Random Musings

The citizens’ voice has never been heard louder than on this occasion. And the citizens are also, more or less, speaking in a common voice. Their anger is directed to the same one direction. And some results are there for us to see. And with the relentless focus of the citizen groups that have emerged, more action will be taken. It appears that for once, the government cannot sit on proposals, cannot wait endlessly.

So what was different about this time than before? Was it just that last straw that broke the camel’s back, or was it something else?

Cruel as it sounds, I think the terrrorists may have actually done India a favor by targeting the targets that they did. Surely, I do not belittle the losses of life at these luxury hotels, but I am viewing this from another perspective.

NEVER before had the rich and famous gotten so close to terrorist mayhem in India. The earlier occasions were all in crowded places, where the common man was to be found. In markets, on railway platforms, in buses. Even when the Mumbai blasts happened and places like Zaveri Bazaar and the Stock Exchange were targetted, it was still the sub-brokers and the day traders who got hurt and not so much, the business owners. Maybe a one-off case of a mid-sized business owner might have been there.

This time around, the people who have got hurt or killed in the 5-star hotels, other than the hotel staff, have ALL been a high profile category. Bank chieftains, eminent lawyers, large business owners, etc.

This has been a huge wake up call for the elite of the city.

When blasts happened at Ghatkopar or Mulund or even at the Gateway, it was still something to chat about, but for all practical purposes, the blast might as well have been at Malegaon or Jaipur or Bangkok, as far as the glitterati of the society are concerned.

This time, their comfort zone is broken through.

That terror could reach the plush comfort of their favorite hotels has shaken them up. Would a Simi Garewal have been so angry earlier? Would a Milind Deora openly taken on the CM, Dy CM and others earlier? Shobha De and Rahul Bose have never minced words. But their ire was only sharper this time, and this time around, we expect them to carry on their tirade, since they have proclaimed that ‘enough is enough’.

When no politician was willing to come and face the angry crowds on “We, the People” (Barkha Dutt anchored program on NDTV), the only exception was Abhishek Sanghvi, spokesperson of Congress. He had a rough ride against the citizens’ anger. But he made a huge commitment in front of the TV audience. He talked about 4-5 very critical changes, which have been pending for many months / years, to take effect within the next 3-5 DAYS! Yes, DAYS. The kind of speed that you can never associate with anything that has government written on it.

And we are already seeing the urgency at Delhi. Manmohan and Sonia realize well that this time, there is no running away. No way to let public memory die down. Because it will not die down.

The events were tragic. But if they have put the entire country into positive action, there is hope for the future.