Dear Terrorists, You have Succeded.

Disclaimer: This article has been written in the wake of the tragic Hyderabad blasts. It does not intend to hurt the feelings of any person or organization. I do not intentionally mention 'caste' or 'community' because I do not believe in them. This post merely seeks to convey and register a voice of protest against consistent terror strikes, in a manner that functions somewhere between satire and sarcasm.

Dear Terrorists

Many Congratulations!!!

You have once again conducted a brilliant strike against all odds and have successfully executed your designs. As of now, about 15 people have been killed and around a hundred others injured. The number of those who are slowly succumbing to their injuries is gradually rising and despite India's state-of-the-art hospital-care, they are giving up on their cherished, satisfied lives. The time and place of your strike was commendable too- it aided in inflicting the maximum damage by putting in, the minimum effort. However, I wonder why you chose to stay away from a city of larger importance. In case you guessed it wrong, I meant Delhi. Every other city in India is taking care of itself. Mumbai has its own brand of terrorists who help you out by scaring away North Indians, East Indians and couples in love. Kolkata is currently being led by a dispensation which runs on the whims and fancies of its firebrand chief minister. Hyderabad is already in shambles owing to strikes for statehood and a few openly aired venomous opinions. At this point, Delhi would have been the best place to attack- Nothing major has really happened there since the Gang rape, Has it? Moreover, the city is crowded enough for you to get your point across. Yes, the excessive security may have been a problem but it doesn't take a genius to understand that those renowned metal detectors and CCTV cameras, which go off on the slightest hint of a noise, can be easily handled. Additionally, going unnoticed by the superbly managed 'Intelligence' agencies and striking at the 'Heart' of this nation would have been orgasmic, No?

Anyway, India has fallen to its knees but it will live. Our intellectually gifted political class, the extremely efficient bureaucratic system and the quick and responsive judiciary would ensure that. The 3 C's of our existence have been put to work yet again- Condemn, Compensate and Continue- The blasts have been condemned, compensation to the victims will be announced and finally we shall continue with the regularity of our monotony. Nevertheless, Dear Terrorists, you need not feel disappointed. You have registered beautiful victories in your ventures over the years. This war on India was launched many, many years ago and today you have succeeded! Don't believe it? Well, let me give you a brief description of your achievements. Maybe that'd help boost up your sagging spirits.

Success 1- You have created a deep-rooted fear psychosis in the Indian society. When a woman steps out of her house today, she has to guard her body from rapists and her life from terrorists. A child has to make sure that his tiffin box or his teddy bear is not stuffed with something other than sandwiches or cotton. A man has to resist facing those horrendous strokes of luck which lurk around every nook and corner. I would not bore you with those long, forgotten stories of how mothers lost their children and how people lost their livelihood. I would also not bother to narrate the sagas of heroes, who died as martyrs. Rather, I would appreciate you for turning this nation's psyche into an amputee. We have ceased to think and act. All we have become good at doing, is either seeking asylum in our 'Great' culture or praying desperately to our 'Omniscient' God- neither of whom come to our rescue. Whenever we are slapped, we talk of Tolerance. Whenever we are dragged, we speak of Non-Violence. Whenever we are killed, we build a temple and move on. Let's face it, you have successfully killed the conscience of this nation. You have turned sisters against brothers, religion against religion, state against state and people against government. Today, we are a heavily-armed but scared country. The tanks and missiles which we proudly display during our celebrations, fall flat in our faces when it comes to citizen protection. We are afraid to move about freely without the shadow of rape, torture or murder crouching around us. We have become a country, dipped in the fever of death. What else do you need?



Success 2- You have helped display the glaring inefficiencies and discrepancies of the World's largest democracy to the World. In fact, it wouldn't be incorrect to state that you have effectively served as a mirror of our deeds. We knew our intelligence system needs an overhaul, but its failure has acquired such a grave extent, was unknown to us. We were aware that our security agencies were a little slow to respond, but their state of absolute dysfunction was totally hidden from us. While you were busy plotting your next attack, our governments were busy squabbling over encroachment of state rights. A move as strong as NCTC was opposed on flimsy grounds and party-specific salvos were fired. You, dear Terrorists, have succeeded in exposing the massive proportion of our deficiencies. When we try to overcome them, cupboards open and skeletons emerge. Shady deals, nefarious designs and corrupt means are brought into public view. That is when we end up realizing that the terror you spread, is Nothing as compared to the systemic terror that we spread. You can only kill, kidnap or murder - We on the other hand can extract the human soul, slice it into digestible pieces and yet not attempt a burp.


Success 3- You have doused the fire of 'Unity and Integrity' which India always stood for. There was a time when relations were formed on the foundation of mutual respect and trust. Today, the bases have shifted to the 'R' word. Oh! Religion, I mean. Did you not understand? Terror has found association with a name, a skin color and even a certain God. No matter how much we boast of the "Terror has no Religion" superlative, but, a man with a long beard and a woman with a hijab is most certainly a suspect. The distrust does not go unnoticed- It has repercussions. False charges, indictments, and riots result, which are either put down with a heavy foot or they become a food for political patronage, for times to come. A man with a long beard states, "He and his fanatic mates would kill a lot of people if the police is removed". Another man with a bald head and a balder mind responds "We killed you earlier. We will kill more of you". You have emphatically created an environment of hatred and injustice. Religious fanatics are being born everyday. They are being trained to kill for their God who either does not exist or does not interfere. Elections are being won on the grounds of 'who caused the least violence' or 'who appeased the most'. The subtle thread of Unity which bonded this country together is steadily developing knots of majority and minority. In this world of commodified life and commercial death, do you think you need to do anything more?


Now that you have grasped the true reality of our shoddy existence, I suggest you conspire a little more carefully the next time. Strike a larger city. Hit an area of importance. Or simply plan multiple strikes across multiple cities. You have done so before, haven't you? A repeat wouldn't harm. We anyhow, won't identify you, catch you or execute you. To the utmost, you'll be hanged after a decade and that too seems quite improbable. A few political parties will certainly register opposition to your hanging. To top it, human right watchdogs will issue ultimatums. In other words, you will stay safe and will be handled with care.

On that note, I, as a citizen of this successful country but failed nation, greet you again. Congratulations! May your God perform no more Malala-like miracles and help you hand out destruction in large proportions. Kudos!!!