When Terror Tamasha Replaces Cricket on TV

The whole tamasha of showing terror live, the importance given to a handful of terrorists and morose faces on the TV speaking of tragedy is nauseating me. There are panels discussing terrorists and India's response. High ranking officers giving interviews as to what is being done. This is as if in absence of live cricket telecast, the TRP hungry channels have found a new live show.

Yes terrorists have struck us. 100+ people have died. It is tragic. And yes our brave forces are fighting them. That is all to it. A simple "operations are going on ... you will be told when it is over" is sufficient.

We Indians - including me - love tamasha. Life comes to a standstill when India plays cricket. So, it is with these terror attacks. Too much importance is being given. That's what makes us so vulnerable. Let us accept the fact that there will be more such attacks. We need to adopt a touch stance. No negotiations. No compromise. Collateral damages are unfortunate. If there are terror attacks of this type, just blast them away. People will die. It could be me. My family. My kids. But that is the cost of war. And make no mistake, this is war. I go by what Caesar was supposed to have said, "Cowards die many times before their death. The Brave die but once." I see (ab)normal traffic outside my window in Bangalore, as I type this. A few weeks ago there were serial blasts. Do you think the Bangaloreans think about the next blast when they step out of their homes? Nah!

Let's face it. Why do terrorists hit vulnerable targets? To spread terror (duh!) and bring attention to their cause. Our over reaction by giving so much importance every such tragedy only goes to feed these terrorists.

And what about the people who sit in front of TV "horrified" by all this. Come on! You think they care. This is just a show. It is happening to someone else. I am sure we all feel sad for the people who died, the man who has lost his wife, the father who lost his son. But then we move on. Like I did this morning. Checked the news. Blogged. Came to office and done my job. Blogging again. That is an ordinary human being for you. We all do this. We feel the pain only when one of our near and dear one dies.

Consider this scenario:

Terrorists attacked Mumbai. All news channel report it as a normal headline. And then the ticker tape continues below giving phone numbers for people to contact and the newsreaders then go on with their normal reporting. After the flushing is over, the TV channels report the news and that is the end of it.

Let us starve the terrorists. Deprive them of the mileage they get out of this.