Monday, December 8, 2008

ಕನಸುಗಳ ನಗರ ಕುರಿತು ವಿನೋದ್ ಮೆಹ್ತಾ ಬರೆದದ್ದು...

ಔಟ್ ಲುಕ್ ಸಂಪಾದಕ ವಿನೋದ್ ಮೆಹ್ತಾ ಮುಂಬೈ ದಾಳಿ ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಂಬೈ, ಲೆಪೋಲ್ಡ್ ಕೆಫೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಮುಂಬೈಕರ್ ಗಳನ್ನು ನೆನಪಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಬರೆದ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಬರಹವಿದು. ಸುದ್ದಿಮಾತು ಓದುಗರಿಗೆ...

Ah, Bombay...
Falling to the mother of all security lapses

Could this be happening to the "city of dreams"? Our very own Mumbai? The city is no stranger to terror attacks, but the scale, audacity, flamboyance and planning of this assault takes one’s breath away. As the faces of anonymous, but not hooded, assassins flashed on TV screens, one thing became quickly clear. These gentlemen were looking for maximum exposure in maximum city. And what a spectacular success, from their perspective, the operation has been. Will Mumbai ever be the same again?
As an ex-Mumbaikar, I was reared, physically and intellectually, at one of the terrorist’s first targets: Leopold Cafe. In my time, it was a slightly shady, downmarket eatery patronised by hippies and harlots. My interest lay mainly in the mutton dhansak and dodging the gaze of the Parsi owner whose temper was legendary. He preferred his customers to eat and scoot. And my preference was long lunches and chatting up the better-washed female hippies. The Oberoi and the Taj were second homes. It was at the latter that my first publication, Debonair, was launched. Remembering the generous spirit and cosmopolitan character of Mumbai and its magnificent landmarks in the past tense may be a trifle unfair to a city which has suffered horrendously through terror assaults, but always displayed a remarkable capacity for fast recovery.
Although I have been living in Delhi since the early ’90s, I left my heart in Leopold Cafe. All of which shows that my heart, if nothing else, is in the right place. While our politicos indulge in shouting matches on Islamic terrorism or Hindu terrorism, India bleeds with terrifying regularity. How could close to 20 (if not more) terrorists, armed to the teeth with Kalashnikovs and hand grenades, casually enter a metropolis heavily guarded and heavily warned? How could they get into world-famous hotels, which allegedly are on high alert currently, and leisurely prepare and execute their diabolical deeds? This is the mother of all security lapses.
Our intelligence-gathering network is in a shambles. The tragedy is that everyone, even Ramu the cook, knows how rundown IB and RAW are. Why didn’t these assassins, the harbingers of global terror to India, strike at London, Paris, New York, Sydney? Why did they specifically choose Mumbai? No prizes for coming up with the correct answer.
All of us ex-Mumbaikars can only shed tears for our beloved town. Coming home late on Wednesday night, my wife whispered: "They’ll hit Delhi tomorrow." Or Bangalore or Chennai. Though it didn’t materialise, the original decision of the Prime Minister and L.K. Advani to go together to Mumbai was a good beginning. But I fear the unity won’t last long. Soon we’ll be back to the nasty Afzal Guru-Sadhvi slanging. I hope I am wrong.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

ಸುದ್ದಿಮಾತು ಬ್ಲಾಗ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಸುದ್ದಿ ಬರಬಹುದೆಂದು ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿಸಿದ್ದೆ. ಬರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಅದ್ದರಿಂದ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾಪ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿರುವೆ.
ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್೯ರ ವಿ.ಕ.ದಲ್ಲಿ ಚುನಾವಣೆ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮುಖಪುಟದಲ್ಲಿ ವರದಿ ಬಂದಿದೆ. ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ದೆಹಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪುನಃ ಅಧಿಕಾರ ಹಿಡಿದ ಶೀಲಾ ದೀಕ್ಷಿತ್ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ’ಶೀಲಾಯುಗದಲ್ಲಿ ದಿಲ್ಲಿ’ ಎಂಬ ಸಬ್ ಟೈಟಲ್ ಇದೆ.
ಶೀಲಾ ದೀಕ್ಷಿತ್ ಆಡಳಿತ ದೆಹಲಿಯನ್ನು ಶಿಲಾಯುಗಕ್ಕೆ ಕೊಂಡೊಯ್ಯತ್ತದೆ ಎಂದರ್ಥವೇ? ಮತ್ತೇನೂ ಅರ್ಥವಿದ್ದೀತು. ಶೀಲಾಯುಗ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಏನನ್ನು ಸೂಚಿಸುತ್ತದೆ ಎನ್ನುವದನ್ನು ಪದಗಳ ಅದಲು-ಬದಲು, ಕಂಚಿ-ಕದಲು ಎನ್ನುವ ಭಟ್ಟರೆ ವಿವರಿಸಬೇಕು.
ಇದೇ ಸಂಚಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ’ಸ್ಪೂರ್ತಿ ಸೆಲೆ’ ಮುಖಪುಟದ ಎಡಕಿವಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾಗಿದೆ. ಅದು ಹೀಗಿದೆ. ’ಸಮುದ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಬೀಳುವ ಒಂದು ಹನಿಯನ್ನು ಯಾರೂ ಗುರುತಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಅದೇ ಕಮಲದ ಮೇಲಿನ ಒಂದು ಹನಿ ಮುತ್ತಿನಂತೆ ಕಂಗೋಳಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ನೀವು ಮಿಂಚಬೇಕಾದ ಜಾಗ ಯಾವುದೆಂಬುದನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸಿರುವವರು ನೀವೇ.’
ಇದೇ ಹೊತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂತಹ ’ಸ್ಪೂರ್ತಿ ಸೆಲೆ’ ಆಕಸ್ಮಿಕವಾಗಿ ಮೂಡಿ ಬರಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ. ಮುಂಬರುವ ಲೋಕಸಭೆ ಚುನಾವಣೆಗೆ ಮತದಾರರನ್ನು ಜಾಗೃತಗೊಳಿಸುವ ಪುಣ್ಯಭೂಮಿಯ ಕೆಲಸವನ್ನು ವಿಕ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ಹೀಗೆ.
- ಪರುಶುರಾಮ ಕಲಾಲ್

Anonymous said...

higondu kanasu ide. adre adu brame anisutte. yakendre tavu madidde sari, tmmade ella sari ankondiro jana nage patligu olagagutare.

adu kannadada beleyuttiruva suvarna news channelnalli.

belagge adre saku news nodona anta hodre news consantrate badalu anchor ante nanu lokesh arakalgudu
rash driving, 120 km speed no brake nothing.
tourcher news nodoke. idella suvarna chanel avarige gottaggalwa. or morning time yaru news nodalla adake.

hige adre channel enagatto.

sorry for saying it.

Anonymous said...

Karavali yalli shirama sene emba goondagalu aadalith amadtiddare annodu durantada paramavadhi anistide. Yakandre `Karavali ale' paper iro angadigalanella dhwamsa madtiddare. Goodangadi, pettige angadi itta jeevanopaya kandukonda amayakara mele dowrjanya esagi avara angadiya swattanelle nasha madtiddare. Karana enu gotta? Ale hindu virodhi patrike anthe.
Adre Journalist association mounavagide. Yakandre adu kooda cheddigala sangha aagi hogide. Adu Hosadigantha krupa poshitha sangha... Patrike mele heege dowrjanya nadedaru adu khandisuttilla. Ramana hesaru ittukondu ravanana aadalitha nadestiddare neecharu.... idakke konene illave....

Anonymous said...

yake 3-4 dinadinda update agilla? nimagu suddi bara bante? madyamagalalli sakastu suddi idde. toi kannada tablaied madtarante. vk yalli 12.5% sallary cut madutarante? E kate swalpa nodi