bare clothing, hung him upside down and thrashed the life out of him. As they hit that poor fellow, my grandma could not see that torture any longer and asked the cops yo stop, but they would'nt budge. When satisfied they stopped, my grandma got her chain back, the poor chap a beating of a lifetime and the cops, a satisfaction of teaching the unlawful a lesson in civilized living.

Fast forward to April 07, 2007. Saturday night, me sleeping at home. Big day tomorrow. Its my enagement. Wow!! The first tiny step to eternal bliss (!). I get a call at 2:30 AM, just 5.5 hours before my mass. My very good friend Glenn has had an accident at the club and is in the hospital. My other childhood friend Munny is in the police lock up. I got up, without telling my Mom and Dad, I left the house. I ran to the hospital, Glenn has had a bamboo hit on his head, 17 stitches to this head. Seems, there was a club fight and he just happened to find himself in the middle of it. He was not even at the club, had gone to meet a friend there. Once I seen Glenn was Ok, Adrian and I rushed to the cop station. Munny and 2 other friends, were getting the thrashing of a lifetime. The cops with their sticks going after them like crazy. Those guys begging for mercy, but no one to listen. I asked the cop to stop, he would not budge. I went at 4:00 AM, knocked on my cousin Ronnie's door. Got him to the station and got those 3 guys out. 6 AM and things look better now. Finally I made it to my enagement, but my closest friends since childhood did not make it.

What is amazing is the indifference in the attitude shown by the people governing us. If you are poor (like the robber) or without power(like munny), you will in all probability get beaten to death in your own country. No one to listen your side of the story. No one to sympathize. Even if you are right, it does not matter, you will be thrown down and beaten to glory.

But, if you are a terrorist country, things get a little different. You kill 50 odd people or 200 people, we do not do anything. We sit, cry, watch and then give the world the headline, 'Mumbai Spirit is Awesome'. I say, screw the spirit. What spirit? You pricks who rule the country, move around in 'Z+' security. No worries for you, you son-of-a-B*****. It is for people like me, my family and the million common men/women in Bombay that life is so unpredictable and hellsome.

Dear cop(who was beating my friends that night), have you ever caught a single illegal immigrant in Malad? I can show you shanties where there are illegal bangladeshis residing in the suburbs. But do you even care? Do you? Have you ever tried to stop slum development in Bombay? No. The politicians want to allow all slums till 2000 to be legalised. Yes, my dear dumbheads do that. All the illegal folks will get legal housing and common like me is paying 11% APR on his housing loan. Thank You!!! 200 people die and what reaction do we as a country have??? Some minister resigning? As if we give a damn for him? His incapability should not be a reason for 200 deaths and if it is, then he should be held responsible for murder of 200 lives.

To all those who think India is a growing super power, my 2 cents of advice, Stop Dreaming. Having the 4th largest GDP is not a sign of a super power my friend. If numbers were the decider, we are the second largest population, yippie...!!!
Economy growing at 8% per annum is noting great, either. Some nations are growing faster than us and believe me, infrastucture wise are miles ahead.
I say, show the people of the country, that they are secure and they can live carefree, in a land where they pay taxes and live as civilized citizens. If you cannot do that, they dont ever brag that we are a great nation, because deep down inside, even you know it, that we are not. Per capita GDP is still outside the top 15. Stats are there to fool us and make us feel nice. May be some are fooled, not me. I've seen a few nations other than ours and believe me, we are still decades(not even years) behind of other countries.

Make the citizen feel proud, kill those who hurt our people. Where is the MNS now? They beat the North Indians because they took their jobs, now some folks have taken innocent Marathi lives? Not one statement. Nothing. Everyone has disappeared. Hiding eh? Saving you own ass???
Is the MNS heading to the border with their SENA and going to rage a war?
I doubt, because all Politicians think the same way, our lives are worthless, unless they give a political mileage(ask Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan) for their campaign.

Cheers and Be Safe.
Ashley