In Memory...

Today was full of heart rending television scenes of funerals of the fallen soldiers. My heartfelt condolences to the families of all victims of the Mumbai terror attacks. But I am reminded repeatedly of something I read-

God and the soldier
All men adore
In time of trouble,
And no more;
For when war is over
And all things righted,
God is neglected-
The old soldier slighted.

Change…Can We?

As the drama on television draws to a close, “Operation Cyclone” has been termed successful (if we really can call it that!). As our leaders shamelessly make an issue of everything, the question is, were the lives lost over the last 3 days warranted? We unashamedly talk about the unbeatable spirit of Mumbai. It is not an unbeatable Mumbai, Delhi, or Jaipur spirit. It is actually the compulsion of life itself. Do people like us have any other option than to return to our normal work and lives?

We as a nation have a short memory and life goes on. Indians are used to putting up with worthless politicians and inefficiencies in all spheres of life. Terror attacks, the flooding of our biggest cities, and many other situations like these could be averted if only we were not, collectively, a country of non performers. All analyses said and done, things will change in the real sense only when all of us change our ingrained attitude towards work. I understand what John Gardener meant when he said:

“The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because philosophy is an exalted activity, will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither its pipes not its theories will hold water.”

Literally true in our case, isn’t it??

P.S. I wonder where the coward Raj Thackeray and his bully sena are hiding. Does he have brains enough to figure out that the officers involved were from all parts of the country (not just Marathis) struggling to save fellow humans (including Marathis)?