Over the last 6 days I have been riveted to the TV and newspaper following the terror attacks in Mumbai. The latest round of atrocities caused by the miscreants of Pakistani origin seems to have induced a kind of anger in the citizens of this country like no other attack before this and in turn has united the nation. Alas! It took a tragedy to bring us together … No amount of condemnation can truly reflect the sentiments of the people and world leaders alike and I hope this serves as the wake up call to all involved in Governance of the city and the country.

However, I regret to say that some disgruntled politicians still use this incident to gain political mileage while some other make ‘loose’ and irresponsible statements at a time when much of the public resentment is directed to them. I admit that we have seen some welcome change in the handling of this incident with an All party meeting being called, some preliminary actions being taken like augmenting of commando forces, providing them with better combat equipments, streamlining of the various intelligence agencies for better co-ordination etc. Also, we have seen some heads rolling with the change in the Home Ministry and perhaps in the State Government as well. It remains to be seen if that has any impact and improves the efficiency of the system. For once the people of Mumbai tired of the cliché ‘resilience’ and ‘indomitable spirit’ have decided not to put this mayhem at the back of their mind and get on with their lives… I hope and pray that they keep up this spirit.

I salute the contributions of the police and security personnel who have laid down their lives in the line of duty to save thousands of innocent lives - as also to the many hotel staff who helped others not caring for their lives. My heart felt condolences to the affected families of these brave soldiers of India. Rest assured that your sacrifices has inspired a whole new movement in India … While I join the rest of this country in paying my tribute to the deceased, I also pray that their families find the strength to cope up with their loss.

I end with a lot of unanswered question which hopefully our leaders will help us address …

WHAT ARE WE DOING TO AVERT A SIMILAR SITUATION IN THE FUTURE?

IS THE SECURITY IN PUBLIC PLACES ADEQUATE? HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH PAKISTAN WHILE THEY CONTINUE TO CONDONE THESE ATTACKS?

WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING TO PUT PRESSURE ON PAKISTAN WHICH SERVES AS THE BREEDING GROUND FOR TERRORISM?

IS OUR INTELLIGENCE WELL EQUIPPED TO WARN US ON IMPENDING ATTACKS AND PLAN A COUNTER ATTACK?

Lastly, I feel that every citizen should be provided with some tips on how to defend themselves and those near them (or atleast learn some safety measures) if they find themselves in the midst of a terror attack… but the question is WHO, WHEN AND HOW WILL WE BE TRAINED?