December 22, 2008

Who'll Be The Last To Die For A Mistake

You have just lost your job or you have tasted bankruptcy or maybe helplessly observed your love is getting married to another person and than you’re shouting to God: “Hey you, would you stop please. How many challenges will you give me to measure up my patience? Enough is enough.”

But think about any commando. He is moving forward to a terrorist with no back-up and one single mistake can bring him closer to death. It’s not a move in chess; if he loses he’ll lose some pieces of paper printed with Mahatma Gandhi; it’s the move of life and death.

I’m a very non-political guy. It’s after the 26/11 Mumbai attack; I came to know so many names and faces of politicians. One such name is VS Achuthanandan, the honorable CM of Kerala (is it very necessary to address minister as honorable?) who proudly remarked for the martyr, Sandeep Unnikrishnan: “If not for Sandeep's house, not even a dog would have gone there.”

Sadly, not even a single person will ever feel the pain of losing soldier, no one. Maybe that’s why, in the testimony to the US Senate (1971), Senator-to-be John Kerry asked, "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam? How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"

Even Alfred Bryan is right who wrote the song I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier:

What victory can cheer a mother’s heart,
When she looks at her blighted home?
What victory can bring her back,
All she cared to call her own?
Let each mother answer in the year to be,
Remember that my boy belongs to me!

I wish, we have the law that to be a minister, one should serve Indian Army for a particular time. Then he’d get the right to run for the election. But MERA BHARAT MAHAAN, to get Z security, you don’t even need to know ABC.

Yes, what situations you have faced they aren’t challenge, they are merely lessons. Because my friend, you can always have “a next attempt.” But in war-zone, a commando moving towards terrorists’ bullet, there is no second chance. One silly mistake and opponent’s bullet will come straight to his chest.

Challenge, that’s called challenge man.

Hello friends, sorry for deleting my previous post as I got lot of mails complaining that it wasn't suitable with the theme of my blog. Sorry!

4 comments:

Heart'n'Soul said...

I have no words to express the disgust and grief - both. And i still see people not bothered about security and makin a huge fuss over being checked at airports, metro stations and malls

I think we indians need to let go of that chalta hai attitude... ab bas - Nahin Chalta Hai... but the lazy and selfish nation that we are... i don see any hope, really!

Aneesh said...

Nice post. quite thoughtful too...
But, My opinion is, to be a minister, he don't have to serve in military but atleast should have a honorable valued degree/education from a reputed institution. And there should be rules that no one can go to campaign if his name got involved in police case. I guess that will be enough.
:)

Anonymous said...

Hi Roy, Happy New Year, long time, how was your trip??no post updating on that??hope it was a success and you enjoyed....

very sensitive post, totally agree with you,"not even a single person can really feel the pain of losing except for the people whose personal loss it is, rest will sympathise and move on.....

as aptly said, War does not determine who is right - only who is left. ~Bertrand Russell

Roy said...

@ DivKiran

Of course, “chalta hai attitude” is really a big problem still I hope "someday, we'll stride for the better."


@ Aneesh,

“And there should be rules that no one can go to campaign if his name got involved in police case”

Exactly, I totally agree on that.

And abt the education from reputed institute, I don’t think it really any parameter for real education. So many big names in world politics, never even went to school.

Evwen our own, Gyani Zail Sing dint cross high school.

Real education is something different.


@ Sadiya ..

Hey, my trip was cut short due to cold :) It was cool & learnt lots.

Yes, only the dead has seen the end of any terror attack.

Thanks!