A Prayer for love…

The other day I saw a debate on a talk show on TV which I found quite interesting. The topic was “One year post 26/11: Is India a safer place?” I know.. thought provoking. Thats exactly what encouraged me to watch people’s thoughts and opinions on it. I won’t go into the details of the show since thats not my motive. I’d rather have this talk with you and find out what we think about it.

The terrosist attacks at the Mumbai Central railway station, The Taj Hotel and The Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai are still fresh in the memory of the entire nation even after a year of their occurence. Never before had a premier city of the country – the exact center of India – been targeted with such raw might. I mean the entire episode had such an unreal feel to it, as if we weren’t watching the news channels covering bullets being fired at the police and at the people on the streets, but the making of some action movie. It was really hard to imagine that it was actually happening to people like you and me not too far from our safe and secure homes!!

I can’t even think of imagining what it must be like to be in their place. To leave a family, friends and home behind and stand with a gun in your hands and just one thought in your mind – protecting the lives of fellow countrymen, all of whom are strangers to you. I am patriotic, truthfully I am. I mean, I feel agitated if someone passes a remark about India that is in any way dis-respectful and I oppose and defend my country against such people even if they happen to be my closest friends. I stand at attention when I hear the National Anthem, no matter where I am, when I am, with whoever I am. I pray for the army and the soldiers’ safety during terrosist attacks and, God forbid, during times of war, but I know I don’t have the guts to leave my worldly ties behind and go out there and take a bullet in my chest……… and I know many of you there are just as me.

But among many of us are such individuals also who have it in them. Who can and will walk the road of no return. The road on which every step is marked with blood. And they do it for us. People who they’ve never seen, who they don’t even know exist. Just imagine the amount of love they have for their motherland. Enough to sacrifice the love of their birth mothers, their wives, their children. I feel my throat choke, and my eyes fill with tears even to think, say or write these words and I salute the men in green with all my heart and all my might.

They are great souls. They are brave men. I know that people all over the world feel the same for their armies and their soldiers. But I just don’t understand why people don’t see that there would be no need of armies and no one would die if we stop fighting. No blood would be shed, no families would get destroyed if we just try to live with compassion and mutual respect. I don’t understand why the people in power foster hatred and ill feelings for the want of more power. When everyone is dead, who will they exercise the power on? Dead bodies?? Or over lands filled with blood… or on people who are alive on the outside but whose souls are dead inside…..

And I don’t understand when we will stop putting such people incharge of our lives. I don’t understand when we will stop getting instigated by their statements. When we will stop fighting other humans and taking their lives just because someone said we should. Who the hell gave the power to this someone to decide what we should do and who we should stand against. I don’t understand why we make it so damn easy for one person in power to rule our minds and bend our frustrations against someone else, or in our country, even against the very land, the very country we live in. How can he be so ignorant of the fact that the very house he puts up in, is situated on a small peace of land which is a PART, a very small part of the country he is instigating the people against. He wouldn’t even have a home, food or a family if weren’t for the country he lives in.

How can we let an old and fake person, who would be nothing without his so called “supporters”, tell us who should stay where, do what, wear what, eat what and everything else? Such old, fake men have families too. And I would love to see their pain if someone did the same to them. I really wish that someday their “supporters” see that they are being treated as dumb asses and being led on the path to self destruction and all only because of the old man’s want for worship. Because the old man thought he could be God.

But the old man, and all others like him forget, that God is watching. Yes everyone has to die one day. And everyone has to face the consequences of his deeds. And when that day comes, they will have no one to blame but themselves. And then, maybe, the “supporters” will be able to see the blood on their hands and their souls. The tears of families they destroyed without reason, because of their foolishness. Because of their wrong judgement and their weak will. Where will they go to seak salvation then? When they stand in-front of the same God to bow their heads, how will they confront Him?

I wish they see all of this. I wish God could give them the insight and the will to stand with whats righteous. I wish all of us have the courage to do what is good and right. And pray for those who do it for us, who protect us against such ill willed people. I wish the blood-shed be stopped and people’s hearts be filled with sympathy and love instead of hatred. Only then will we be able to call our country and the world, a safe place to live in…..

‘Hey Eeshwar.. Ya Allah.. ye pukar sunle……..’

Amen.