My Non-Cooperation Movement

The other day I received a very interesting SMS. It said:
‘Terrorists do not come only in boats
They also come asking for votes’.

Even though this is purely topical and might soon prove nonsensical, I’ve decided to store it in my mental quote bank. For right now it seems to be a desperate cry. Of the silent majority of the Indians! We all know that both these kind of species thrive on the fuel of publicity. And who better to fan that fire than the media.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a grieving martyr’s father’s ire in Bangalore was not personal but directed against a superfluous political drama. I can’t even pretend to imagine what the family of the sacrificial lions in uniform must be going through. So all that spirit of mumbai jumbo can go take a hike. After every blast we just cannot don on our famous chalta hai robes and assume normalcy in our lives. Not after a tragedy of this magnitude! Therefore each citizen, irrespective of the fact of whether they have lost a child, a parent, a friend or a relation and irrespective of their geographical locations, should take out some time. To grieve. To feel violated. To feel angry. And to make a national resolve to combat terrorism! There should be absolutely no place in our lives at a period like this, to start our famous blame game. That in any case is the prerogative of our leaders.

It's a shame that even beore the embers of the Taj had died down, the political picnic has already begun. Inside the burning hotels, the Staff was trying to redefine our famous Indian hospitality by forming human shields so that the guests could escape. And outside, the leaders were busy scoring political points. Even while our soldiers were proving as graceful advertisements for our nation, our politicians were busy demonstrating themselves as hoardings of disgrace.

While heads are being rolled, the ‘terror tourism’ of the Taj continues. This, apart from the usual tu tu main main of the BJP blaming the Congress, the Congress blaming the Intelligence, the Intelligence blaming the Security Agencies, the Security Agencies blaming the Mumbai Police and Everybody blaming Somebody. Wonder when we will ever be able to put our nationality before our political, occupational or religious differences. Wonder when we will learn to accept our mistakes. As from our neighbours, all we need is a little cooperation. Is that too much to ask? Especially since both the countries are now powered with a ‘newk’ind of deal that guarantees the forfeiting of more innocent lives. Just in case some wise heads do decide to think otherwise.


While one Indian flag is now ensconced in the heart of the moon, another was planted in front of the Gateway Of India. Both swirl with the winds of change. If one denotes a revolutionary victory the other spells a monumental tragedy. I just cannot put into words my feelings as I watched the Taj billowing in smoke. Only then did I understand what the Americans must have felt when the Twin Towers came crashing down. It is said that when your heart is on fire, smoke gets in your eyes. But of course my vision was very clear that day. And yet for the first time in my life I was watching the News Channel with clouded eyes. It felt like a condensed replay of what India would have gone through all these centuries. A country, seeped in glorious traditions, rooted in rituals. Raided. Invaded. Plundered. Ravaged. And yet withstanding all that and more. The Taj will be rebuilt. Just like our nation was. But with the bricks of some awful memories! So if the Taj Mahal is the symbol of love, the Taj Hotel will now stand as the symbol of resilience.

Who says terrorism does not have a religion? It has. Just like every other believer’s act of faith has an innate spirit, the terrorist’s every deed of dedication has an inbuilt sensationalism. If the rest of the world believes in God, this not so misguided soul believes in the Devil. If the rest of the world believes in Good, this cold- blooded fanatic believes in the Evil. His ideologies are hollow. They are irrational. Mindless. Senseless. Unfounded. As for his philosophy- well, all I can say is that it is different. Radically different!


The least we can do is to realise once and for all that the face of a country is not that of the Parliament’s alone. It is the face of every ordinary citizen like us. If we only know too well that votebank politics is a sure shot recipe for national disaster, we should also know better than to stop depending on our leaders and learn to plan our own menus. If we only know too well the toll that terrorism takes, we should also be willing to forsake some of our liberties and our hateful ideologies. If we only know too well that it is nearly impossible for us to face a determined group of maniacal militants, we should also be willing to go through the fuss and the fiddle that requires a nation to be safe. If we only know too well that Frankenstein’s global monsters are already on the loose, we should also be willing NOT to weaken the hands of the law so as to indirectly strengthen some trigger- happy hands.

And if we do not agree to all of the above, we have to live with the fact that it is always the common and the innocent man that is going to be cut down again and again. What kind of a freedom is this anyway, where our leaders can fearlessly continue to play musical chairs while the common tax paying man is afraid to even step out of his house.

So, will I vote this year? Yes, I definitely will! That is my right. But not for anyone in particular. There is an option in the ballot paper that says- ‘I vote for Nobody’. That would be where I will stamp my approval. I know my whisper of a Nobody vote will be lost in the cacophony of the other more meaningful symbols. But this is my silent revolution. And however utopian it might sound I will cast my vote and continue to dream. Hoping that one day this antiquated Nobody government, which seems to have lost its archaic spine, will finally give way to a new one which can make Everybody feel safe.

So for the time being I am making a big investment. Not in the unpredictable stock market. But in the promising youth of our country. And the day they deliver my dream, I will again cast my vote. And hope that then it will count. Till such time I will continue with my Non-Cooperation Movement.

This is a time for a collective grief. Not an opportunity to whip up passions and create a cocktail of bitterness and divide. And if we take this gruesome incident and use it to create a civil war or even transcend it to just another of those clichéd elevens, that would be like an insult. Not only to the targeted innocents but also to the true martyrs of our country.
Jai Hind!
(Originally posted at sulekha.com)
© Nargis Natarajan., all rights reserved.