I do hope that you will find this topical for early publiction. Kindly acknowledge receipt. Best wishes. Averthanus _____
ANGER AND HATRED ABOUND. Averthanus L. D'Souza. The dastardly and clinically executed attack on Mumbai (and on India) by a professionally trained and stone-hearted terrorist outfit has understandably outraged the citizens of this peace-loving and tolerant country. Media reports, particularly on national TV channels have outdone themselves in reporting the anger and the resentment which is felt by all citizens, without exception. In the aftermath of such a massive tragedy it is therapeutic for some people to vent their anger and frustration in public. Hopefully, this will also serve as a safety valve for the pent-up anger of those who can only vicariously give expression to the hurt and numbness which lies deep in their hearts. Under certain circumstances anger is a normal response. But under no circumstance should anger be allowed to determine the future course of action to cope with a tragedy. By interviewing people from all walks of life on TV and conducting "public discussions," the TV channels are, perhaps, carrying out their objective of disseminating the news as they see it, but there is a danger that these TV channels might lose their objectivity and become partisan as seems to have happened in the wake of the Mumbai blasts. The impression that one gathers from viewing the footage and the discussions is that some of our TV channels are being less than fair to the authorities who had to cope with a tragedy of unprecedented proportions. To blame them for being "unprepared" is accurate only up to a point. To condemn them is unfair. Urban terrorism is a new phenomenon for which even "advanced" countries have proved to be unequal. The attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York caught the American security system completely by surprise; as did the attack on the Pentagon, and the train bombings in Madrid, in London and in Tokyo. We seem to make comparisons with these events without acknowledging that those Governments and their Intelligence agencies were also caught completely unprepared. It was only after the attacks that those Governments began to upgrade their security apparatus. The Government of India could not have been expected to be any better prepared. It is only after a number of similar attacks that the Security Agencies are able to discern a pattern and to make reasonable projections about the nature of future attacks. It is indisputable that our Governments are totally unprepared to handle urban terrorist attacks. Multiplicity of agencies, lack of sharing of information, non-existence of coordination in the processing of intelligence reports are only some of the faults that have become evident from the analysis of recent attacks. A knowledgeable person who was interviewed on TV emphatically asserted that the handling of the Mumbai attacks could have been more effective had there been a clear "Command and Control" Centre in existence. We are always wiser in hindsight. The important lesson, however, to be learnt from the Mumbai experience is that urban terrorism is an activity for which "professionals" are rigorously trained for long periods of time. Let us not delude ourselves that every citizen who has suffered from the fall-out has a technical or organizational solution to offer. It is one thing to give vent to our anger and frustration, but it is quite another thing to proffer advice to the "professionals" on how they should do their job. A certain restraint seems to be called for in public airings by TV channels. Also to be borne in mind is the reality that the media (specially TV) has its own unique role to play; but this does not include becoming a platform for protest - specially when the protest is unfocussed, inadequately informed, diffused and vague. Unfortunately, our local/national TV channels did not distinguish themselves in the course of reporting the tragic attacks. One small example is the fact that a TV reporter repeatedly announced that she knew the number of casualties in the Taj Mahal Hotel, but that she was not going to share this information with the viewers. There might have been good reasons why the casualty figures should not have been disclosed; but it was inappropriate for her to repeatedly insist that she was not going to reveal these figures even thought they were made officially available by the Hotel and the Security authorities. Anger and frustration is understandable, but emotional outbursts do not contribute towards finding solutions to the problem. India's TV channels should refrain from becoming the platforms for protest, specially when these protests are incoherent and unfocussed. The Security Agencies should be allowed to make their assessments of the attacks and to identify their own failures - organizational, communication and adequacy of response - and bring about necessary corrections to ensure that they do not repeat their failures in future. It should be borne in mind, that urban warfare is a completely novel method of destabilizing countries for which regular armies are not trained. Under the circumstances it seems more appropriate to prevent terrorist attacks rather than to concentrate on means and methods of facing such attacks. Reactionary strategies have proven to be unsuccessful all over the world. What is required is more intelligence surveillance, better data processing and analyses and a political willingness to take preemptive measures. Above all, it should be acknowledged that terrorism is fuelled by ideologues without regard to nationality, religion or culture. Greater public awareness of the dangers of narrow nationalism or cultural chauvinism and the promotion of toleration and compassion will do much to counter the senseless violence which the world has witnessed in recent times. Intolerance and hatred, whether it is fostered by a rabid Hindutva ideology or by a crass Islamic fundamentalism, needs to be countered by a better understanding of both Hinduism and of Islam, neither of which encourages violence or intolerance. Military problems are often solved by the use of political means. Hatred cannot be eliminated by bombs or bullets; but only by greater love and understanding. Mahatma Gandhi's example of Ahimsa and Satyagraha has become even more compelling today than it was in the throes of India's struggle for independence. Jai Bharat. Averthanus L. D'Souza, D-13, La Marvel Colony, Dona Paula, Goa 403 004. Tel: 2453628