Beyond The Point of No Return

'The Point of No Return' is a term used in Air Force which refers to a point in a mission after which a pilot cannot return without completing the mission. This point is usually plotted in the enemy territory. Once a pilot crosses this point, its a 'Do or Die' situation. He has to either kill the enemies and then return or NEVER return.

Today, Mother India and we, her children have crossed THE POINT OF NO RETURN, not by the virtue of choice but by the force of destiny. I guess RabindranathTagore had never imagined this twist of fate..when he wrote "India's Tryst with Destiny.." Yes India's Tryst with Destiny began long ago...we were proud to have broken free from the shackles of British regime without realizing that it was just the beginning of the test. I believe that we are in a worse situation than what we were in, half a decade ago. We have only ourselves to blame for this. We took our freedom for granted and we continue to do that. The Independence Day has shrunk into a mere holiday we look forward to after our tedious days of chasing money. It’s a shame that we, today, stand on that very soil where our freedom fighters hoisted the National Flag after paying a price with their blood and we shiver with the fear of a terrorist attack even as we hoist OUR flag on two significant days.

I always thought that those Sons of Satan were the cowards...but I was wrong...it is WE who are the cowards. They come...they go on rampage...and after their dastardly acts cease temporarily, we boil with anger...within a few days our attention gets diverted back to the Sensex, the CAT and what the IIMs are doing...the gruesome pictures on the front pages are replaced by figures of the packages the IITs and IIMs get or the graphs of Sensex or maybe the 'one and only' sport of India...cricket..in which we try to satisfy our needs for vengeance by defeating our neighbour. Then once again 'they' come and go scot-free and we watch them dumbfounded and after they are done, our blood boils once again till the next sensational news appears on the headlines.

What is the point of screaming that "we will not let them go..we will get out on the streets and tell them enough is enough!” These immature reactions look worse than a caricature. What are we going to do going on the streets when we don’t even know how to use a pistol to shoot down a light bulb?!! It is ridiculous to exhibit pseudo-bravery by trying to face those guys who have ace weapons. And getting them killed is no victory either because they come here prepared to die...in fact they take pride in it by calling it 'sacrifice'.

Once the damage is done..It’s done. It is not killing them but preventing them from doing what they do, that can be considered as an achievement. Let us accept this first and then think practically what can be done.

I have been pondering over this problem for a few days now and I think I have a lead..it’s not an absolute solution but a lead to start thinking on. We don’t need to sacrifice our life or join the army or give up the comfort of a family life to fight against this. Fighting terrorism does not necessarily mean going and standing in front of the terrorists. There is something each one of us can do even while following our own vocation. Engineers and technically trained people should try to involve themselves in R&D of new technology instead of running after investment banking! Not that it is unimportant..but doing what you are good at and trained for rather than focusing on monetary benefits can prove extremely helpful to our country. And yes..these men will definitely require the funds to conduct research...that is when our financial experts can come in. Instead of waiting for the government to generate funds, these activities should be undertaken privately...and I am sure that each one of us will have something to contribute no matter who you are or where you are from. We talk of sacrifice...if sacrifice is what you want to do then sacrifice your selfish desires and change your outlook towards our country!

I hope to see a day when we will hoist our National Flag fearlessly.

Jai Hind!!!