Goa Needs Us - More Than Ever Before..

Imagine a scenario. A close relative, may be, somebody in the family, has been diagnosed of Cancer and doctor says it is all over and its a matter of time before he/she leaves for d heavenly abode. "Let him die, I did my best" is what we will never say. Our question will rather be "Doctor, can we save d patient in some way? May be some chemotherapy, some transplant, etc. There must be some way out." And often, we end up trying till the person breathes his last. We cannot fight d inevitable, but at the end of it, we at least have d satisfaction of doing whatever 'Best' we could. But I wonder, will we show the same urgency / care / concern for our motherland as well? Or are we going to leave her at d mercy of some fools, who are not bothered about anything but looting it?

My mind drags me to those favorite lines that have always inspired me:

"I die in the battle zone,

Box me up and send me home,

Take my medals, pin them on my chest,

And tell my mother, I tried by best."

I have no intentions to be a martyr. I neither have the guts to give up my life for a cause nor do I harbour any ambitions of becoming a well known personality someday. I am just a normal guy next door. Want to do all those little things, people may not expect me to do, but which I feel, I should be doing as a duty to my motherland. Cynicism will not help us in any way. It will only worsen the state of affairs we are currently in.

In 2009, I travelled Goan cities requesting people to vote for a change. The only change they brought was to give a stronger mandate to one of the most corrupt and arrogant Government India has ever seen. In 2011, for Panaji corporation elections, I was part of a movement, that only asked people to vote for Good over Evil and yet, the monster returned, though, just by a whisker. But can that mean an end to my activism? Is that all I have to offer my motherland?

I request each Goan to think. Goa is suffering from Cancer, thanks to the crooks who are ruling us. Illegal mining, drugs, land sharks and so on are slowly eating a piece of our beautiful state. In all probability, the current dispensation may ride back to power using the Money they have made. But is that a reason for me to sit back and watch Goa getting looted? If we don't throw these Cancer cells out, Goa will die its own death. We will neither have a beautiful state to boast of nor will we have the law and order situation, which makes Goa any safer when compared to crime inflicted cities.

What is the way out? Just one. Let us unite. Let us unite to bring about a change. Forget political parties, let us at least resolve to Vote. And irrespective of the results, continue to fight. Because, Goa needs us. More than ever before..!!

Why we are bombed..!!

It was evening. A pleasant one. It was raining heavily and I had just returned from a nice drive. Going through the news feeds on Facebook, I was in for a pleasant surprise – serial bomb blasts in Mumbai. I shut the Facebook application on my Blackberry and called up friends in Mumbai. Once assured of their safety, I thought of having a mini celebration. And why shouldn’t I? None of my loved ones was hurt after all.

You may wonder why I wanted to celebrate. The fact is only the order of events is right, but not the emotions. I went through the updates, and realised that terror had struck Mumbai, yet again. Maybe, terror is here to stay, in this city that never sleeps. But then, with so much of fear, who would want to sleep anyway. If God were selfish, he would be happy though. With each passing second, an individual in Mumbai thanks Him for keeping him/her alive. For whatever reasons, God is being remembered more frequently now.

Discussing the Mumbai blasts, a few friends asked – Why are we being bombed? My immediate response was- Give me one good reason why we should not be bombed. Not that this is the first time we have seen what terror is. Mumbai, in fact, will have the distinction of facing terror attacks on most occasions. And how have we, as Indians, reacted to all this? We’ve cheered for the FIGHTING SPIRIT of Mumbaikars and moved on. Oh sorry, how forgetful of me… I forgot to mention all the candles we lit and the sympathies we expressed. For the families of the deceased and affected, it was a herculean challenge to cope with the loss. What would they do without those prayers? And if socialites didn’t exist, they would never know how much India cares for them and how it is joining them in their moment of sadness.

Coming to the terrorists, I think they have a reason to like India. They may be at home in Pakistan, but are treated no less than state guests in India. Though they come on a suicide mission, I wouldn’t be surprised if they wish to be caught alive. India is a country where peaceful protestors (read ‘Indian citizens’) are mercilessly beaten, without any provocation, in the middle of the night with not even a remote thought to human rights. But the likes of Kasab, Afzal Guru, etc. live a well-protected life. Crores of rupees are spent on their security, they are served food of their choice with the assurance that the Government of India wants them alive and in good health to elicit ‘vital’ clues from them. Once life and fair treatment is assured, I see no reason why terrorists should open their mouth. All this in a country where millions live below the poverty line, starve for food and have nobody but themselves to protect them and their families.

My blood boils. Everytime I hear the question ‘Why us?’, I ask - why not us? When was the last time we saw a movement where Indians fought as one? Even during the freedom struggle, Indians were divided between those who took up weapons and those who chose non-violence as their toll. Despite all this, a burning desire to see a free India and fierce Nationalism helped the country get freedom. However, after that, no single movement has united people. Centre right, Left, Right, Left of Centre and many other ideologies were born and India stands divided even today.

I don’t support the call to citizens to take up to arms. Else, we will have to support the Naxal movement as well. Terror has no religion, and thus, we should neither give it a religious colour nor a political one. Whether the terrorist is a Hindu, Muslim or Catholic, there should be no leniency. In a country, where an innocent PM supported a crackdown on peaceful Indian citizens, is it worth living at the mercy of such politicians? Alert citizens can be lethal for anti-nationals and a pressure group for those who rule us. The time has come to unite and join a movement. The time is long gone where symbolic gestures like a protest march or lighting candles to express solidarity were enough. In today’s date, it helps to be anti-national than a Nationalist. If this continues, we are surely heading towards becoming a country, whose existence will be in danger.

After every bomb blast we have felt agitated, irritated and frustrated. But none of us has noticed that we are back to our routine in no time. Those who suffer in the blasts are left to fend for themselves. The terrorists caught alive are taken care of. We often speak about doing something for the country. Contrary to the belief that only politicians and people in defence services can do that, we must take it upon ourselves to improve this country. Each one of us must be that robust soldier, fighting relentlessly day and night, till we take our country to the pinnacle. We can, we must. Arise Indian!