'We are the hollow men
we are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rat's feet on broken glass
In our dry cellar
Shape without form, shade without color,
Paralyzed force, gesture without motion;
Those who have crossed
With direct eyes, to death's other Kingdom
Remember us - if at all - not as lost
Violent souls, but only
As the hollow men
The stuffed men'
(T.S. Elliot – Hollow Men)
Mumbai, India’s financial capital, shred by the audacious terrorist attack, exposes as it has done time and again the moral bankruptcy of the political and governing class in India. While it is true that terror strikes can’t always be predicted or stopped, what we need from the political class is more proactivity when it comes to dealing with the security of the nation and its people. Even after 50+ years of independence we are yet to mature as a nation as far as governance is concerned. The Congress party that has ruled the country for the majority of years has under Indira Gandhi sunk this nation into an ever spiraling vortex corruption, ineptitude and mediocrity. Take the instance of the current Home/Internal minister – an outright nincompoop who has absolutely no right to hold the office that he holds – that guy wouldn’t know even if his own bed caught fire let alone re-organize the intelligence gathering mechanism that is racked by factionalism, interference from the political parties and is riddled by corruption. Did he resign on moral grounds? Absolutely not, he ain’t going unless given the boot by Madame Sonia. The President of India – a nation of a billion people, is another example of the mean mindedness of the ruling party – a person with no poise, experience or charisma propped up as the First Citizen of the country. I am feeling extremely angry as I furiously type out this post thinking who is there, if anyone at all, among the large smattering of political parties that we have, who will put the interest of the nation before their party or themselves or the next election.
Until we bring to the nation a certain rigour in governance; give birth to an Obama among us, innocent families, you and me have no option but to be slaughtered like lambs – the political families remain unscathed by all this and thus feel no need to pull their act together. God! It has been years since we have achieved our freedom riding on untold sacrifices, for how long are we fated to deal with an inept political class and a largely corrupt governance system ; till then we have to bear witness to hundreds of innocent families being ripped apart.
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Footnote: I couldn't help adding this...had uploaded the post before the PM's address to the nation in the aftermath of the terror strike...so here is the edit... and I quote from the PM's address:
"We will take the strongest possible measures to ensure that there is no repetition of such terrorist acts. We are determined to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the safety and security of our citizens"...(sic)
"Instruments like the National Security Act will be employed to deal with situations of this kind...to immediately set up a Federal Investigation Agency to go into terrorist crimes of this kind..."
I wish the PM had kept his silence. It would have been better! We have had enough of hearing the same stale response...you and your brethren will continue doing nothing and you will forget all that you said up until the next terror strike...please concentrate on the assembly polls and on how to protect your turf - the nation be dammed!
we are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rat's feet on broken glass
In our dry cellar
Shape without form, shade without color,
Paralyzed force, gesture without motion;
Those who have crossed
With direct eyes, to death's other Kingdom
Remember us - if at all - not as lost
Violent souls, but only
As the hollow men
The stuffed men'
(T.S. Elliot – Hollow Men)
Mumbai, India’s financial capital, shred by the audacious terrorist attack, exposes as it has done time and again the moral bankruptcy of the political and governing class in India. While it is true that terror strikes can’t always be predicted or stopped, what we need from the political class is more proactivity when it comes to dealing with the security of the nation and its people. Even after 50+ years of independence we are yet to mature as a nation as far as governance is concerned. The Congress party that has ruled the country for the majority of years has under Indira Gandhi sunk this nation into an ever spiraling vortex corruption, ineptitude and mediocrity. Take the instance of the current Home/Internal minister – an outright nincompoop who has absolutely no right to hold the office that he holds – that guy wouldn’t know even if his own bed caught fire let alone re-organize the intelligence gathering mechanism that is racked by factionalism, interference from the political parties and is riddled by corruption. Did he resign on moral grounds? Absolutely not, he ain’t going unless given the boot by Madame Sonia. The President of India – a nation of a billion people, is another example of the mean mindedness of the ruling party – a person with no poise, experience or charisma propped up as the First Citizen of the country. I am feeling extremely angry as I furiously type out this post thinking who is there, if anyone at all, among the large smattering of political parties that we have, who will put the interest of the nation before their party or themselves or the next election.
Until we bring to the nation a certain rigour in governance; give birth to an Obama among us, innocent families, you and me have no option but to be slaughtered like lambs – the political families remain unscathed by all this and thus feel no need to pull their act together. God! It has been years since we have achieved our freedom riding on untold sacrifices, for how long are we fated to deal with an inept political class and a largely corrupt governance system ; till then we have to bear witness to hundreds of innocent families being ripped apart.
--------
Footnote: I couldn't help adding this...had uploaded the post before the PM's address to the nation in the aftermath of the terror strike...so here is the edit... and I quote from the PM's address:
"We will take the strongest possible measures to ensure that there is no repetition of such terrorist acts. We are determined to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the safety and security of our citizens"...(sic)
"Instruments like the National Security Act will be employed to deal with situations of this kind...to immediately set up a Federal Investigation Agency to go into terrorist crimes of this kind..."
I wish the PM had kept his silence. It would have been better! We have had enough of hearing the same stale response...you and your brethren will continue doing nothing and you will forget all that you said up until the next terror strike...please concentrate on the assembly polls and on how to protect your turf - the nation be dammed!