VT, Taj, Oberoi & Trident! Last Wednesday left behind body bags, humans with amputated limbs and a nation with a heavy heart. As if this wasn't enough - we had to deal with confused administrators, hopeless politicians and senseless media. Well, while we as a nation hurled insults on the administrators and the politician (with the media not only joining in but acting as a catalyst too!) the NSG Commandos, together with the police and the armed forces, freed the nation - at least as of now -from the clutches of terrorists. Millions of Indians felt angry, anguished, helpless and provoked. The mood across the nation was not just that of sadness - it was pessimistic!
While the scars that carnage such as this leaves behind run deep - the nation will have to rise again and get going. For those who lost a loved one or have to deal with permanent disabilities - the hurt and the feeling of helplessness is simply unfathomable. But even they will have to - at some point in time - move up and move beyond. For such is life. The challenge for them is how to regroup their positive thoughts and do so fast. Some of them will take on the dreams of the departed and pledge their lives in accomplishing them while some will have to merely stand up and take on the responsibilities of the immediate families that have been left behind. Whatever is the reason - they will have to be positive. Get their optimism back.
And now for the rest of us: The media has worked overtime to make us believe that there's just no hope with the current set of politicians and administrative systems. They want us to avoid paying taxes, they want us to bring down a democratically elected government, wage a war...in short create chaos. Pessimism all around! Even a celebrated journo on NDTV had the cheek to place India at par with Pakistan in terms of the internal situation and she is sure no cricket team will visit us in the near future! Negative again!
How we get out of this negative mindset. How do we rise as a nation (for nations are built on hope!)? How do we get back to optimism?
Few suggestions:
- Shut the News Channel out for a while! In any case have nothing new to report!
- Get back to God. Start praying again (you may light that candle but for heaven's sake go beyond that too... see if you can directly help a victim of terrorism)
- Get more vigilant...if we all are vigilant - it will surely help
- Do that one good act a day that we always think we do but rarely get to doing it!!
- Smile at folks back at home, at work, in the mall...they didn't bring in that misery and suffering. They suffer just like you do!
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10 comments:
Hi !
Completely agree with you... 'Optimism' is really the need of this hour... It not only gives us strength to bring good times back but also shows a ray of hope for better and peaceful tomorrow...
I really enjoyed this...
Cheers !
Deepa
You are right,but only to an extent, because if we dont question things, the status-quo remains and that's a dreadful possibilty.So what I'd say is that mere optimism doesnt work in this kind of a situation, a certain anger and indignation is unavoidable to seek and bring forth change.And if you switch off the entire media, how will you know whats going on? Definately, discretion is required ,and more importantly, right channelising of our anger at the incompetence of our govenment.
But I completely agree about smiling at everyone. cheers.
Dear Giraj,
While I agree with your comments, the main point here is all this hurts and pains.....after a while we forget but this time we must not put ointment on our wounds and let it hurt more and more.
let the wound not heal only then we will be able to take a tough stand and smoke these terrorists out of their camps.
Else we will have to produce more channels and ointments only.......
Shaleen Chugh
Oman
Giraj...what you have said is true. But we have too often and for too long shrugged away the problems and gone on with our lives, as if nothing has happened. For once, we are seeing something positive emerge out of all the negativity: anger yes, but if it leads to people actually "acting" towards building a more responsible society...thats something that needs to be applauded. If the media, with all its sensationalism, has provoked people to go out there and tell the world that we are willing to take on terrorists, administrators and politicians, thats a wonderful sign that our democracy is finally coming of age. We need to be not just the LARGEST democracy but a TRUE democracy, one where citizens know their rights as well as their responsibilities. And what about the Corporate India? Aren't they part of the Indian democratic set up? Let them put their leadership skills to the service of the nation. So lets not just pay lip service to the nation's security but present a time-bound agenda for it. And lets get the corporate world to put their money where their mouth is! Is Corporate India willing to stand up and be counted!
Very nice Giraj. B/r Rajeev
Giraj-No I don't totally agree with you.Fine we may say its too much of a reaction but what else ? While we shud all unite together and help the families of the victims but what about a attack again after two momnths or may be in a month and may be this time it is Delhi, as the reports suggest?
And yes we shud unite together along with media and find solutions , which some of the media houses have already initiated.Trust if you keep on tolerating , where is the end ?
Harrish
Giraj
Nice piece to sum up what most of us might have felt.... I have my resevations though... I am a part of the media that you've brought under the scanner and will definitely concede that media needs to show some discretion but the important thing to note here is that nobody has imposed any on the media...having seen the events from this side of the table and very closely too.. it has left me with a different understanding of these issues...coming at such an early stage of my career as a journalist it has changed a lot about what i thought my vocation meant...would just say a lot needs to change..a complete overhaul of the system, the approach, the mindset...lots...its a uphill task..don't know who can do what but I can sure contribute.. if nothing else in a small way..my way... i hope you realise you too can...being optimistic is no choice ..one has to be...thats how life has always moved on....but being proactive is... a choice each one of us has to make... the only way forward i see...
Whether we call it optimism or need to 'meet two ends', we all are too good at burying such horrifying incidents in no time. In short, our memory is short lived, be it Uphaar blasts, '93 blasts & so on.
Even though it may look calm at the surface, somewhere within, the pessimist feeling of helplessness is being developed in the subconscious mind. This is concerning.
I agree, optimism is very much required to bounce back, as no other counseling other than optimism will work to recover from the trauma.
But, aren't we getting used to the situation?
I am sure your message should not be misunderstood as 'we mentally immune ourselves against such situations in future, i.e. we get used to it'.
The optimistic approach should be coupled with continued urge to demand from/ challenge the administration & the elected custodians of 1.2 bln to provide basic fundamental rights to live breathe & move freely within our own country.
It may not be so that people will be scared to move around freely after a month of this carnage, but somewhere within the helplessness will grow if more incidents are repeated (which could) & we absorb the pain (which would).
It's time to press the machinery hard through building strong & continued public opinion to display that we are not easy.
Lot's is at stake - citizen’s morale, social & cultural development... basic living even!
We are now poised to become one the leading economies, business industry too looks at us with hopes & optimism.
The nation should respond to the situation in the larger interest before it's too late.
We will surely get support from progressive minded faculties across the world against Terrorism.
The reason I stopped reading the paper and watching news on cable is because I feel such disdain towards the kind and falling level of journalism. I would get the paper for the funnies, the crossword and to occasionally check the movie schedule. Which can all now be accessed on the internet and so now I'm a proud contributor to the green peace movement by not subscribing to the daily paper and wasting away precious rain forest cover over absolute nonsense!
I also haven't rushed to get cable installed in my new home because I realized I don't watch TV anymore. No surprise that, since breaking news today can consist of "Amitabh Bacchan ko sardi lagi"!! I did though put my TV on when I found out about the Mumbai episode. Followed it for a couple of hours and then switched it off when it changed from news to personal opinion, politically slanted commentary and mudslinging. This was after nearly 2 months of no current passing through my set top box!
There was the time of Doordashan. Albeit state-controlled media, it gave out information without adding the masala that is often more a subscription to a particular viewpoint rather than an encouraging initiation of intelligent debate. You got to know what was happening and people often spent time discussing the news and forming their opinions. These opinions were formed and discussed after much debate. Today, news makes news via mass forwarded emails holding screen shots or snippets of some of the most ridiculous pieces of news and with the inclusion of text below that laments the poverty of intelligence of people manning influential media. I’ve been told its very inexpensive to buy a news channel today and most people wanting to foray into electronic media start out with one. And once they’ve got the hang of it, probably get into making or airing masaledar saas-bahu serials. (or at least they must!) Maybe the news channel is just practice for the finals!
I’m not saying that every channel is airing mind-numbing garbage or that we should burn our TV sets and stop the press, but at some point, we need to recognize that there lies a responsibility on the shoulders of those who are in a position to influence the thinking of the masses. Bring out a point of debate, but without the slant towards personally-desired opinion. Instead of asking a rhetorical question on a public platform, ask one that actually demands a well thought out answer, which reflects the different opinions of each voice. “How black do you think that black is?” Vs. “ What colour is that?” We might finally discover Grey…
I think we Indians are a very resilient people and characteristically positive. We have our support structure of family, friends, extended families be it at work, hobby classes, prayer groups and so on. And we thrive on sharing: from as little as food to our joys and we will share in the sorrows of those close to us. Optimism has a contagious tendency. If we can all find within ourselves a little bit of it every day and share it with those who need it, we might actually affect the way we all think and react to the negativity around us. At least within our own little spheres of influence “hum honge kamiyaab…”
I think the world is built on the foundation of hope and optimism.... but they are just some of the ingredients for that deadly mix. We also need a dash of aggression and a pint of action. It's good that for once we are not ready to be silenced...that the voice of the nation is resonating globally...that the cries of terror are reverberating across the world. Yes, I think it's the beginning of a revolution.
Interesting topic with an interesting take. Kudos Giraj!
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