The City of Resilience, No More.
Not a Beauty Post :-)
The Mumbai papers are full of two main news today
1. Ajmal Qasab has been pronounced guilty for 26/11
2. Motormen are on the second day of their hunger strike (as a result of which a lot of local trains are not working) - My office too is empty today, looks like I have come to work on a Saturday. It is a matter of debate if this is Gandhigiri or Gundagiri. Even the motormen are not too be blamed. They work long hours (Mumbai locals work for 22 hours daily) with very merge salaries.
I remember post 26/11 there was a lot of seething anger in the city, in its people. It still simmers somewhere.
This is a city that works hard, pays the highest income tax in country and is yet accorded second class status, while all that money generated by the city is used to beautify and build infrastructure in other politically stronger cities. The security system continues to remain lax in the city.
Each time I travel by the local train, I can see fear in people's eyes. Lots of them take a few seconds out and send up a silent prayer when the train starts that they reach home safe. No where is the security that Delhi Metro boasts of. And now that the motormen have gone on strike, the transport infrastructure has collapsed.
Is it because we Mumbaikars have learnt to "adjust", Are our lives any less important?
I don't know what punishment the Court has in store for that terrorist, personally while a lot of people are baying for a death sentence for him, I feel that would be letting him off too lightly. That is exactly what he wants, he was promised jannat after death for his sacrifice.
He, without remorse or humanity, killed more than 150 people at a train station. People who were waiting to board trains, to back home, to their loved ones. He also stored 8 kgs of RDX, the timer malfunctioned, or else it would have razed the entire station and surrounding buildings to the ground.
Personally I feel he should be sentenced to solitary confinement till death and shown images of the horror he wrecked over and over again. Is this harsh? Yes. I know it is. But death is sentence terrorists are prepared for in any case. He needs to be punished, not provided a way out.
But Mumbai needs to be more swift, more lethal now to deal with these things. It is time a signal is sent that we may be the City of Resilience, but we do not take crap.
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my City awake.
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| This is a Day after the carnage at CST (26/11) |
1. Ajmal Qasab has been pronounced guilty for 26/11
2. Motormen are on the second day of their hunger strike (as a result of which a lot of local trains are not working) - My office too is empty today, looks like I have come to work on a Saturday. It is a matter of debate if this is Gandhigiri or Gundagiri. Even the motormen are not too be blamed. They work long hours (Mumbai locals work for 22 hours daily) with very merge salaries.
I remember post 26/11 there was a lot of seething anger in the city, in its people. It still simmers somewhere.
This is a city that works hard, pays the highest income tax in country and is yet accorded second class status, while all that money generated by the city is used to beautify and build infrastructure in other politically stronger cities. The security system continues to remain lax in the city.
Each time I travel by the local train, I can see fear in people's eyes. Lots of them take a few seconds out and send up a silent prayer when the train starts that they reach home safe. No where is the security that Delhi Metro boasts of. And now that the motormen have gone on strike, the transport infrastructure has collapsed.
Is it because we Mumbaikars have learnt to "adjust", Are our lives any less important?
I don't know what punishment the Court has in store for that terrorist, personally while a lot of people are baying for a death sentence for him, I feel that would be letting him off too lightly. That is exactly what he wants, he was promised jannat after death for his sacrifice.
He, without remorse or humanity, killed more than 150 people at a train station. People who were waiting to board trains, to back home, to their loved ones. He also stored 8 kgs of RDX, the timer malfunctioned, or else it would have razed the entire station and surrounding buildings to the ground.
Personally I feel he should be sentenced to solitary confinement till death and shown images of the horror he wrecked over and over again. Is this harsh? Yes. I know it is. But death is sentence terrorists are prepared for in any case. He needs to be punished, not provided a way out.
But Mumbai needs to be more swift, more lethal now to deal with these things. It is time a signal is sent that we may be the City of Resilience, but we do not take crap.
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my City awake.
this is not about mumbai, but about the whole world. people are held at ransom by a few men who think they doing their community a favour. terrorism knows no caste, creed or religion. neither does it know race or region. gone are the days when terrorism was limited to certain pockets. welcome the global terrorist.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Tanveer..
ReplyDeleteHow are you now??
And I agree with you.Death is never going to be a punishment for him..It jus gives him instant escape..But then thinking on other terms, I guess the guy is worse than a virus and imagine having to maintain him in that worth special cell worth many crores, till his last breath..Don't u think that would be a national waste??
Heard that the Govt has already spent more than 30 Cr for maintaining him throughout the trial..pheww
You know even when I travel from Metro i fear it.I can never rely on our security system.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Kasab is concened ,wont it be fare if the people who lost their loved one are asked about the punishment.As they only know the pain.
Also,those who are jihadi for them Kasab death is no less than a martyr thing.Therefore I personally think he should not be sentenced to death so easily.Death is so easy.
Actually whenever i go back to India, I have a strange fear. I live in a moderately small city of Canada - you can compare us to Bangalore of India. I am at peace when I am here. But as soon as I travel to a bigger city - regardless of where it is, I am filled with a strange phobia of things. And I do not like using the metro when I am in Delhi - I am always too scared, despite the "security".
ReplyDeleteDon't worry Tanveer and others - Karma is a B****, he'll have to answer someone up there. Its so funny the mass murderer cried when he heard about his own death.
I thought the exact same thing...giving him a death sentence is not a penalty or punishment at all. Cannot think of anything horrible enough for him!
ReplyDeleteThis peice resonates so strongly with me... I think we should stop STOP feeling happy about adages like Maximum city and jai ho etc because no one feels accountable for the collapse when things like these happen.. Mumbaikars let the city grind to a halt let production suffer let business dwindle for a day... let your pain be felt by those that take the city for granted... be a little less adjusting. whether it is kasab or your motormen or our MNS types or the illegal immigrants... thisis about our city our home.
ReplyDeleteSo true!!! I agree death is too lame for him but considering he is costing us 2 lacs per day to keep him alive makes me think that it is really best for us too to just hang him..its appalling the status of our city..we give back the most and hav ppl from our neighbouring country simply shipping terrorists to us, with tons of ammunition and bombs to jst walk in and start shooting at ppl who hav done nothing but kept their heads down and do hard work and no one evn notices..we do not deserve this..
ReplyDelete