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Mumbai is hit again. For the nth time. The metropolis, and the rest of the country goes through the same rigmarole- The panic, the shifting of the dead and injured to the hospitals; the headcount of the toll; the lame, practiced statements from the authorities and politicians; live footage by TV news channels showing gory pictures from all over; speculations about the explosives used and the terror groups involved; we sitting in our drawing rooms surfing through the news channels with a sense of gloom; people sending across text messages in mourning and anger, some updating on social networking sites; and some writers like me writing columns like this one. Sounds familiar? Yes, this scenario could have been the aftermath of any terror attack anywhere in the country, right from 1993 onwards. And I can tell you with utmost confidence the scenario of two days from now- people in Mumbai settling down, returning to their businesses- prompting groups to hail Mumbai as the most ‘resilient city’ (as if there’s a choice); there’s a final death and injured toll; the TV news channels are now interviewing the surviving victims and the families of the dead; the authorities groping in the dark about the people/group involved with random people being rounded up; and rest of us going back to our businesses, forgetting the episode till the next one happens. This sounds familiar too? It does, yes. Because it has repeated itself so many times over. We are a soft country with soft leaders. Everyone in the country knows the source of this mayhem. Such attacks are as much about the loss of lives and property as it is about the loss of self-esteem. Why must we die in installments like this? If we must, then why not die in a real battle? For me, in a situation like this, offense should be the best defense. Just like the US of A does- Hunt and Kill. And if in the process some of our brave men are martyred, so be it. But I think we must put an end to this repeated insults by going all the way with one final assault. We must wage a war against our enemies. No more showing resilience; no more being tolerant. We must take the offensive to the enemy shores. We must. It is time.
Picture courtesy: PTI (aajtak.intoday.com) http://aajtak.intoday.in/photoplay.php/photo/view/1869/2#photo2
