The candles Manmohan missed

I had visualized a 26/11 anniversary befitting the solemnity of the occasion with all parties’ leaders led by Manmohan Singh and Ratan Tata at Gateway of India paying homage to the innocent victims, saluting the security personnel and resolving in unison to never let such an incident happen again. After all,  the nation is greater than party politics and ideological differences.

But 24 hours before the deadly date I feel defeated as an Indian, by my own fellow men, who were supposed to lead us to a more secure future, while seeing a blank and a shallow 26/11 anniversary. A billion nice people, condemned to have ugly leaders with an eye on personal aggrandizement and glory deserved better.

See what are the two most important stories hogging the space on our channels and newspapers on the eve of 26/11. One is about Shilpa’s marriage reception and the other is a reception hosted by Obama in Washington for our PM.

If the opposition is confusedly mired in the dud dirty linen of another Manmohan, who gave a report that could have well have been released at the AICC headquarters , the ruling clique is eyeing the next elections and the enthronement of its prince charming hence the preparations for repeating the Hindu-Muslim division game have begun in right earnest.

The only hope lies in the people’s power and passionate regards for their dead and honest. While we may have a few words of empathy and assurances delivered by a failed CEO of the country who thought it wise to spend the anniversary of an attack on India in Washington, rather than spending a quiet day with those who suffered and comfort the nation with his presence, the people are emotionally observing the day with an angst in their heart and homage to the dead who fell on this day last year to the bullets of the most cowardly savages.
 
Nobody can forget that while the security personnel were fighting a battle with less professional weapons and instruments, the leaders were making a tamasha of the incident. Hence the shame brought to them by a media and people’s all-pervasive anguish had the home minister and the chief minister’s head rolling with the state home minister too following suit.

The year post-26/11 saw Maoist killings on an extraordinary rise.Unparalleled Chinese incursions.LeT overactivated with a Pakistan refusing to listen to us or even accept our evidences.India losing moral ground as a biggest target of terror on this planet and forced to talk economy with the US in times of facing multifaceted terror wars without any conceivable joint action plan with so-called avowed friends to eliminate murder machines.

And we continued with Rahul’s roadshows, dalit hut stopovers, Koda fumblings, Vande Mataram opposed in presence of the home minister, ‘Mee Marathi’ chauvinism, a traitor in the valley invited Chinese intervention, Liberhan’s 17 years of no-consequence deadwood, a fratricidal opposition and churning of shallow political gossip which they call journalism.

That was the year we saw after India was shaken up by 10 mad lads. And we say we shall try to convince Obama to eliminate terror for us. Ha!

The much-touted Force One’s first demo fizzling out as a laughing stock and a year later, the same party is in governance, not because people thought it’s a better option but because the opposition failed to prove its credentials. The same state home minister is again installed. Not a single guilty man has been punished. Taj decided to have its own security arrangement rather than depend on the khaki that remains a victim of lack of professional preparedness due to lethargic political support to provide latest equipments. The martyrs, who were promised a lot last year by the paan-chewing politicos, have yet to receive the help, and the wives of Karkare and Saluskar had to travel to Delhi to meet Sonia, a year later. Not that the state governors could go to their houses, offer apologies and have the formalities for help completed at the convenience of the families of the martyred .

No, it couldn’t be done. Neither the better, lightweight bulletproof jackets nor the better firepowered machines have been procured. Kasab is on the front pages daily like a masala providing Page 3 material. Policeman gave their lives so that a Kasab is caught alive but their colleagues find themselves in a no better environment to work.

The will to fight and defeat the enemy is dead. It’s the biggest casualty in this system. Washington’s convenience of dates to host a dinner for Manmohan Singh was more important than to observe the first anniversary of 26/11 at home and resolve decisively to annihilate the terror outfits through a non-partisan collective effort.

There is no security alert that could be trusted to thwart a repeat of 26/11. If in the last 12 months, there has been no attack; it’s not because the home minister had made the security arrangements foolproof, but perhaps the attackers have not yet decided.

While there is an all-round systemic failure, the tide of change is too dim and challenged. The king’s failings must make masses to take up the challenge to rejuvenate the public life and throw out the fossils, paving the way for a secured land and a responsive regime.

Just work to bring that moment with a candle for the 26/11 martyrs. That’s the only way to sincerely observe the first anniversary of the black day and to have it as the last incident too.