And so, after more than 2 days, the Mumbai horror is over. Maharastra chief minister and almost all TV channels claimed the NSG's operation as a great success and all that bullshit. But let me ask you this - would you call it a success? I mean, didn't we lose nearly 200 lives, including 15 security forces just like that? Did we at any point think we won't be able to kill or capture those gunmen? Well, any man with a brain would have known that it was a matter of time and any man with a heart would have worried about losing lives to terrorists than anything else.
What really puts me off is the way the news channels behave - absolutely irresponsible. First of all, I felt they were utter nuisance to the security forces with their nagging questions. Or should I say like hungry monkeys in a banana plantation? How many more terrorists inside? Are you sure? How many more NSG commandos coming in? Sorry? 300 more? The commandos who finished the operation at Nariman house - are they going to Taj again? Really? Don't they need rest? Well, I guess, these men think they are as good as, if not better than, the people who were carrying out those dangerous operations. If they asked me, I would have said, why don't you just go inside and find out yourself.
Second, they helped the criminals by airing the whole operation. Insane, isn't it? All that the news channels want to make is money and name for their company. I used to think that these were responsible people who are here to serve their country and society. Well, you can hang me for making such a blunder.
Just imagine this: In the final stages of the operation Black Thunder (wasn't that the name) at Nariman house, one security person was trying to find if there were more gunmen from outside. I didn't quite understand what he was doing. He had a long pole with something attached at it's far end (perhaps a mirror) and placing at the window. And our smart reporter, as though had just won an Olympic medal, exclaimed, "These are live pictures coming to you, exclusively on our bloody channel. As you see, these men have to be extremely careful and ensure that no more gunmen are inside. These security men are experts and they use these stealth methods blah blah blah". Just imagine something like this, of course in a voice with an accent and not-so-good English. I only hope that I am not the first one to tell that bonehead that it wasn't a secret any more and that the whole world, including the terrorist network, knew that by then.
But let me tell you this. These people are really creative. How about their captions for instance? Mumbai on war or India's 9/11 or War over, for now. How about their tickers with the death toll and time since it started, just like a cricket update? How cool is that? How about their Breaking News? RDX found! No RDX found! RDX found! To these jokers, a rumour is as good as a news. I don't know if these blokes hold any special degree on journalism. But weren't they told that any responsible citizen, let alone a press person, must verify a news or rumour before spreading it? Such a shame, isn't it?
Oh, anyways, it will all be over in a day or two and the TV will get something else to chew about. And perhaps, we will forget soon too. These things have happened too many times to remember. And I am growing older as well. But what about those who suffered? Their lives have taken a severe beating - just like that.
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