Total Gain

It was a perfect Sunday morning of November. I was busy with one of my friend suggesting him on his wedding suits, for which we were at a Karol Bagh shop. The sudden blaring of sirens brought all of us outside, where the huge police presence had already gathered a curious crowd. On little enquiry, we found out that one of the shopkeepers has called police on the suspicion that the unattended and unclaimed scooter standing in front of his shop may contain a bomb. The police came with all the preparation, along with a bomb disposal squad and two sniffer dogs. They were getting ready for their operation when the silence of the crowd was broken by voice of a man, who was arguing with the policeman responsible for cordoning off the area. The man was none other than the owner of the scooter involved in the incident. As the actual situation became clear, the tension in the environment eased up and within a few minutes the people carried on their business as usual. Everybody had a word of appreciation for the shopkeeper's vigilantism and attentiveness towards his surroundings and for the quick and appropriate response with which the police reached the location and took charge of the situation.

But there was something else which caught my attention. It was the spirit of the people and their true resilience which fascinated me. We all have seen that how Media showcases the resilience of the people of the cities affected by the terror strikes, which according to me is more of indifference than the resilience. Their duty towards their loved ones compel them to be up and running, whenever some terror strike happens. But this was different in more than one ways. The alertness of the shopkeeper showed how we have learned from our past indifferent attitude and are more proactive in handling our responsibilities. The swiftness of the police action went on to reassure us as a society, that we have an active security apparatus that functions effectively. And at last the returning of the people to their routine lives within no time, showcased the carefree attitude of the people, for which we are renowned worldwide. The word "Carefree" should not be confused with "Careless". And this word justifies its position here as the caution and confidence were visible at the same time. India being the land of GODS, is extremely blessed. We have not become skeptic about our beliefs in the multicultural, multi religious and multi-lingual society. We live together not in spite, but along with the differences in opinions, practices, methods, beliefs and rituals. Its highly fortunate that we do not share the paranoia of the west, where a beard would invite hostile glares and comments in a public place, where every person with a turban would be linked to Afghanistan, where the entry of the professionals will be restricted to their own disadvantage just to satisfy the deep fear within. Indians as a society as well as a nation have responded well to various terror strikes. We have evolved from every crisis, more articulate, more enduring, more resourceful and more united. We are on a right path for defeating the terror and terrorists ultimately.