It has been over a month since the Bombay attacks, and apart from increased pressure on Pakistan, a few PILs and some candle light marches nothing has changed.
Well, that is not entirely correct. Some things have changed. People have moved on, expectedly. I obviously did not expect people to mope about this and not earn their daily bread. While we can, we have to catch our evening trains from VT station to get back home, or grab a beer at Leopold's. The Taj and the Trident have opened their doors to customers and people have yet again begun talking about the solidarity of the city and its ability to bounce back.
However, I am still anguished. I don't like this nonchalance. The new mantra - getting back to normal life is our answer to terrorism - is the poorest excuse I've known for us being unable to do anything significant.
Oh please!!! Like the terrorists will stop because of this! Do we honestly think they are going to feel it’s a waste of their time because Bombay was back on her feet in no time? Let us not be under any false notion that only Bombay has this ability!!
New York and London were back on their feet very quickly too. None of these cities can afford to sit on their bottoms and whimper. They are global financial hubs and world economy will plummet further if they did. So let's, for God's sake, stop producing such statements to hide our incapability and accept that we still have not done anything of significance to prevent the next attack.
What the US did post 9/11 is something that we need to do and in double quick time. We were and still are sitting ducks. We need to ensure that we have sufficient multi layered checks at different points of entry to all cities. Yes, I do understand that it is probably impossible to have a foolproof plan, but the least we can do is ensure strong vigilance and not provide easy access to these lowbred.
We need to fast develop a homeland security strategy. Indian technocrats need to fast update their skills and formulate a bird's eye-view level strategy and then zoom in to different levels, identify the issues and formulate strategies based on that. These could well form the cornerstone of the ground level operational strategies that was so found wanting during the recent attacks.
We need to develop a two-pronged approach - development and security. One cannot sustain without the other and we all know how developed we are. What development, you may ask - education, basic amenities, critical infrastructure, etc. We have a lot to do even now and the ever-expanding population is no help in this anyway. We need to up the ante on our investment in our people, our public health and education.
India needs to have stronger and real-time information sharing, quick decision making powers, no bureaucracy and redo our existing strategies. Having an NSG platoon in each of the metros in not a solution. They cannot restrict terrorism but merely counter it. A counterterrorism initiative needs to be a synergy between a various intelligence agencies.
Work with the international community - something we haven't done much of over the last few years. Well, we aren't entirely to be blamed in this regard, thanks to the chaotic neighbours we have around us. We need to strengthen relations beyond this region and the information and knowledge shared with these countries can only help us manifold. Terrorism is not just a national threat, but also a global one.
India needs to set higher standards for herself. Why? Because she needs to! We need to create postgraduate level courses in emergency preparedness. Right now, we can probably send some bright minds to other countries to learn and implement what they have from their experiences. We can then put it in a learning format for students in India and train them. Combat training is not the only thing.
It is not that the US is not a threat anymore post 9/11. It is very much a threat, but they are better prepared. India's regression variable is corruption. We need stronger systems and quick punitive action against those implicated.
The key word is speed - speed in thought, in action and implementation. We virtually have our backs to the wall and the only way from here is forward.
We have it in us to be a champion country. I end this post with the words of Vince Lombardi, "I firmly believe that any man's finest hour - his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious!"
Let us work our hearts out, please!!
