Terror in Mumbai

As I was watching a movie, last night and randomly switched to another channel, the news of Mumbai totally shook my senses.

It almost was like another movie at play. The images of blood, destruction, fire, and chaos made one feel as helpless as the police forces there. The unused guns in the hands of our police looked like toys in the midst of the weapon of a rather young terrorist but his gaze was like he was obsessed with an inhuman ghost. My body was tense as I watched the image of a police van driving in firing shots at people gathered in curiosity and a man fell down and I think he lost his life to curiosity.

Finally the tears fell as the news flash about the death of Hemant Karkare was confirmed. A few minutes earlier, he arrived at the scene and calmly placed his communication gadget in his pocket, tried the helmet and then wore the bullet proof jacket that did not seem to good enough to protect the officer. As he walked into the scene bravely, the image faded into what was only the mouth of death.
Three officers were dead within minutes and no one can tell us what happened inside to take these men away from our midst but India owes more than homage to the commitment of such men of valor.
If the images disturbed me so deeply, I imagined the plight of the family who watched their dear one walk into the dark tunnel of death. Do any one of us have the heart to send our loved one into the jaws of death.

When we question our police forces and the men in the army, let us remember that these men have done what one of us would not do. If they are not prepared for the attack or lost in the hands of terror, it is the organization and the system that has to be blamed but not on any individual policeman, officer, or chief. I sense their helplessness through the images as they try to win over this situation which is yet not over.
The truckload of army men were sombre and I wondered what would go their minds before they entered the hotels not knowing what waited for them. They could walk into gun shots, bomb blasts or fire but they knew that their mission was to try and save those inside. The life of another was more important than their own life. I do not know if I could ever do that for anyone. Can you?

If a small group of terrorists can make puppets of a huge force, the design and plan of such an attack questions our ability to protect our nation and counter terror. Let us not raise questions in front of our idiot boxes but look beyond news flashes and our instant reactions.
What will it take for us to think and act responsibly in the wake of such terror?