The French Philosopher and Enlightment writer Voltaire said “It is the danger which is least expected that soonest comes to us”. Even though Bangalore has been on the terror radar for many years because of it being a prominent IT city and a city which symbolizes India’s successes, most of us Bangaloreans seldom believed that a terror strike could happen. We would see on TV the ghastly images of death and despair in cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Jaipur etc and sympathize with those cities folk and get on with our own lives.
But on July 25th 2008 just as I had finished lunch and went on to read the papers in my office library, I heard that there was a blast some 200 meters away from my office. A few minutes later, another one just 500 meters away. News started spreading that there were many blasts all over the city.
What happened later, we all know and have seen the same images and clippings over and over again on our 24/7 news channels.[I finally got bored of the bombing's news,images,analysis etc and just stayed away from the news channels yesterday]. Thankfully the scale of terror was not similar to the one in Ahmedabad a day later or earlier in Jaipur and Hyderabad.
One question props up when you analyze the Bangalore blasts.” Why were the bombs kept in weird places like a sewer, between bushes in a park, in an empty site, near granite slabs etc. I saw the blast sites in Adugodi and in front of Mallya hospital. You can easily make out that the terrorists were not too keen to kill. If they were not, what was their intention?.
We can easily say that Ahmedabad blasts were intended to kill, but that Bangalore blasts may have some other meaning. It may be a warning that security can be easily breached anytime anywhere. It is off course for the police to investigate and catch the culprits. I also appreciate the police efforts in both Bangalore and Ahmedabad of maintaining communal harmony.
Politicians irrespective of party affiliations have no humanity left in them. They always try to score brownie points when people are faced with tragedy. Be it the BJP or the Congress, no one involved themselves in reassuring people that peace will be maintained. Instead the BJP criticized the Central Government and the State Congress blamed Yedyurappa. Both these parties need to introspect, their political fight must not create panic and hatred among citizens especially in these times of uncertainty. India needs to show a united face and try and eliminate the root cause of terrorism.
I also saw a few friends of mine, very well educated and who themselves have friends in all communities generalizing a persons or a groups action on the entire community. I would just like to tell them that all communities have problems and phases when they are in turmoil. We as Indians need to co- operate and build mutual trust. The Terrorists plan itself is to create a divide so as to plunge our country into chaos and every man from whichever community helps them achieve this goal either directly or indirectly is a traitor.
The Mecca Masjid blasts in Hyderabad clearly shows that these terrorists adhere to no faith. They are Anti- India not Anti- Hindu. There is a need to bring about a reformation in the way we all view religion in our lives.
I would like to end by quoting the writer of “The Alchemist” Paulo Coelho’s truly apt saying which I always relate to when it comes to the matters of religion.
“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation.
It’s one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it’s another to think that yours is the only path”
Good one , truly clean from politics.
I would like to shout by saying , Rise India Rise!It is high time that hatred on the basis of community be weeded and noble thoughts of sweeping away terrroism be the motto!
Hello…..
Fortunately we happend to see no loss of lives. I suppose the person who planted the bomb was unaware of this! but in worst conditions.. what was the blast time?
around 1:30 – 2:15 that too on a FRIDAY!!!!
clearly shows who the target were.
@shobha
the time does not show anything…if u are talking about muslims then u should know that on that day the prayer was much earlier around 1245pm… and u should also know that there is a bomb everyday in pakistan,iraq and afghanistan where muslims only are killed…
anyways the post suggests not to dwelve into community bashing but to take a world view perspective…
nicely written
Mr Bangaloreblogger,
I think Its not at all unfair to blame the Muslims for all the terror acts in the country as well as outside. They are practically insane & they don’t think of place or people. When they blow themselves in their homeland killing their own people,what can we say about it. Its tough to generalize their community but we can clearly know who the culprits are. What exactly they want?? no one knows.. its an insane community which doesn’t understand humanity.
@ Namma Bangalore
I feel its grossly unfair. I will give you two examples
1) Naxalites kill much more people than Islamic Terrorism in India. Most Naxalites are born hindu even though they call themselves marxist.
2) The LTTE is largest organised terrorist network in the world. They are most Hindu. Does that mean all we hindus are terrorists ? . Also a few years ago Sikh extremists were the biggest terrorist threat in India, did that make all Sikh’s traitors.
See the solution is not confrontation. I assure you 99% of Indian Muslims do not support any form of terrorism. What Islam needs today is wise leadership and reformation from within. All Indians especially all political parties should participate and encourage it.
Rewriting the Quran would be the first step forward if Islam is ready for this reformation…. You try by doing this… because as fas as i know its the word of ALLAH and cannot be changed… so leaves liitle space for reformation neverthless if reformation does happen… it’ll be good for the world…
@Shallabh
Pls dont add blasphemy to my blog…critical references to anybody’s religious symbolism is not encouraged here..sorry..
and don assume that i have not read the Quran…I may be a born hindu…but i do have a little knowledge on all religions of the world..
its very easy as u have written in one line to dismiss naxals as communists and LTTE as discriminatory.. Islamic fundamentalism is a mixture of both ideology and discrimination…
For an atheist like me, all religions preach bias..hinduism had an advantage of being the first mover and hence did not have the problem of dwelling with competing religions, hence mostly it does not have the kafir etc logics…
Christianity and Islam were stuck in the political crusades during the middle ages…later christians developed strong leadership and reformed..Islam i particularly feel lacks visionary leaders..
All things should be seen with a view on HISTORY…Islamic fundamentalism is a relatively new concept and the world needs to address it with love and not hate…and all this applies to u too
and i am sorry, i will have to delete ur first comment…
Mr. bangaloreblogger,
You have made two important points
1)Naxalites vis-a-vis Islamic Terrorist. I aggree that its unfair to ignore the wrong doings of naxalites but FYI.. Naxalites have never attacked Hospitals.. they have never attacked innocent childs.
2)LTTE vis-a-vis Islamic Terrorist. Now, has LTTE ever claimed that they are killing in the name of GOD. Has prabhakaran ever released videos justifying his struggle in the name of any Hindu god or has there been any religious reference. On the contrary the words Jihad.. Indian Mujahideen…. have the religious overtones.
@shilsan
what u say is right…i dont think the author was contradicting the use of islam for justifying these deeds…as he has mentioned their is a need to reform…
as a person who has seen naxal brutality, i assure u naxals are no less brutal or i would say even more… they tend to capture and torture people… they have attacked hospitals many a times in chattisgarh… but one thing is they kill government ppl and villagers who dont support them
@bangaloreblogger
Thats why I said every Hindu should read the quran and see the status that is been adjudged to him. As a satan believer, a non believer. The conversion and killing of non believers is openely extolled.
Its Quran brother, you may find the comment offensive but its true. Rather than countering me why don’t you pick up one start reading, the world of arabia, Africa and now Indonesia, Malaysia will be clear why it has become Islamic. And why India is the failure and I hope Hindus should unite and fight the ideology.
@shilsan
I think you are very right, the people don’t question the ideology of what is behind these terrorists. The self styled anti-hindu seculars will say all religions propagate peace without even knowing the mentality. If they know the mentality they’ll say they are brainwashed or even say books are deciphered incorrectly, leaving the answer as unquestionable. Rather than fighting which our forefathers have the British rules imprints are seen everywhere,saying or doing every thing anti-hindu is secular. I hope hindus unite and see the mentality of people.
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