CONSTANT FEAR

Doom escalating to new heights, a darkness which reverberates as a sound engulfing every citizen. The helplessness is so deep that coming out of it seems like fighting against the tide of a rough sea. Terrorism, bringing out fear, the feeling of cold freezing auras encircling us, the new element gripping our nation. Bombs killing, but seen with the nonchalant attitude of merely an accident, death toll of the innocent rising, but seen as a way of decreasing our overflowing population. What do we do? We strengthen our ‘Indian Spirit.’ What spirit are they referring to? The spirit of the ones dead, or the spirit of the fact that we are left with no other choice but to move on, leaving our highly efficient ‘higher authorities’ to solve the crux of the matter with as much dedication as they do. The brave hearts of our country saving us in our despair. Why should that despair arise? Why is it that our country has become so good at disaster management rather than disaster control? Why is it that as I write this piece, counting the amount of terrorist attacks that our ‘spirited’ country has faced is not as easy as it should be? Terrorist attacks, at the risk of sounding contemptuous, something that calls for much greater concern than a gang war. The devil is welcomed into our country, into our homes, into our lives, and after they cause enough damage, they are either given 5-star luxury treatment in jail, or given enough time to scurry off, till the next attack is planned and executed. Once the next attack happens the previous investigation is at a standstill. Once the next gravest matter arises, the previous ‘center of attention’ is pushed into the sidelines. Trials go on for years, justice is a far-fetched dream, and controlling and correcting mistakes made, is seen as last on the check list. What happened about the Mumbai bomb investigation of 2011? Exactly what always happens, got pushed into the sidelines since our capital was attacked just a few months later. Who are we? Are we helpless insolents with broken dreams? Or are we citizens with the right to be protected? Do we deserve our officers to have faulty bullet proof jackets? Do we deserve to have a negligence of security cameras placed at the ‘aam aadmi’ line at the high court? Do we deserve to have sleeper cells reside in our nation and emerge and attack at their own whim and fancy? Or do we deserve to dream of a safe haven where mistakes are rectified? I see it as a feat, dream of it with a positive outlook, dream of it as a feat which seems impossible but will soon have been accomplished. A shadow of hope unveiling, leaving us waiting for the nightmare to pass above us. What is left to do? Wait. All we can do is wait…wait for the death of terrorism…and the victory of good over evil.