I have to let you be,
though I ache and I yearn
Because there are lessons
that life wants me to learn
I'll pray everyday,
you'll need it for years
To hear your sweet voice & see you again,
probably deserves thousands of tears.
I have to let you be,
though it hurts and my heart distraught
Because I hate to see you
like a bone in a dog fight
I'll pray everyday,
for God knows how I feel
Love you sweetheart
may you live in peace
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
It's a Boy!!!
My sister delivered a bonny baby boy on the 8th of December. Mom and baby are both doing fine. With that we stop running the "only girls" marathon. A lot of people who I called up with the great news, all said "Thank God, It's a boy", very understandably. Everybody was quick to add that it does not matter these days but still :). My mom still hasn't got used to the idea of a boy in the family. She keeps referring to her grandson as "she". Guess it will take its own time to sink in.
The name hunt has begun, do pour in your suggestions for boy names.
Art, thanks for asking, I was waiting for a picture but that might take a while.
The name hunt has begun, do pour in your suggestions for boy names.
Art, thanks for asking, I was waiting for a picture but that might take a while.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Nursery for the Peapod
We have finally figured it all out. After months of doing nothing other than just listening to friends & colleagues talk about schools (playschools, nurserys) and the right age for admission we were a little fazed. Is it 3 & 1/2 or 3? was that nursery or school? does the lower kg follow nursery or is it the same? So to get some answers P & I finally took a half day off and went school hunting. With the peapod. Just like that.
A few things that we considered before we said "Ok, so this is the one"
1. Location - A school should be located in a peaceful & quiet environment. The school should be away from main streets and major cross roads. It should be within 10 kms from home.
2. Reputation - It should have a good reputation among parents and children who study/studied there. I met a teacher who retired from this school and I took an instant liking to her. I happened to also meet a couple of kids who passed out from the school this year. Everybody thought the school was good.
3. A big playground - It was important to me that the school had a good enough playground where children can run, jump and break a limb or two. I wanted a school that wasn't just into academics but encouraged lots of running around, playing and all sorts of extra curricular activities and there was enough space for it all.
4. A co-ed - I have already written about why I thought a co-ed is better.
5. A convent - Now I don't know why I am slightly(make that hugely) inclined towards a convent other than the fact that I studied in one and I thought it was the best start I got.
Off the 5 factors, the school we liked meets 4 criterias. Its a girls school and that has been the only sore point. The school reminds me of my school and that probably just makes it feel right. The watchman of the school gave us some insights on the junior kg & nursery and pointed us to a notice about the admissions in June. Since the school starts with junior kg, the peapod will start this school in 2010. We are not even sure of the admission yet but atleast we know what we want for her.
Secondly, we went around hunting nursery schools where she could start going starting June 2009. We visited 3 nursery schools. The first one we visited was the one I liked the best. The other 2 were just passable. It was like putting in a toy car and a see-saw in our house with some colors splashed on the walls and calling over a few kids from the neighbourhood. Hmm..coming to think of it, she will have a blast. Anyway, so coming back to the reasons why we liked the first one
1. The nursery comprised of two cottages & 2 bamboo house with sufficient free space in between for the kids to play. The place had enough trees and there were no buildings towering the nursery. The environment was very welcoming. Open, breezy and a playground.
2. They follow the Montessori way of teaching. They have a music room with pianos and guitars. The teachers there played the instruments to different rhymes and songs. I loved this music thing. The peapod loves music like any other child. She is generally found singing songs to herself the whole day, sometimes clapping and sometimes performing a little jig with her little bum to "pappu nahi sakta".
3. Lots of bright pictures and colors, spacious class rooms with enough light and breeze. A good library that the parents can use for the kids.
These give me a good feel about the whole place. The only thing I wasn't very happy about was
1. 26 kids in a class they said with 2 teachers and 2 maids. I have a tough time imagining it even. I will need to see how this works.
2. Its about 9 kms from home. That seems a little far away for a nursery.
We do not have admissions yet. We are waitlisted. we will know about it in January. It seems the admission was open just for 3 days. We are waitlisted for nursery admissions ..can you imagine. I wanted to laugh at it but ofcourse didn't want to risk the chance if the principal didn't take it lightly. The peapod wanted to stay in all of the schools we went. We literally had to scoop her off from every place. Ever since we are back she has been asking me when will she go to school. For an another 6 months I have to answer that questions.
The jellybean left us last month. Its been a year since she came to live with us and the kids had a wonderful time togather. My sister resigned her job and went back to join her hubby in Baroda. Hence its a dull time at home for the peapod. She is still under the impression that the jellybean will be back any day. This is the silence before the storm though. My sister(not the jellybean's mom) is expecting a baby this month(12th Dec). Hopefully she will find some amusement soon. Waiting with fingures crossed for the next baby in the family.
A few things that we considered before we said "Ok, so this is the one"
1. Location - A school should be located in a peaceful & quiet environment. The school should be away from main streets and major cross roads. It should be within 10 kms from home.
2. Reputation - It should have a good reputation among parents and children who study/studied there. I met a teacher who retired from this school and I took an instant liking to her. I happened to also meet a couple of kids who passed out from the school this year. Everybody thought the school was good.
3. A big playground - It was important to me that the school had a good enough playground where children can run, jump and break a limb or two. I wanted a school that wasn't just into academics but encouraged lots of running around, playing and all sorts of extra curricular activities and there was enough space for it all.
4. A co-ed - I have already written about why I thought a co-ed is better.
5. A convent - Now I don't know why I am slightly(make that hugely) inclined towards a convent other than the fact that I studied in one and I thought it was the best start I got.
Off the 5 factors, the school we liked meets 4 criterias. Its a girls school and that has been the only sore point. The school reminds me of my school and that probably just makes it feel right. The watchman of the school gave us some insights on the junior kg & nursery and pointed us to a notice about the admissions in June. Since the school starts with junior kg, the peapod will start this school in 2010. We are not even sure of the admission yet but atleast we know what we want for her.
Secondly, we went around hunting nursery schools where she could start going starting June 2009. We visited 3 nursery schools. The first one we visited was the one I liked the best. The other 2 were just passable. It was like putting in a toy car and a see-saw in our house with some colors splashed on the walls and calling over a few kids from the neighbourhood. Hmm..coming to think of it, she will have a blast. Anyway, so coming back to the reasons why we liked the first one
1. The nursery comprised of two cottages & 2 bamboo house with sufficient free space in between for the kids to play. The place had enough trees and there were no buildings towering the nursery. The environment was very welcoming. Open, breezy and a playground.
2. They follow the Montessori way of teaching. They have a music room with pianos and guitars. The teachers there played the instruments to different rhymes and songs. I loved this music thing. The peapod loves music like any other child. She is generally found singing songs to herself the whole day, sometimes clapping and sometimes performing a little jig with her little bum to "pappu nahi sakta".
3. Lots of bright pictures and colors, spacious class rooms with enough light and breeze. A good library that the parents can use for the kids.
These give me a good feel about the whole place. The only thing I wasn't very happy about was
1. 26 kids in a class they said with 2 teachers and 2 maids. I have a tough time imagining it even. I will need to see how this works.
2. Its about 9 kms from home. That seems a little far away for a nursery.
We do not have admissions yet. We are waitlisted. we will know about it in January. It seems the admission was open just for 3 days. We are waitlisted for nursery admissions ..can you imagine. I wanted to laugh at it but ofcourse didn't want to risk the chance if the principal didn't take it lightly. The peapod wanted to stay in all of the schools we went. We literally had to scoop her off from every place. Ever since we are back she has been asking me when will she go to school. For an another 6 months I have to answer that questions.
The jellybean left us last month. Its been a year since she came to live with us and the kids had a wonderful time togather. My sister resigned her job and went back to join her hubby in Baroda. Hence its a dull time at home for the peapod. She is still under the impression that the jellybean will be back any day. This is the silence before the storm though. My sister(not the jellybean's mom) is expecting a baby this month(12th Dec). Hopefully she will find some amusement soon. Waiting with fingures crossed for the next baby in the family.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
150 Things To Do Before You Turn Thirty (Five)
I have seen this tag on a couple of blogs. Today I just flicked it from mumbaigirl and Monica and so here I go. I love to-do lists because I can keeping ticking them. This was fun. And anyway 95% of the done list was done before I turned 30.
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight (with my sisters)
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign ( Dad's in school)
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow (and was kicked in the stomach)
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theatre
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites - Does Stonehenge & Bath in England count? It better count, I payed in pounds to see the place :)
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch (What’s R1 there for?)
78. Won first prize in a costume contest (Dressed as a witch)
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on a television news program as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking with the windows open
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth (have watched a cow give birth)
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (almost)
122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions (wasn't deliberate, just did not work out)
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts (that’s what A does, not me)
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight (with my sisters)
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign ( Dad's in school)
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow (and was kicked in the stomach)
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theatre
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites - Does Stonehenge & Bath in England count? It better count, I payed in pounds to see the place :)
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch (What’s R1 there for?)
78. Won first prize in a costume contest (Dressed as a witch)
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on a television news program as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking with the windows open
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth (have watched a cow give birth)
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (almost)
122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions (wasn't deliberate, just did not work out)
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts (that’s what A does, not me)
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Not so resilient anymore
I hear crackers bursting and I am wondering if they are gun shots or grenades now. Its just a marriage in the viccinity but its scary. I am having coffee in the office and we hear some huge noises, and we all look into each others eyes. There is fear everywhere in everyone. I have not known this fear inspite of being in bombay during the 1993 blasts, nor during or after the 2003 riots. The godhra carnage while was terrifying and the mumbai train blasts so close, it still did not grip the heart in fear. Maybe at 33 I am getting old. Maybe this is the threshold when you stop being so resilient and start feeling the heat of how close and worse it can get.
We were asked to vacant the office premises on a security alert towards the end of the day. It rained heavily in Pune yesterday and I was drenched on my way home. The thunder and lightning for once was frightening. At home after dinner I sang a hymn and a rhyme alternatively to put my 21/2 year to sleep. She sprawled on the bed and kept gazing at the dark sky listening to me sing and fell asleep. I kept looking at her sweet face long after she was asleep with tears streaming down my eyes. I feel sorry for getting her into this mess of a world. I feel I have failed terribly & I can not ensure her anything other than my love and my strength.
We were asked to vacant the office premises on a security alert towards the end of the day. It rained heavily in Pune yesterday and I was drenched on my way home. The thunder and lightning for once was frightening. At home after dinner I sang a hymn and a rhyme alternatively to put my 21/2 year to sleep. She sprawled on the bed and kept gazing at the dark sky listening to me sing and fell asleep. I kept looking at her sweet face long after she was asleep with tears streaming down my eyes. I feel sorry for getting her into this mess of a world. I feel I have failed terribly & I can not ensure her anything other than my love and my strength.
Monday, December 01, 2008
My Salute
In the movie A Few Good Men, I loved this line when Galloway(Demi Moore) defending 2 marine soilders is asked
Lt. Weinberg: Why do you like them so much?
Galloway: Because they stand upon a wall and say, "Nothing's going to hurt you tonight, not on my watch."
To that love and sense of duty, I bow my head. Words fall short to thank the men that put their lives on the line to save fellow human beings.
To all the cowards of this country that go around pelting stones and fire at people because they belong to a particular religion or state, at institutions that harm you in no way, destroying public property that is our own money, being the devils advocate, you dare not condemn these acts and flash your hipocricy because these terrorists are people just like you, recruited and deployed for a cause they deem larger than humanity.
Lt. Weinberg: Why do you like them so much?
Galloway: Because they stand upon a wall and say, "Nothing's going to hurt you tonight, not on my watch."
To that love and sense of duty, I bow my head. Words fall short to thank the men that put their lives on the line to save fellow human beings.
To all the cowards of this country that go around pelting stones and fire at people because they belong to a particular religion or state, at institutions that harm you in no way, destroying public property that is our own money, being the devils advocate, you dare not condemn these acts and flash your hipocricy because these terrorists are people just like you, recruited and deployed for a cause they deem larger than humanity.
Mumbai - 26th November
Inspite of sitting in Pune, I felt feverish watching the the various channels that telecasted live how the country was under attack. I wore "jutis" over my formals to office on Thursday and realized it only when I reached office. I could not get myself off the TV.
Now that the cruel drama is over, a few thoughts
While links have been traced back to well-known terrorist out-fits and the security system is being questioned, none of this would have been possible without support from within. These people who staged the dance of death and fear are probably not Indian citizens. They came in from some country, fed with fanatic ideologies, dodged a loose system and dared the people of this country by just driving around the city and shooting indiscriminately at people and ofcourse feeling some amount of pride in what they are doing. I am wondering if any citizens of this country helped stage this terror in their very own city and country. Do we have a Traitor among us? Whatever strata of the system one is, even if you are a fisherman or a minister, even if your income is Rs 10 a day or 10L a day, at no cost can you betray your country. Neither poverty nor joblessness, neither religious ideologies nor fanaticism can justify this betrayal. We might have a hundred problems within, we might not be the best example of a secular country but we will unite & stand together against any attack from outside.
Finally what do you expect people to do after an attack. People will get back to normalcy, that is life. One can not remain holed up in fear. Every life has a date when the curtains will fall and there is a fate and whatever you do, where ever you
go you meet it. With that attitude we go about our day today.
The other important thing a gentleman(name I can not recollect) on TimesNow brought up was,
While we are questioning the politicians and the security of this country, we as the people of this nation also play a very important part by just keeping our eyes and ears open to anything unusual. After 9/11, a colleague of mine in US, who had visited the twin towers just a week before the disaster, sent his new york trip pictures to be developed to a studio. He requested an enlarged picture of the twin tower snap he had taken. The studio guys reported it immediately. In a matter of hours he had cops standing at his door asking him details about why and where. Also I had read in the local newspapers of how an American couple sitting right behind a south Indian actress on a flight to new york alerted the crew of their suspicious behaviour. The Indian actress was having an animated discussion with her parents in her native language. On landing the actress and the crew were escorted by the cops for interrogation. We laughed about it when we read about it but today that level of involvement of normal citizens is what we lack. We, the normal citizens are so consumed by ourselves, we just don't care what goes on around us. Anything that involves the cops is better kept at bay. It is about time we stop speculating and take on our jobs of a alert citizen more seriously.
In a country of a billion people, if even one quarter of it are alert, eyes and ears open, ready to dare and challenge, there is no way a handful of bas&*%$# could even dare plot this terror here.
Now that the cruel drama is over, a few thoughts
While links have been traced back to well-known terrorist out-fits and the security system is being questioned, none of this would have been possible without support from within. These people who staged the dance of death and fear are probably not Indian citizens. They came in from some country, fed with fanatic ideologies, dodged a loose system and dared the people of this country by just driving around the city and shooting indiscriminately at people and ofcourse feeling some amount of pride in what they are doing. I am wondering if any citizens of this country helped stage this terror in their very own city and country. Do we have a Traitor among us? Whatever strata of the system one is, even if you are a fisherman or a minister, even if your income is Rs 10 a day or 10L a day, at no cost can you betray your country. Neither poverty nor joblessness, neither religious ideologies nor fanaticism can justify this betrayal. We might have a hundred problems within, we might not be the best example of a secular country but we will unite & stand together against any attack from outside.
Finally what do you expect people to do after an attack. People will get back to normalcy, that is life. One can not remain holed up in fear. Every life has a date when the curtains will fall and there is a fate and whatever you do, where ever you
go you meet it. With that attitude we go about our day today.
The other important thing a gentleman(name I can not recollect) on TimesNow brought up was,
While we are questioning the politicians and the security of this country, we as the people of this nation also play a very important part by just keeping our eyes and ears open to anything unusual. After 9/11, a colleague of mine in US, who had visited the twin towers just a week before the disaster, sent his new york trip pictures to be developed to a studio. He requested an enlarged picture of the twin tower snap he had taken. The studio guys reported it immediately. In a matter of hours he had cops standing at his door asking him details about why and where. Also I had read in the local newspapers of how an American couple sitting right behind a south Indian actress on a flight to new york alerted the crew of their suspicious behaviour. The Indian actress was having an animated discussion with her parents in her native language. On landing the actress and the crew were escorted by the cops for interrogation. We laughed about it when we read about it but today that level of involvement of normal citizens is what we lack. We, the normal citizens are so consumed by ourselves, we just don't care what goes on around us. Anything that involves the cops is better kept at bay. It is about time we stop speculating and take on our jobs of a alert citizen more seriously.
In a country of a billion people, if even one quarter of it are alert, eyes and ears open, ready to dare and challenge, there is no way a handful of bas&*%$# could even dare plot this terror here.
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