Once again....the blasted bombs

Friends, I published the following in Intelligent Pune issue of Sept 19. It is of general interest and has been penned by a noted economist - Udaya/Vinita

ONCE AGAIN
Shreekant Sambrani
Once again, serial bomb blasts rocked Delhi.
Once again, they were in crowded places, at evening time.
Once again, people like you and I, out to shop, to take a stroll, whatever, died.
Once again, the bombs were assembled with readily available local materials.
Once again, the perpetrators sent mocking mails within minutes of the blasts, from hacked wi fi connections, which ended in a cold trail.
Once again, the usual suspects were named: Indian Mujahideen, SIMI, Huji, Al-Qaeda fronts...but nary a suspect identified or nailed.
Once again, some bystanders provided enough clues to make identi-kit pictures, which could fit a million individuals.
Once again, check-posts and vigilance at all exit points failed to nab the perpetrators who vanished into their safe house as fish in an ocean.
Once again, ambulances wailed their way through to crowded hospitals, where overworked staff took on the onerous tasks of saving the critically injured.
Once again, we counted the incidents and the dead and said that in incidents, we ranked behind only Iraq and Afghanistan, and in the number of dead, behind only Iraq, as if they added to our meagre sporting or other wannabe-great-power achievements.
Once again, the President, the Prime Minister and the many Prime-ministers-in-waiting condoled the victims' survivors, condemned the "dastardly acts of a few cowards," and appealed the people to remain calm and not to blame a whole (unnamed) community for the acts of a few misguided individuals.
Once again, the high and the mighty of the land visited the hospitals as soon as they could find time from their more precious tasks and wearing duly doleful expressions, promised ever increasing dollops of blood money.
Once again, the pathologically pathetic joke of a Home Minister voiced his impotent outrage in between change of clothes, promised to get at the perpetrators, who he said, would be punished as per the provisions of the law of the land.
Once again, the opposition leaders fulminated and blamed the government for being soft on terrorism and demanded reinstatement of POTA.
Once again, the government apologists listed the acts of terrorism in the previous regime and cited the freeing of terrorists in jail for the release of the Kandahar hijack victims and condemned the then External Affairs Minister for accompanying them.
Once again, the talking heads of the media roared like some blood-and-thunder Odin and put on display victims of earlier blasts, like a deformed beggar brandishing his stumps of limbs in supplication.
Once again, the intellectual and cultural giants of minorities who never miss an opportunity to protest injustices to their communities large or small, voiced only feeble regrets if any at all, about those summarily executed by the terror blasts for the crime of being in the vicinity without a trial, fairness be damned.
Once again, self-proclaimed experts cited the "success" of the Patriot Act and Homelands Security in ensuring that no terrorist attacks occurred in the otherwise much-frowned upon U S of A, without mentioning that the Great Satan of Islamist jihadis has no Muslim population to speak of to provide the ocean for the fish to swim away in and its borders against such possible infiltrators are secure.
Once again, the talk is of the inevitability of such incidents in a liberal, multi-cultural, polyglot democracy, wedded to protection of minorities, where identifying a fanatic terrorist group which has owned up responsibility for the bomb blasts by its religious affiliation is anathema, because it could violate the human rights of those who practice it.
Once again, the dead don't matter, you see, for having died, they are no longer human and thus have no rights!
Sic transit Gloria Indica!
Jai Hind. Mera Bharat Mahan.

The writer, an economist, was a Professor at IIM-A and the Founder-Director of Institute of Rural Management, Anand. He comments frequently on political, social and economic issues in major newspapers."-- (This article appeared in Intelligent Pune weekly tabloid on Sept 19, 2008)