Bhopal – Lest We Forget

Nearly twenty six years after the World’s worst industrial disaster, the media, civil society, and the political establishment, appear to have to have been simply possessed with the ‘witch hunt’ syndrome, to identify the real villains in this entire episode.

Quite understandably, this frenzy has been prompted by the judgement of the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal, sentencing the seven accused to two years of imprisonment under section 304A ( death due to negligence), which being a bailable offense, meant that they could be out on bail within no time. Hence, for all practical purposes, this sentence as of now exists only on paper.

Terming the verdict as disappointing, the Government of Madhya Pradesh has decided to move the Hon’ble High Court to seek enhancement of the sentence. The Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan has been quoted, “ A separate case for each death can be filed u/s 304A of the IPC and 71 of CrPC. At that rate, with two years of imprisonment for every death, sentence spanning 50 – 100 years can be pronounced for each accused. “

While the end result of this intention of the Government of Madhya Pradesh, would only be known in the years ahead, yet some key issues which seem to have received nil or relatively scant attention in the ongoing debate in the media are as follows:

1. The startling revelation of the then Police Chief of Bhopal Mr. Swaraj Puri, that Ashraf, an employee of UCIL, died a year before the disaster because of small leak of MIC gas from the plant.

If this is true, then it automatically follows that any death due to accident or due to any unnatural cause, necessitates an inquiry by the Police, registration of an FIR, followed by a post mortem on the deceased to identify the cause behind the death. Now,

• Was an FIR registered against the management of UCIL, and was a post mortem conducted on Ashraf’s corpse ? and

• If yes, then what was the eventual outcome?

Perhaps, no other individual other than the former Police Chief himself would be able shed light on the same.

Without intending to jump the gun at this stage itself, the circumstantial evidence as clearly brought out by the devastating tragedy and its aftermath, speaks volumes of the kind of disappointment which one is likely to face, while seeking answers to these two questions.

If that be so, then isn’t the then brass of Bhopal Police, also to be held equally guilty for such a disaster ?

2. The release of Mr. Warren Anderson has dominated much of the prime time in the leading news channels, besides featuring in the headlines of almost all the leading dailies in the past few days. There is an equal measure of action in the political circles as well, with the opposition parties cashing in on the opportunity to take on the ruling party for letting Anderson ‘off the hook’, and enabling his safe passage back home. Within the ruling party itself there appears to be a diverse opinion regarding the exit of Mr. Anderson, with one opinion pointing towards a possible pressure from the US, and another pointing towards the possible law and order problem due to the prevailing mood in Bhopal at that time.

While the former Chief Minister Arjun Singh is having to face the flak for ordering Mr. Anderson’s exit from Bhopal, which eventually led to his exit from the country, it is highly unlikely that he could have taken a unilateral decision in this regard.

In all likelihood, Mr. Anderson’s release could have been the outcome of a complex set of circumstances, including the sentiment prevailing in Bhopal in the aftermath of the disaster, to the overall dynamcs of the Indo US relations prevailing at that time, notwithstanding the fact that the cold war was still at its peak, and the erstwhile USSR was one of the two superpowers.

Now, even if the then political leadership at the Centre and State, had taken on a firm stand to hold Mr. Anderson hostage to the overall settlement of the Bhopal tragedy, then was it difficult for a person like him , to get his exit from the country endorsed by our judiciary, by engaging some of best legal talents in the country to bail him out ?

Why do we overlook the fact that the then Bhopal Police Chief, Mr. Swaraj Puri had arrested Mr. Anderson on 7th December, 1984, and produced him before a magistrate, who let him off on bail for a paltry sum of Rs. 25000, and a promise that he would appear before the Court on being summoned ?

It is another matter that he never kept his promise made to the Court, and none of the Governments of the day ever since decided to pursue his extradition with the successive US Administrations aggressively.

3. Taking the Bhopal gas tragedy verdict and the paltry compensation for the victims as a huge lesson, the Hon’ble Law Minister Mr. Veerappa Moily has proposed a radical law that would bind the corporate bodies with vicarious liability , both under criminal and civil laws, and allow class action suit to be brought against them. “Our courts are very conservative in awarding damages to victims in situations like Bhopal gas disaster. How can one apply accident claim criteria in such situations ? We do not want charity from the courts and so want to empower the victims to bring in class action suits to claim adequate damages against corporate bodies held responsible for such catastrophes.”

This is certainly welcome.

But after the Hon’ble Supreme Court had watered down the charges against the seven accused in 1996, from Section 304 – Part 2( culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC, to Section 304A ( death due to negligence) of the IPC, this judgement by the Hon’ble CJM of Bhopal was a forgone conclusion. How come none in the judicial fraternity, or political establishment, or the media, or in the civil rights group etc, saw it coming sooner or later ?

All the Union Law Ministers since 1996 onwards did not have to wait so long to realize the same.

4. Coming to the controversial judgement delivered in 1996 by the then Chief Justice of India, Justice Ahmadi, it is worth noting that the ambit of Sec 304 Part 2 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) was settled beyond doubt at that time.
According to an article which appeared recently in a leading daily, the Hon’ble Supreme Court in its judgements on two cases – Dalip Singh Vs State of Haryana (AIR 1993-SC 2302) and in S. Mohanachandran Vs. State of Kerala ( AIR 1994 – SC- 565), while upholding the conviction u/s 304 Part 2, applied the principle as enunciated in this section:

“That mere knowledge that the act will lead to the death of the victim was enough and it is not necessary to establish the intention to kill. And once, it is clear that the accused was aware that an act would cause the death of the victim and irrespective of whether he intended to kill, the accused was liable to be convicted for imprisonment upto a period of ten years and a fine.”

If for some reason, Justice Ahmadi had indeed erred in overlooking this fact, then how come none in the political establishment either in the Centre or the State of Madhya Pradesh, cared to realize this vital flaw and file a revision petition in the apex court ? Certainly, the various Union Law Ministers, Solicitor and Attorney Generals since 1996 owe us an explanation.

Furthermore, since quite some time now, there has been a crying need to amend the provisions u/s 304A ( death due to negligence) by making them more stringent and punitive, as so many innocent lives have been lost and are being lost on our roads, due to drunk and reckless drivers, who have then merrily walked away from the courts after securing bail. So far, no serious attempt has been made in the corridors of power to address the same.

5. And finally, the compensation. This tragedy caused 3800 deaths in a single night, and the rest over the years to about 20,000, with many more have been condemned to live lives full of suffering and untold misery.

The tragedy occurred in Dec 1984, and in 1985 the Government of India filed a claim for $ 3.3 billion from Union Carbide in an American Court. Then, in 1989 the Government of India and the Union Carbide strike an out of Court settlement for a measly $ 470 million. Writ petitions were filed in the Hon’ble Supreme Court against this settlement but apparently nothing came out of it.

In 1992, part of the $ 470 million was disbursed among the victims, and in the year 2004 the Hon’ble Supreme Court ordered the Government of India to payout the rest of the $470 million compensation to the victims.

One wonders:

a) What were the compelling circumstances for the Government of India to agree to this yawning gap between 3.3 billion and $ 470 million, and

b) Was the compensation amount of $470 million even worth it, when it translated into a measly sum of $500 per victim, and worse still, it took eight years for our authorities to disburse part of it among the victims and above all, had to be directed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in 2004 , that is, twenty years after the disaster to pay out the rest of the $470 million ?

Where were all the wise men and women from our civil society, political establishment , media, human rights groups, socially conscious corporates, and above all the ever opportunistic opposition leaders then ?

Now, to blame the US for practicing double standards by comparing the stand taken by the US Administration on the oil leak caused by British Petroleum in the Gulf of Mexico, to the overall settlement in the Bhopal disaster, would be nothing short of fooling ourselves and indulging in an ostrich like behaviour.

Thus, the real tragedy of Bhopal , is not simply the leak of the deadly MIC gas, but of the collective and avoidable failure of the Indian state as a whole, encompassing all its key constituents to prevent, and then to minimize the sufferings of the victims, besides ensuring a speedy closure to the litigation and bringing the culprits to justice.

Going ahead, the key earnings from this horrific incident and its aftermaths, should not be confined merely to making the appropriate changes to the pending Nuclear Liability Bill, but to apply the learnings to effect the necessary reforms in our legal provisions and processes, besides providing the much needed orientation to the political-bureaucratic apparatus on the ‘Art of Proactive Management.’

The media, honorable parliamentarians, and the civil society at large would certainly be doing the nation a great service by keeping a watch on any such symptoms which could possibly wreck havoc of unimaginable magnitude later on, and highlight it through various channels through a sustained campaign till appropriate action is taken, and those guilty of negligence are severely dealt with.

Certainly, the soul of Ashraf would have possibly found that eternal peace, had his tragic death been able to avert the worst industrial disaster in Bhopal.

A Poem Dedicated to the Memory of Victims of Air India Crash at Mangalore

Zindagi ki ek khaufnaak sach ( A horrific truth about life)

Ek haadse mein anek be reham maut ne,
hamein zindagi ki ek khaufnaak sach se mila diya.

Sirf do hi pal pehle,
Hum zindagi ki ek khubsoorat ujale ki taraf dekh rahe the’
Magar un do palon mein ,
Sab kuch badal gaya.

Uss din ke ujaale mein woh tamam log,
Shaayad anginat sapne dekh rahe the’
Aur apni apni manzilon ki soch mein shaayad doobe huye the’.

Magar un sab ko kya pata tha,
Ki kuch palon mein hi,
Unka yeh safar un sab ko,
Kisi aur jahaan ki taraf hamesha ke liye le jayega.

Woh tamaam log mere kuch nahi the’ ,
Magar phir bhi naa jaane kyon,
Is ek haadse ne,
Mujhe maayusi ki kisi gehri jheel mein dubo diya,
Aur zindagi ki un tamaam khubsoorat ujalon ki kaamna karte hue bhi,
Aise kaufnaak sach ka saamna karne par bhi,
Hamein majboor kar diya.

Sach, iss zindagi ke ujaale khubsoorat zaroor hain
Magar saath saath kuch aise khaufnaak sach,
Dubo dete hain ham sab ko,
Mayusi ki kisi gehri jheel mein.


Translated

Tragic loss of lives in an incident,
Revealed a horrific truth about life to me.

Just two moments ago,
I was looking towards a beautiful dawn of life,
But in those two moments itself,
Everything changed.

During the dawn of that day, all those people,
Were perhaps involved with countless of dreams,
And perhaps were thinking about their respective destinations.

But what did they know,
That a few moments later,
This journey of theirs,
Would take them forever, towards another world.

All those people were no one of mine,
But still, for reasons unknown
This one incident
Drowned me into a deep lake of sorrow,
And despite aspiring for those beautiful dawns of life,
Compelled me to face such horrific truths as well.

Really, life’s dawns are beautiful,
But at the same time such horrific truths,
Drown all of us,
Into the lake of sorrrow.

An Open Letter to Our Respected Home Minister

The following letter was authored by me as an expression of growing concern to the mindless loss of lives of our jawans, who too had loved ones back home, and the growing vulnerability of the Indian state to such security threats both internally and externally.

If you share these sentiments, and agree with what I have to suggest, then kindly share it with your friends etc. to build up a strong public opinion on the same.

Best Wishes

Navneet


Respected Chidambaram ji,

You have earned the respect and admiration of millions of we citizens, by owning up the responsibility behind the Dantewada massacre, and even offering to step down from the post of Union Home Minister.

You were certainly not off the mark in Lalgarh, where you stated that the "buck stops at the Chief Minister's desk" where tackling the Naxal menance was concerned. It is a common knowledge that the law and order is state subject, and hence it is the Chief Minister of the affected state/s, who has to shoulder the prime responsibility behind the same. Centre’s role in such matters should ideally be supplementary in nature.

Having said that, it is now high time for us to take stock of the situation, and face the reality which is confronting our nation today, despite the fact that the same may not be palatable to some of us.

A disclaimer - even though you have held to the high moral ground that the buck behind the Dantewada massacre stops at your desk, yet it would not be fair to hold only you personally accountable for the state of affairs as highlighted below. But yes, fortunately or unfortunately, since you have been occupying the "hot seat" which was literally thrust upon you in the aftermath of 26/11, you cannot escape such bitter truths which exist as on date. Furthermore, we citizens expect you to be on the forefront and muster all courage, skills, energy, while effectively discharging your responsibilities as the Union Home Minister.

The Times of India dated 7th April, serves a chilling reminder to the overall vulnerability of the Indian state, to both internal and external security threats, notwithstanding the fact that for nearly three decades now, we have been grappling with jehadi terrorism , and above all, over the past four decades or so our struggle with the naxal menance which by now has managed to evolve itself as the single biggest internal threat to our Nation, with the Dantewada massacre leaving no doubt whatsoever in anyone's mind about the same.

The front page of this issue of The Times of India highlights five incidents of Naxal violence on our men in uniform since 15th March ,2007 till 15th Feb 2010, in which more than 150 security personnel lost their lives. Alongside this newsitem is a statistic which suggests that while 133 people were killed by militants in J&K in 2009, 1134 died in Naxal violence.

On the bottom of this page a newsitem, " 26/11 killers quietly buried in January", though unrelated , yet served us a grim reminder of the fact that despite a tragedy like 26/11, our establishment is yet to learn every alphabet of the word "security", and imbibe the same in the overall psyche of our body politic.

Then the other headline on the frontpage itself, " Chinese hackers steal secret defence files" added that proverbial salt to our wounds, which are yet to be healed even decades after battling such internal and external threats.

The reasons are not hard to find. The passing of the buck between at the high echelons of our political leadership, which preceded before the Dantewada massacre, made a complete mockery of the seriousness among the distinguished parliamentarians of our country, where our fight against the Naxal violence is concerned.

This coupled with a report in this very edition of The Times of India, :

" With polls due later this year , Bihar CM Nitish Kumar is reluctant to engage in any major offensive , Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren has always been slippery on Maosists, and West Bengal CM Buddadeb Bhattacharjee is squabbling with the Centre. It is only off late that Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik has joined the anti Naxal operations and began to get after the ultras in his state..." leaves no room for any doubt whatsover that vested political interests are the biggest threat, not for our politicians and powers that be who are in any way well protected with A-Z class security cover at we taxpayer's expense, but rather the threat is for we the common citizens, and those of our loved ones who have had the courage to join the various security forces, with the noble objective of securing our motherland and we citizens, from such threats.

While reams and reams of paper and tonnes of ink could be wasted in analyzing the genesis and root cause behind such threats alongwith the suggested options, which could also include the opinions of some sympathizers of the Naxals, two questions which should now be on the uppermost in our minds are:

"How many more lives have to be sacrificed just for the sake of some vested political interests and an indifferent bureaucratic set up which seems to be immune to such sacrifices of our valiant loved ones?" and

" Is it worthwhile for our loved ones to opt for a career in the security forces,being fully aware of the fact that while they may be able to vanquish their adversary, but not even God would be able to save them from the vested political interests and the relative indifference of the powers that be?"


The revelation by the media of the sub human and dangerous conditions of the camps where our jawans are put up, and are expected to put their lives at risk at the drop of a hat during anti Naxal operations , were truly appalling to say the least, and should make our heads hang in shame. Apart from Naxals , they have to face the omnipresent threats from malaria and poisonous reptiles, besides craving for adequate food and drinking water. What a tragic tale of government apathy towards all those who chose a profession which called for supreme sacrifice!

As on date our political leadership is yet to decide on using the airpower in anti Naxal operations. The reasons advanced sound noble theoretically, as offensive airpower is ideally meant for enemy across the border.

But one question which begs an answer till date is:

" How many more jawans with loved ones back home have to be sacrificed at the altar of an indecisive, soft, and indifferent leadership and bureaucratic apparatus which seems to be woefully divorced from the ground realities, and seem to be confined to their secure air conditioned environments to take bold, practical, and timely decisions?"

Yes, the use of airpower need not necessarily imply carpet bombing of the Naxal affected areas, rather it could be used to effectively track down the Naxals in those difficult terrains, and help in mounting the right offensive at the earliest.

Respected Chidambaram ji, mercifully enough, the opposition has been very responsible in its reaction post the massacre, and have pledged their support to you. Capitalizing on this opportunity to forge a political consensus, cutting across party lines and political ideologies, to use the right strategy, right technology, and right weapon systems, against the single biggest threat facing our nation, is something which is now only too obvious to merit any mention.

And finally, given our poltico bureaucratic culture, those in the lowermost ranks of our security apparatus are often ignored while taking crucial decisions on such operations. Yet tragically enough, it is these very personnel from the lowermost ranks who lead in making the supreme sacrifices during such operations.

If we are really serious about tackling the various internal and external threats confronting our nation today, and do believe that a highly motivated security apparatus is the need of the hour where each jawan is convinced that he has the complete backing of the state, then we would have to imbibe a new work culture in this entire politico bureaucratic set up, where all crucial decisions are primarily centered around if not dictated, by the various professional and logistics related needs of those, who are expected to be the first to put their lives at stake for our security.

To be specific, their security and professional efficiency should be the twin objectives, central to any crucial decisions relating to such operations.

Yes, this would call for out of box thinking, greater coordination and cooperation between various agencies directly or indirectly involved in our security, but then there is no other alternative.

As a footnote, let us not forget that the day a realization dawns among our jawans that:

“Is it worthwhile for us to risk our lives when our powers that be are ignoring us, and is it worthwhile to leave our loved ones to grieve our loss all their lives?" that day we would face an insurmountable challenge which can take the winds off our sails.

We are confident the despite such challenges confronting our Nation today, you would not disappoint we the people of India, and leave an indelible mark later on , by virtue of your extraordinary accomplishments as our Union Home Minister.

Most Respectfully,

Navneet Dhawan

New Delhi.

A faux pax at the World Bank ?

According to a newspaper report, our Executive Director to the World Bank Mr. Pulok Chatterjee, at an internal meeting of the World Bank in Washington DC on the 12th February, which was attended by Executive Director China - Mr. Shaolin Yang, World Bank General Counsel (legal) and Vice President South Asia Division, had verbally conveyed to the Bank, that no Arunachal Pradesh specific projects would be posed to it for financing.

“I also took the liberty to say that the names of the individual states would not be mentioned anywhere in the project document, and that the Government of India would not be posing any Arunachal Pradesh specific project to World Bank.” Mr. Chatterjee informed the Finance Secretary Mr. Ashok Chawla, in a letter written soon after the World Bank meeting. This letter is reportedly in the possession of that newspaper.

Quite expectedly, Mr. Shaolin Yang wanted operationalisation of this statement.

According to our Minister for External Affairs - Mr. S.M. Krishna, while defending the decision not to seek World Bank assistance for projects in Arunachal Pradesh, stated that “necessity arises when we are starved of funds for technical projects in our Country, which is inclusive of Arunachal Pradesh. As of now, for every project in Arunachal Pradesh, we have been able to tie up internal resources.”

But on its part, the Finance Ministry said that India had not made any commitment to the World Bank that it would not pose any Arunachal Pradesh specific projects. “ No such discussion or dialogue can be termed as a conclusive official stand or commitment till it has been formally approved by the government,” a statement from the Finance Ministry said.

Assuming the authenticity of these facts as reported in the newspaper, one wonders:

1. Who gave Mr. Chatterjee the authority or directive to give such kind of a verbal commitment to the World Bank officials, by specifically mentioning Arunachal Pradesh, and that too in the presence of Executive Director China - Mr. Shaolin Yang who later pressed for the operationalisation of this verbal statement ?

2. If Mr. Krishna’s defense of this decision by Mr. Chatterjee is to be accepted, then one wonders if stating such obvious facts was really called for ? Have other countries made similar kind of statements verbally or otherwise in such forums of the World Bank?

3. Would Mr. Krishna be kind enough to clarify if, as of now, are we funding all the technical projects in our country, from our own internal resources, or it is just confined to Arunachal Pradesh?

4. If we are indeed funding all the technical projects in our country as of now from our own internal resources (which would be truly amazing), then do we not reserve the right to approach the World Bank any time in the future, for funding requirements of any technical projects in any integral part of our country, including Arunachal Pradesh as well?

5. If we do reserve the right to approach the World Bank in the future, for funding requirements of technical projects in Arunachal Pradesh as well, besides others, then the verbal commitment given by Mr. Chatterjee, as accepted by him in his letter to the Finance Secretary Mr. Chawla, falls flat on his face, and should he be allowed to continue being our representative in the World Bank? and

6. If only the technical projects in Arunachal Pradesh are being and would be funded through our internal resources, then what reservations do we have in operationalising this statement of Mr. Chatterjee, as demanded by Mr.Yang?

The assertion of the Finance Ministry, that no such discussion or dialogue can be termed conclusive official stand or commitment, till it has been formally approved by the government, contradicts the stand taken by Mr. S.M. Krishna, and also puts a question mark on the credibility of Mr,. Pulok Chatterjee, who is after all a representative of the Indian Government at the World Bank.

The Ministry of External Affairs and the Finance Ministry seem to be contradicting each other in such a serious matter, which concerns the very integrity of our country. Assuming the authenticity of the above statement of the Finance Ministry, what if the Government of India overrules the verbal statement of Mr. Chatterjee, then would it not imply losing confidence in him besides contradicting our Minister of External Affairs Mr. Krishna as well?

With the Sharm El Shaikh disaster still fresh in our minds, this yet another possible faux pax concerning a troubled spot in our bilateral relationship with China, would be too much for us to bear.

While verbal denials , twisting of the words, playing upon the various possible interpretations, as is done usually by the spokespersons, might come in plenty, yet nothing short of rolling at least one head, should be the right action to send across a message, that when it comes to our territorial integrity, there can be and will be no compromise.

No prizes for guessing, whose head that should be.

Getting Our Priorities Right

The sustained campaign by the entire media including the digital, print, and online, for Shahrukh Khan and his film ‘My Name is Khan’ till just a few days ago, kind courtesy the questionable tactics employed by messers Shiv Sena, has been totally unprecedented.

While there was certainly some merit in opposing the public stand and tactics employed by messers Shiv Sena to oppose Shahrukh Khan and his film, yet the virtual monopolization of the entire media made one wonder, “ Was it akin to a national catastrophe or a question of our very survival, that the entire media literally went head over heels in such a sustained campaign, while relatively disregarding other events, which could have grave implications for our national integrity and security?”

The tragic killing of a Kashmiri teenager Zahid Farooq Sheikh by a BSF constable , near the Dal Lake on the 5th of February this year , is one such incident, which was a casuality in the media caught in the frenzy of SRK and MNIK. No doubt there was a mention of the same, but the news was soon overshadowed by the SRK and MNIK wave.

This tragic killing triggered off a wave of protest throughout the valley, so much so that the picture of a Kashmiri teenager aiming a stone at the security forces which was flashed in a leading newspaper, spoke volumes of the kind of deep embedded hatred in the psyche of an average Kashmiri against a very important symbol of the Indian state. Surprizingly and amazingly indeed, that photograph failed to capture the imagination of the media for obvious reasons as mentioned above.

The accused BSF constable has been arrested, and the law would take its own course, but then one question which should haunt our consciousness is, “ Are we really serious about retaining our side of Kashmir, not a yet another piece of land, but as a well integrated part of the Indian Republic?”

Twenty years have passed since the uprising in Kashmir began, thanks to the rigged elections of 1987, which gave Pakistan an opportunity to forment trouble and put the ‘K’ word on the center stage vis a vis India. Even though much water has flown since then, and countless lives have been lost unnecessarily, notwithstanding the psychological damage suffered by the Kashmiris who have had to pay a heavy price both in terms of bereavement, and having to live each day in fear and threat, we seem to be caught in an endless challenge, where Kashmir is concerned.

We seem to be nowhere to a permanent solution to this menance which reared its ugly head twenty years ago. To be fair to the security forces too, it must be admitted that due to the intense pressures on duty including the omnipresent threat of being shot by a terrorist’s bullet, some of them are indeed prone to taking leave of their senses and committing such disastrous acts like the tragic killing of Zahid Farooq Sheikh.

Such acts only serve to further alienate the Kashmiri population from the Indian state, which in turn would provide an excellent fodder to Pakistan to up their ante against India.

If we are indeed serious about retaining Kashmir as a well integrated part of the Indian Republic, then its high time that we the people of India , ably assisted by our media and online communities, moved heaven and earth to sensitize our political leadership and opinion makers of the need for drastic measures required to address this issue once in for all before it is too late. Specifically, apart from the appropriate confidence building measures in the valley, we need to equip our intelligence and security forces with state of art equipment to enable them foil all attempts to create mayhem both from across the LoC and within the valley.

It is here that the media can unleash a sustained campaign to ensure that it is done.

And finally, it would not be out of place to mention here that the blast at German Bakery in Pune, is yet another reminder of the fact that we still need to get our act together. This was one of the spots recced by David Headley, a fact known to all since quite some time.

The statement by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra , Shri Ashok Chavan, “ I will find out why no adequate steps and security was taken, “ when asked why the state had failed to react in advance to the security warnings issued by the Union Home Ministry says it all.

Initiatives like 'Aman Ki Asha' and a sustained campaign for issues like MNIK may have their own merits and are welcome. But however, they look out of place when our very existence and integrity is under threat, chiefly because of the sustained initiatives from across the border.

Saath Saal Ab Hua Hai Saara...

A poem dedicated to our Republic on completing Sixty Years!!!!

"Saath saal ab hua hai saara,
Yeh pyaara gantantra Hindustan hamaara.

Hamein garv hai apni iis kamayabi par,
Jiski khabar hai ab duniya ke har kone kone par.

Rajpath par sajavat hai aaj kai jhalkiyon ki,
Hamare vibhinn pranton (various regions) ki,
Hamare kamayabi ki, khubsoorti ki,
Aur hamare taakat ke kai pehluon ki.

Jise' dekh rahe' hein aaj anginat log,
Yahaan bhi, aur duniya ke har kone par bhi."

Yeh Hindustan hai hamaara,
Dekhkar phir samajh rahe hein aaj hum bhi,
Aur duniya ke yeh anginat log sabhi."

Jai Ho !!!!

Are We So Insensitive and Selfish?

The TV visuals of a decorated cop R. Vetrivel - a member of the team that gunned down Verrappan in 2004, bleeding profusely and crying for help, before succumbing to his injuries, should stir the conscious of every individual of this country.

What is really disgusting is the fact that two ministers and their covoy who were a witness to this tragedy, did not have that much of sense to rush him immediately to a nearby hospital, where he might have been saved.

To have expected such a maganimity from our political class is like expecting the moon, but then what holds us back from such moral obligations of ours ?? The convoy had some other individuals as well, who could have acted in time and made that critical effort, which might have made all the difference.

We are the ones to expect the world out of our valiant fellow citizens, who have joined the security forces, as and when our lives and property are threatened, but then how many amongst us even have that much of virtue in us to reciprocate our moral obligations to these very fellow citizens of ours, when they need our help???

The late R. Vetrivel was no one of ours, so let him fade into oblivion while we get going with our respective lives, and keeping our hopes and expectations high as ever from these very fellow citizens of ours.

But then dear friends, just pause to reflect, what would be our feelings if one of our own loved one, faces the same tragic end as Vetrivel, all due to the fact that no one even bothered to have made that critical effort to save him ???

I shudder to even think about it.