It’s A World Of TERROR: EgyptAir Flight HIJACKED!

An EgyptAir plane MS181 has been hijacked by a group of unidentified hijackers when it was on its way to Cairo from Alexandria. According to reports, the plane has been landed at Cyprus after the hijackers contacted the control tower and sought permission for the landing. Nearly 80 passengers, including crew, have been believed to be on board.

With the dawn of 2016, terrorism seems to have taken a new birth too! Not that it had not existed before; oh how can we forget the Paris attacks in 2015, the attacks in India in 2008 and the fatal terrorist activities going on across the world since years! But terrorism seems to be taking a new birth currently, with a greater objective of destroying the world and humanity in general.

So the year began with the gruesome terrorist attacks in Pathankot, India that left many officers martyred. Following the fateful attack, when the country was put on high alert, suspected terrorists with explosives were arrested in certain parts of the country. Clearly, this indicated the planning of an attack, probably a bigger one that intended to kill humans and humanity. Like the previous ones were not enough to cause destruction, fresh attacks have been planned against the world by certain terror groups since years now.

Months after India suffered the Pathankot attack, Brussels in Belgium was attacked recently, allegedly by a suicide bomber, causing immense destruction to life and property. And, like that was not enough to scare people enough, Pakistan too recently faced a gruesome terrorist attack that has rendered many children without parents and parents without children.

While the world mourns in terror for the attack victims, while people are still making rounds of hospitals in Brussels and Pakistan to find their dear ones, here comes another blow in the form of the hijack!

What’s happening around us? While most of us are busy working and earning a fair income for ourselves and our families, how much can we guarantee our life?

India, recently, witnessed the story of Neerja Bhanot, a brave flight attendant, who had saved the passengers of a hijacked Pan Am flight in 1986 through the Bollywood movie, Neerja. While the world witnessed and watched in horror the story of the braveheart who risked her own life to save over 350 passengers on board, here comes the news of another hijack! God be with the innocent passengers and shield them from all dangers!

Terrorism has been taking the world by fire lately! The back to back terror attacks in different parts of the world clearly indicate that we are heading towards a dark future, a world of hatred and violence.

And what is all this done for? Religion? They are right when they say ‘Terrorism Has No Religion’! Because none of the religions in the world preaches violence to its followers! What is done in the name of jihad and God, in reality, is simply a gruesome act of mass killings and murders that do not take the terrorists anywhere but to hell. It is a second thing whether they get caught or not, but, surely none of the souls would be guaranteed peace for killing people, destroying homes and families and murdering humanity.

The entire world needs to unite against terrorism and give a tough fight to it so as to curb it. Yes, it is surely not an easy task to put an end to it but, together, things can be sorted out more easily!

First and the foremost, it is necessary to determine the financial sources of the terrorist groups. Once the sources are found, they need to be blocked as soon as possible. No, it certainly isn’t easy but, it is not impossible either. There are many loopholes in our administrative systems that these terrorist groups take an advantage of to destroy humans and humanity.

Let’s simply pray for the passengers on the EgyptAir flight and for all those who lost their innocent lives in such ghastly terror acts!

Youngsters And Destructive Ideologies: A Danger To The World!

We have all heard ‘sixteen is a dangerous age’ in every individual’s life. In fact, there is even a saying in Marathi that asserts ‘16’ as the most dangerous and destructive age in the life of a person. However, it seems, not only sixteen, but the entire teenage is becoming dangerous and destructive for individuals these days. No, this is not merely what I think! If we check out the crime diaries across the world, most of the crimes are committed by youngsters these days and the entire world is thinking what we can do to stop them!

Since the last few days the news of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit student studying at a university in Hyderabad, committing suicide has been making rounds in the media. While students across the country have made moves to show their support and raise voice, the suicide has now become a political affair. But what took me by surprise was a news report published by NDTV that I read 2 days ago. The report highlighted the suicide of 3 girls at a medical college allegedly because the college did not give them adequate infrastructure and facilities as compared to the heavy fees they charged. The report highlighted the pathetic situation of the students at the college and also the carelessness of the authorities who failed to take action against the college even after repeated complaints by the deceased girls.

Okay, I agree that it is depressing and distressing to not have people paying heed to your grievances even after repeated complaints. It is saddening to watch your parents work hard to pay your huge college fees and experience a lack of even basic amenities at college. But, ending one’s life for this? I don’t think it is justified! I mean, life is precious, c’mon and ending it for a petty reason like this is surely not worth it. The girls could have fought harder, made a union of students and taken more serious steps to get their grievances redressed by the concerned authorities. What did they achieve by ending their lives? Wouldn’t their parents be happier working hard to pay  their fees rather than giving fire to their dead bodies? This is sad!

And this is not the case only in India. If we observe the statistics of crime happening in the world these days, most criminals are youngsters in teenage or twenties. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), considered to be one of the most dangerous terror groups today, is yet another proof of how youngsters and teenagers have been falling prey to extreme and destructive ideologies today.

If we take a close look at ISIS recruitment in the modern times, it is clearly evident that many teenagers and youngsters across the world have been leaving their homes and fleeing to Iraq and Syria to be a part of the terror organisation. Despite being aware of the terrorist activities of the group and the destructive ideology, youngsters are actually finding it fascinating to join the group and create a different identity for themselves.

Be it a failure in an exam or the fascination of creating a distinct identity for oneself, be it love or the feeling of revenge, youngsters nowadays have been employing criminal and violent ways which are a big threat to the world. Our youngsters are our future generations who have are going to have a lion’s share in the prosperity, development and growth of our nation. And, if this extreme ideology continues to grip teenagers, soon there will be a day when the entire nation will become like Syria and Iraq.

So what are we to do? Of course, it is very difficult to bring this behaviour of youngsters in control these days since most of them are heavily under the influence of television and movies, crime shows and, not to forget, peer pressure. But, if parents seek to mentor their children effectively since childhood, discuss sensitive matters with them, there is a chance that such behaviour can be controlled. Also, today’s youngsters need effective counselling which can help them become better citizens of the country.

Dear youngsters, failures are not the end of life. One has to keep fighting for the right. Remember, truth always triumphs. Do not lose hope and, if ever you feel the blues, talk to people. Talk to your parents, friends, cousins or even a stranger or counsellor. Believe it or not, it will surely help in reducing the stress!

Pathankot Attack: What Lesson Have We Learnt?

The recent terrorist attacks at the Pathankot Air Base in India have been in the news for several days now and has shaken the entire country for sure. Whether it is a bomb blast, a gun firing or an attack on the army in any corner of the country, it surely means a loss of many innocent lives and destruction of humanity and peace. The same happened a few days ago when the air base in India was attacked by terrorists who opened fire on the soldiers and commandos inside the camp. Needless to say, the death of our brave soldiers was the biggest loss the nation incurred in this attack.

Terrorism has not been alien to India. In fact, in the past, we have witnessed ghastly terrorist attacks such as the serial blasts in Mumbai in 1993, the 2008 Mumbai local train attacks, the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai and more. Several thousand people have lost their lives in such attacks so far. Of course, these attacks have been condemned by all of us, not only by Indians but by the entire world. But how many lessons have we learnt from them? The Pathankot attack shows it all!

Terrorist attacks, firings and bomb blasts are grave crimes that not only shake a nation but also kill humanity and brotherhood around the entire world. These attacks need to be countered with effective and efficient strategies if we don’t want our innocent civilians and braveheart soldiers to fall prey to them. But following the several attacks in Mumbai and around India since years, we don’t seem to have learnt any lessons. Terrorists are still entering our country along with arms and ammunition and Indian security has failing to stop these attacks. Why?

The major question that arises here is how strong is the security system in India? How prepared are we to stop these attacks, prevent them or tackle them? Investigations are being carried out now to probe the Pathankot attack and establish the flaws in the security system that let the attack happen in the first place. And, the articles that I read about this investigation clearly state that some important clues were ignored by top officials that let the entire thing happen.

Reportedly, one of the police official’s car had been hijacked by the terrorists who used the vehicle to transport their arms and weapons and travel from one place to another. When the police official complained about it to one of his seniors, the senior ignored the clue and asked the police official to go home and come back on duty the next day. This step, reportedly, had been taken claiming that the record of the complaining official had not been good. But, my question here is, even though an official’s record isn’t good, is it right to ignore such a big clue and not even make a single attempt to investigate or look into the matter? Had the clue not been ignored by the senior official, maybe our security system would have been successful in nabbing the terrorists and stopping them from carrying out the attack.

But, nothing of that sort ever happened. Yes, it is brave of the senior official to admit to his mistake and ignorance. But what about the soldiers who got martyred? What about their families, their widows and kids? Who will take care of them? What about us civilians? Do we have any guarantee of our lives once we step out from the house every morning to head to work? How secure are we in our beloved country? The fact is, no one knows the answer! We don’t know when we can be attacked upon, or when and how we would breathe our last. And, this is a grave situation indeed!

Yes, India is a vast country and managing and securing such a huge nation is difficult enough. Agreed! But it is up to our government, whom we have voted for our own security and betterment, to think of the country and ensure that no citizen dies an unfortunate death like this. We have our soldiers guarding our borders 24/7 and the work they do is commendable. No wonder, their job is to protect the nation and its citizen, even if it means sacrificing their own lives. But, does this mean they will continue to lay their lives in every attack and drown their families in grief? Unfair, isn’t it?

And, if we have our soldiers guarding our country day and night and doing their job loyally and commendably, how do terrorists enter our country in the first place? There has to be some loophole in the system that is allowing these killers of humanity to enter the country, kill innocents and serve their purpose. And, even after so many attacks, why is India failing to discover that loophole and cover it up so that such attacks can be prevented in the future. Surely, this needs a lot of attention and consideration, doesn’t it?

Some people are requesting free basic internet services, but I think finding out this loophole in the system and tightening the security throughout the nation is our prime need!

A salute to all our brave martyrs!

After Every Attack, Only DPs Change, Terrorism Doesn't!

Okay so all of us active on Facebook might have noticed this trend that seems to have charmed the youngsters of today quite too much. After every terrorist attack or even a natural calamity that hits any country of the world, DPs or Display Pictures are changed by applying themes to them. The main idea behind this, they say, is showing support to the affected country and praying for them. But is it really so?

First and foremost, a major chunk of people change their Display Pictures just because they are trending and, many of them, actually do not even know the meaning or reason behind it. Simply because their news feeds are brimming with newly changed Display Pictures of friends and colleagues, many people have been applying these themes too and putting up the DPs merely as a trend and style.

And, my main question is, what happens when you change your DP? Is that the only way to show support and offer a prayer for the people fighting the difficult situations in their country? Personally, I don’t think so! If one simply wants to offer a prayer, we can sit in silence for two minutes, think about the innocent victims and pray for their safety and rehabilitation. What is a DP change going to do? Instead, why can’t all of us collectively think of the ways in which we can curb terrorism and fight it to bring it to an end? That would be more productive, isn’t it?

I am not in opposition to any country or people. Neither am I in favour of the ISIS or terrorism in general. Of course, all of us simply want terrorism to come to an end so that people all over the world can lead happy and peaceful lives! But, I don’t think changing one’s Display Picture is going to help in any manner to bring the situation in control. Instead, we can try helping the victims in some ways or the other so that it can benefit them in the real way instead of simply adding a few colours to our Facebook account.

And, by the way, how many of us had changed our pictures back in 2008 when terrorists had struck Mumbai? Or how many of us change our Display Pictures to show love and support to our soldiers who die every day on the borders guarding and protecting us? Why is this so? We can show our support and prayers to France but not for our own country, is it? Has anyone ever thought of applying our tricolour theme to their Facebook DP every time a soldier becomes a martyr on the LoC? Well, we need to ask these questions to ourselves!

4 Armymen Killed On LoC Today! We Have No Idea What We Are Losing!

The news comes as a great loss to the country! Three armymen were reported to be killed on the LoC (Line of Control) in Jammu and Kashmir when a fierce gun battle broke down with terrorists in the state. Another armyman is reported to have been killed in a separate encounter in the same state. Surprisingly, not many must have known this news by now since our media doesn’t list it as an important issue, enough to be reported as a BREAKING NEWS!

While going through the headlines on the website of NDTV, I found this headline that was, of course, not a part of the top news reported in bold characters. Every day, every month and every year, we lose countless such soldiers to terrorists and gunbattles which the media and the government don’t consider as a great loss. May be because people don’t know what they are losing! While the suicides of farmers have become a common issue in various states of the country, the loss of soldiers is taking India to a deadly situation!

It was way back in 1965 when Lal Bahadur Shastriji gave the slogan of ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’. The slogan, since then, gained huge popularity and also made its way to the textbooks of school children. But has our government ever thought about its worth? Or has our media ever recognized the efforts that these bravehearts put in every day so that we lead a happy and safe life? If they would have recognized the worth of these brave and commendable souls, their efforts would have been appreciated and their plight would have been thrown light upon. However, it is really sad to see such a news of national relevance being reported secondary to other news and that nothing has been done to enhance their situation by the government over the years.

Most of us do not have our friends or relatives working in the army or navy so we remain unaware about the conditions that these brave souls live in every day! However, it is a matter of fact that soldiers have been suffering countless hardships while defending the country since years and nothing significant has been done by the country to uplift their condition and make their life better. Many movies have been made explaining the plight of soldiers, but to vain.

Life on the LoC is not an easy task at all! When the room gets too cool, it is our obvious reaction to turn off the air conditioner, isn’t it? Can you imagine how our soldiers live in extremely frozen conditions, in temperatures that sometimes go up to minus 60 degrees? Yes, it is not at all an easy task! Mountaineers or those who have trekked to a snow clad mountain at least once in their life will agree with me on this. They do not get leaves to go back to their towns and visit their families; some of them have to leave their pregnant wives at home and have not even seen their new born even once. An altitude that offers numerous hardships other than freezing temperatures does not even make fresh food available for them. This is the condition that our soldiers live in today!

I had read in numerous articles that the Siachen is one of the most treacherous borders of India that has the worst and most difficult climatic conditions for human existence. However, we still have our army deployed here at a height that can degrade a human’s health to unimaginable extent. Also, while terrorism and attacks by neighbouring country armies is always a threat to their life apart from the difficult conditions, there is always a fear of glaciers coming down to the soldier camps that may cause our bravehearts to sacrifice their lives!

Yet, no light has ever been put on the hardships they face on the borders or no efforts have been made to improve their lifestyle whatsoever! In fact, the media puts the news of our martyred soldiers somewhere in the clutter of lesser relevant news. Isn’t this a shame for our country?