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Mumbai Attack Shocks the World

The whole world was shocked by the ruthless terrorist attacks on Mumbai's premier hotels, Taj and Trident. What shocked me as an Indian is that the so called Indian government failed to take adequate action, apart from the PM's robotic speeches and other politicians frothing with dignifed verbal gymnastics. Meanwhile, cops, encounter specialists, hotel staff, police constables and top army officials put their lives and famillies at risk to save hundreds of Indians and several foreigners who were trapped in the hotels.

I totally agree with an angry Shobha De who lost her temper about our politicians and their ridiculous speeches to stay calm and peaceful when the city of Mumbai was under siege for over 30 hours.

It is sickening that our President (by the way, who is the president of this country-do we have some one in charge???) was touring some foreign nation and was gracious enough to send a few lines expressing her sadness about the situation. What is happening to this country that we let these people in power treat us like this? The President symbolises India, meaning us. How could the Indian president continue her tour when Taj and Trident were burning? The President is the supreme commander of the defence forces. The President should have sent out a powerful signal to the country and to the defence forces rather than watch on like a street bystander while people were killed, cops lost their lives, and terrorists held an entire city under siege. I am sure that a President like Dr. Kalam's response to this would not only have been intelligent, sensitive and meaningful, it would have motivated the people of this country too.

I cannot believe that the Indian government didnt even hold a cabinet meeting within hours of the siege. Other governments across the world, particularly in the UK and the US, did so within hours of hearing the news. Why were our politicians leaving it to the top police officials and army personnnel to handle the mess on their own? Why didnt politicians do more than just giving fancy speeches written by their press secretaries?

Even the US President-elect Barack Obama showed more sensitivity to the Mumbai seige than the Indian Prime Minister or President. Obama's transition team clearly stated that he was personally monitoring the situation in Mumbai and emphasizing that there were numerous calls from the White House reiterating that all support would be extended to India.

Here are some links that offer meaningful insights about the Mumbai terrorist attacks:
  1. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122781446844662087.html?mod=special_page_campaign2008_mostpop
  2. http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/latestnews/Mumbai-attacks-He-looked-.4741528.jp
  3. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24720009-2882,00.html
  4. http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/latestnews/Mumbai-attacks-He-looked-.4741528.jp
  5. http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/latestnews/Mumbai-attacks-He-looked-.4741528.jp

It is not just Mumbai's two luxury hotels which stand shattered and shaken by this siege that spanned more than 3o hours, but the conscience of every Indian who believes in living with dignity, honor and pride in this country.

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