This weekend was anything but good. Bad news from all over. First Bangalore faces 7 blasts on Friday, then terror strikes in Ahmedabad on Saturday, with 17 serial blasts spread across the city, resulting into 49 deaths!
If this was not enough, the next news was that of blasts in Jharkhand and live bombs diffused in Surat. All this within a span of 2 days.
The weekend was a bloodbath in which all the Indians dived. More than the existing casualty, the scare was “What next!??” No city, no area, nothing seems safe.
There are all kinds of speculations around – people wonder if it is political in nature or merely to spread terror and not cause any casualty! Which seems to be the case in Bangalore, but not in Ahmedabad, where the intention was to traumatize sick and grieving people by attacking a hospital!! This is not even terrorizing!! This is inhuman homicide!!
You know whats worse? People getting used to terror attacks! Since they know that no place is safe enough, they just dont care!! Saturday afternoon, Bangalore forum road was as busy as ever! The market places were as busy as if nothing had happened. The movies were running in the theatres. People could be seen eating out at the restaurants!!
I find this scenario more scary than anything else! Are we giving in? Do we not value our lives anymore? Are terror attacks just like any other car accident, where you hear of these accidents but still continue to drive your cars!
Look at Bangalore today! Who can say that it was impacted by terror a few days ago?
Its scary!!!
Sigh! We live in a sad world! I hate Pandora and her curiosity!
By: Nikhil on July 28, 2008
at 12:26 pm
Neha.. We hv to move on .. U just cant stay indoors .. That’s what these terrorists need .. And we hv to show them that we are not scared ..
From the movie Gandhi – “You can break my body, but not my spirit.. We are not afraid” ..
Hats off to banglore and ahmedabad people for their spirit .. But we came out and ate outside and did shopping that does not mean we are not sympthazied to those who were badly affected by the blasts .. We care but we also move on ..
By: soham on July 28, 2008
at 1:20 pm
Yes we are getting used to it..
Is there anything that we can do by freaking out about it? Yes, we would be watchful but that shouldn’t stop us from living normal life.
By: Sandeep R on July 28, 2008
at 2:35 pm
Dear Neha,
The objective or the motive of the terror attacks is to install fear in the society. If we are getting scared by these attaks and not actually coming out and do our daily routine then, the objective or the motive a terrorists is acheived, he has successfully done his job. Now, do we want them to be successful? if the answer is no! then come out and show them that they cannot demoralize our spirit by doing such things infact they are far away from doing it. The fact that we are coming out shows them how coward they are….!!! All i can tell is “dont get scared” have faith in the devine and move on, pray for the dead and pray more for the living..!! Let there be peace…
By: Pradeep on July 28, 2008
at 5:09 pm
There are 2 sides to this argument. One side is that if we let the fear of terrorists grip us and not carry on with our normal lives then were just playing into the hands of the terrorists and the fear psychosis that they want to instill in us. On the other hand this lack of outrage also fails to put pressure on the authorities to amend laws or improve intelligence gathering. This gives the terrorists more courage to strike again. Because they know that conviction rates are very low in India and noone will get caught. If we bombarded the authorities time and again with requests to make cities safer then they would act. But we don’t cos we just go on with our lives and move on, engrossed in current affairs and not following up on issues that have happened before. When was the last time the cops cracked a terrorist case? And when was the last time the media put pressure on the cops to crack such terrorist cases like they did in the Aarushi murder? And when was the last time people held candlelight protest marches demanding justice for the victims of the blast like they did for the jessica lal case? The problem is that the cops come with a ready-made story of how the Lashkar-e-Toiba and SIMI are involved and that explanation satisfies everybody. I hope that this time atleast responsible media organisations , instead of pursuing the shenanigans of our wonderful politicians, will rather give more focus on these blasts and keep them in public memory longer and force the govts to rise from their slumber and do some actual work, to prevent such attacks in the future.
By: ulag on July 28, 2008
at 5:43 pm
I think all this shows the unbreakable human spirit and the way life goes on, no matter what. Jo darr gaya wo mar gaya
By: Reema on July 28, 2008
at 6:12 pm
Look at it this way – we are horrified and scared, but we are also very resilient. That is why life goes on. Okay, we are also a little fatalistic and believe in the “que sera sera” mode, but basically, we are resilient. That, to me, is a much better attitude than some other countries I see – people who took years to recover from the shock that they could be attacked, who are still paranoid and scared.
Which would you prefer? If you give in to fear, it can rule you long after the actual attack.
By: Lekhni on July 28, 2008
at 6:23 pm
I agree with soham and reema, they can break our bones but not our spirits… the life goes on and we will make the best out of it!
Can’t allow the fear to rule us… simply can’t! 
By: Sakhi on July 29, 2008
at 11:06 am
I think its not because people dont value life. Its because we move on… we have to move on.. and show those (*@*# terrorists that we are not afraid of them.
They want us to panic and we did panic on friday. But then life keeps moving.
By: Xylene on July 29, 2008
at 8:04 pm
Hmm…I am sad…and confused..if you don’t budge after those who wanted to have done what they wanted to, with an intention to scare you off, you may be showing a they-can-break-my-bones-not-my-spirit attitude, but can this not, in some way, provoke them who wanted to scare you off to use events oh higher magnitudes to create terror? This could have been a test to see where all they can gain access to, and what all can they do, or a test to the limits of Indians’ bearing capacity? I shudder at the possibility of all these bombs at a higher devastating power…they could have been…ok, not digressing any more, I guess we are getting immune to terror, which can be a good as well as a bad sign…
By: ashes on July 29, 2008
at 9:13 pm
@Nikhil: Lol!
@Soham: I am not saying we dont have to move on! But, by crowding places which are sensitive, like markets and halls, we are making the work of the police and those who protect us only worse!!! We have to help them and there is only little that they ask of us!!!
@Sandeep: I am not asking anyone to freak about. Only thing I am asking is to stay indoors and let the police do their job!!
@Pradeep: I understand that dear Pradeep. I do not believe in being scared but I dont see any heroism in going for a movie the same day as blasts happened!! The spirit is shown by helping others in need! If you are required to be outside for that, please do it by all means! But, not like this!!!
@Ulag: I agree with both your points!!
@Reema: Yes behena… lekin yahan pe baat darne ki nahi hai, lekin shaant baith ke aane waali aafat ka saamna karne me hain!!
@Lekhni: Again my dear, its not about giving in to fear!!
@Sakhi:
@Xylene: By showing them that we are not afraid doesnt mean we do something stupid!! We have to act responsible!!
@Ashes: Precisely my point Ashes! Well written!
By: Nova on July 30, 2008
at 3:15 pm
Stying indoors will help them solve?!
I don’t know how!
By: Sandeep R on July 30, 2008
at 5:25 pm
** But, by crowding places which are sensitive, like markets and halls, we are making the work of the police and those who protect us only worse!!! We have to help them and there is only little that they ask of us!!! **
Not coming out and staying indoors will help them in solving the case.. How will that happen?? .. I did not get what you intend to say here ..
By: soham on July 31, 2008
at 3:17 pm
Or is that, we forgive those who intended to do this?
By: mindfullofwhys on August 6, 2008
at 8:44 am
@Sandeep: Coz this ways the police doesnt have to bother about civilians safety and look at hunting down the terrorists
@Soham: Ditto as sandeep
@mindfullofwhys: No i dont think we forgive… we can NEVER do that!
By: Nova on August 6, 2008
at 2:48 pm
@Nova – Stay indoor? & not help? I read in one of the mags that many people in blore were helping strangers ditto in Ahmedabad. You will lose the people support if everybody plan to stay indoor. Even if we go by your case – how many days should we stay indoors?
By: RJ on August 7, 2008
at 1:46 am
Why can we NEVER do that?
By: mindfullofwhys on August 7, 2008
at 9:31 am