What next ?? - Editorial Published in Daily Pratyaksha on December 3, 2008

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

WHAT NEXT?? Editorial Published in PRATYAKSHA on 03-Dec-08

In the course of the editorial series based on the verses of the Sunderkand, it so happens that we have before us today, the 194th verse.

(Explanation: “What are we waiting for? Let the vanar soldiers be instructed right away.”

On this, the divine beings bestowed abundant showers of flowers from the skies and returned to their respective lokas)

That the parameshvar has arranged to place before us, this particular verse, is in itself profoundly significant. Till today 371 articles have discussed 193 verses and in numerical sequence and this obviously cannot be human design or even a mere coincidence - no, not at all.

The question that every Indian is now faced with, is ‘What next?’

What does India plan to do now and what ought India to do?

What must we Indians do now and what ought we to do?

I am putting forth for my own contemplation, answers to all these questions, answers that I am convinced about: Take them or leave them; it does not matter to Me at all.

1) The political circles in Pakistan are feeling tremendous pressure, unrest as also a sense of insecurity.

What exactly do the spokespersons of Pakistan intend to convey by blowing the trumpet that Pakistan is a ‘nuclear power’?

Do they intend to intimidate India?

Why do they want to intimidate India?

Only because they are convinced that India’s mind set now is very much inclined to launch an attack.

2) It is for this very reason that Pakistan is looking to pressurize the United States. ‘In the event that India declared war, we would be compelled to withdraw all our troops stationed in the northern regions to battle (?) the Taliban, which in turn would endanger the American presence in Afghanistan’, so say the governing powers in Pakistan, the spokespersons of the ISI and also the military officers.

The secret hope of Pakistan is that when the United States is pressured, it will eventually dissuade India from war.

3) However, the truth clearly differs from reality and that is how it is always going to be.

As for this moment, irrespective of whether India declares war on Pakistan or not, terrorist organizations are bound to take over Pakistan. It is only a matter of time, it could be a few days or may be a few months.

That the charge of Pakistan will pass over to the hands of terrorist organizations, became certain and inevitable the very day Benazir Bhutto was killed.

What remain now, are mere formalities.

4) The point is, it is Pakistan that poses real threat to Afghanistan as well as to the United States because Pakistan has welcomed these terrorist guests with open arms and indulged them. So, if India and the United States have to avert the unfortunate events in the coming times, Pakistan will have to be taught a lesson.

5) The tiger is after all a tiger and will tear down its prey, you may face him straight, you may try getting soft or show reverence if you will. So then does it not make more sense to gun it down and destroy it? This is the policy that the United States knows better than any other nation.

6) As Draupadi’s honour was being violated openly and publicly in the court, her shameless, disgraceful and thick-skinned husbands sat still, their heads hanging. It was this misplaced and exaggerated notion of the supposed morality on the part of the Pandavas that forcibly reduced Dharmaraj Yudhishthir to a jester, who entertained (by his game of dice) emperor Virat, Bheem was compelled to clear leftovers in the kitchen, Arjun had to play effeminate and Nakul-Sahadev had to clean up the faeces of animals.

And now, with Mumbai’s honour so humiliated, abused and violated, if India is going to adopt the behaviour of the Pandavas, is the fate of the Pandavas not going to be slammed on it?

7) The ordinary Indian however, is in no mood to follow the footsteps of the Pandavas.

Every Indian citizen today, is in the mood reflected in the verse mentioned above - viz. ‘What are we waiting for? May the vanar soldiers be instructed right away’. And exactly like the verse says, the Paramatma too is ready to bestow flowers from the skies.

8) However, merely launching an attack on Pakistan will get us nowhere. India will simultaneously have to make certain implementations within the country too.

As a doctor, this, I can understand and explain very well. In order to destroy the bacteria that enter into a part of the body from the outside, what is necessary is the attack in the form of antibiotics and if need be, a surgical intervention to drain the pus. But then in such cases it is equally or rather even more essential that the patient strengthen his own power of resistence (immune system) and healing power. If this does not happen, the bacteria is bound to enter into many different parts and create abcesses.

This is precisely what occurs in case of AIDS. The AIDS virus completely destroys power of resistence and the patient’s healing power and so he constantly and repeatedly suffers from various diseases and infections.

9) So then how exactly do we go about enhancing the internal power of resistence and healing power of India?

a) The internal security machinery of India could, after a meticulous and thorough scrutiny and check, take the help of the ordinary Indian citizen because the powers of observation of the ordinary citizen does many a time, yield amazing evidence. Eg. The results of the keen observation by the fishermen as relevant to the events last week.

b) The police commissioners of big metros like Mumbai could be granted extensive powers within the framework of the Indian constitution and their freedom or discretion within defined limits be increased as may be necessary. The instance of misbehaviour on the part of one sole police officer need not imply that the entire police force is useless. Moreover, I personally have complete faith in the patriotic sentiment of every common Indian citizen, every Indian soldier and every Indian police officer.

It is very essential now to undo the knots of legal restrictions that bind the hands, the rights of the police force.

I do not understand the law. What I do understand for sure is that it is an imperative need of the hour to set aside the egoistic beliefs of one’s party and institute the ‘POTA’ or at least a similar stringent and severe legal means. If the existent laws were adequate, a metropolis like Mumbai would never have been subjected to the 59 hours of horror.

Shree Hemant Karkare, Shree Vijay Salaskar, Shree Ashok Kamte and other police officers and commandos lost their lives; it is their bodies that are not with us; the light in their heart still lives and lights up the hearts of innumerable police constables, officers, soldiers and commandos of India.

All that is needed is a healthy and strong political will.

c) What can we ordinary citizens of India do?

You could keep writing letters, keep making calls and keep sending SMS to corporators, M.L.A.s, M.P.s and leaders you come in contact with and irrespective of the political party they belong to, keep doing it, bombard them. Also convey to the police force and the armed forces by democratic means of course, your support and appreciation.

You could urge your friends and relatives to do the same.

You can do this for sure and you can do it at your personal level. There is no need to stage marches, shout in praise or boo or make a scene of any kind.

Pick up your phones and start conveying your message, i.e. your opinion to politicians you have come in contact with; pick up your pen and write to politicians and newspapers, letters that express your thought; your fingers drum the keypad to SMS for T.V. programmes - now let your fingers drum the keypad to send the SMS for India - your motherland, this time again to politicians and newspapers.

Make use of your e-mails only in the service of India your motherland as in a democracy, the opinion of the people, is the most effective weapon.

You do feel the fire blazing inside you, don’t you? Keep on expressing it but by such democratic means. The governing persons in power are neither your ruling kings, nor your masters. They are your representatives and are dependent on you; let them know it, convey explicitly that you know it.

10) On the coming Thursday, 4th December, let us all recite the Dattamalamantra and offer a prayer for the safety of India and the peace of the martyrs.

11) If you have risen and are awake, set about the above mentioned tasks right away. All men and women! Do wear a black band of cloth or of paper on your person, from this very moment upto the early hours of Friday.

You may well ask, what good is this black band? This black band is meant to express grief but also to keep you alert. This black band will keep alerting you as well as the one, whose eyes fall on it, that you have certain duties to fulfil.

12) As for those, who do not believe in the existence of the parameshvar and so do not wish to recite the Dattamalamantra, can very well chant ‘Jai Hind’ or even ‘Vande mataram’ can’t they?

My dear shraddhaavaan friends, in other words My friends who love India their motherland, do recite the Dattamalamantra. In case you are not familiar with it, recite ‘Om Kripasindhu Shreesainaathaaya namah’ and offer it at the feet of our motherland, India.

As for me, I am already at it.