The Learnings from Mumbai, if any?

The blasts in Mumbai shocked everybody but frankly speaking: were they surprising? Sadly, the answer would be, not really. The answer stems from the fact that we see a general apathy to security all around. Disasters like this are waiting to happen around each corner of the country and all we can do is to hope to God that they do not happen.

Post the blasts, we have the same soundbytes from the politicians, the security agencies and the media. Everyone is playing "passing the buck". The people tend to blame the Government, the government in turn tries to make all the right noises and the security forces as usual, who are nowhere in the picture till the blasts occur, become omnipresent. Only everything will go back to their stupor once the heat on these blasts cool downs. This is the same cycle that is repeated with sickening similarity.

So what is one to do as a citizen? Are we not abdicating our duties by just blaming the government and the security agencies. True, it is their duty but then again we also know that if they have failed in the past, they may fail again in the future in performing this duty. So why can't we step in and contribute whatever we can to prevent these kind of tragedies.

Look at Zhaveri Bazaar in Mumbai which has been the target of terror attacks not once, not twice but thrice. This is the place where on any given day, millions of dollars worth of trading is conducted. If a physical body search was to be conducted of people in the area, you would find billions worth of diamonds. The affluence of the traders here is boundless. With such riches and so much at stake why can't the traders association voluntarily do something to tighten the security? Can't the traders spend a couple of million a year on security? This could be in the form of introducing restricted entry, high definition surveillance cameras, parking only for authorised vehicles, identity cards, more guards with strict surveillance and monitoring, etc. True this might not prevent future incidents, but still these security measures will act as major deterrents.

Let us think about ourselves as individuals and how we can contribute. Why cant we be more observant and vigilant of our surroundings? To give a small example, I have two parks in front of my house and whenever I see someone sitting in them, who is not familiar I make it a point to question them. Some of the other residents in the colony object to this, but at the cost of being unpopular, I still persist and this is a deterrent to any outsider. This is a simple duty that all of us owe to ourselves and our near and dear ones. Still we shirk away from this. Why?

Strong Communities and good societies are built when we not only do our own duties for our own selves, but take on extra duties for the benefit of others.

See what a courageous woman did in Gujarat. She spilt the beans on her husband who was making bombs and in the process not only helped the police nab him and his accomplices with their armaments but also prevented what could have been major tragedies had the bombs been used for terror activities. When this woman can go beyond her duties as a wife to perform her duties as a responsible member of the society, then why can't we all be inspired to do so.

The learning from these blasts is that we as Indians need to be more socially responsive especially in light of the failure of the Government machinery to tackle the menace of terror.