There are moments in history which are points of inflection.... when the attitudes change for the positive to help the nation emerge stronger, confident and unified.
It's well known that most of us, common Indians, thought that the 26/11 attacks on Bombay was such an event that would define our destiny.
But it seems that we are back to square one.
Just today, there was this news of a likely fidayeen hijack threat at all airports. Heightened security is the highlight of the day with panic all over. Chidambaram quickly goes on air to say that it's a false alarm and before we realise. Is he required to say all that so soon? Couldn't that have been a red herring?
And our media trumpets this news on the headlines, as a cheap thrill! Can't the media be more mature and show a little more restraint? This is really too much.
And then, our cricked crazed population was up in the arms when the government did not permit Lalit Modi to proceed with the Indian Premier League (IPL). Mr. Modi who went cribbing about this decsion should realise that IPL isn't larger than the nation. Was that maturity?
I think that was a brilliant decision on the part of the government. Look at this - the Taliban are knocking on our doors and we need not only defend borders, provide internal security but also let the elections happen peacefully, to ensure that policy making - on the security and economic front doesn't come to a standstill. In such a volatile scenario, can we let the security apparatus get distracted by some IPL happening around the country? Maybe India would lose some revenue from the IPL this year, but we would be better off by having a peaceful election in the months to come. It's a pity we, as a society, are not mature enough to realise that.
And then, to top it all, Chidambaram terms communalism as the root cause of all terrorism. And the old man in a hurry (to become Prime Minister), Mr. Advani, is quick to give a scathing reply back. we are being done in by these petty politicians. Isn't it high time for all these grand old men to act mature and send out a signal that we stand as one against terror rather than blame each other. Let's not forget that it was Chidambaram's gang that supported the LTTE and Bhindrawale. And everyone knows who unleashed terror on the streets of Delhi in 1984 after Mrs. Indira Gandhi was assassinated. And wasn't it Mr. Advani's party's duty to soften the cherub Varun's statements? Is this what we call political maturity?
I suspect our inflection point is yet to come.... that would force us to mature as a society...
