"Come on India.....Dikha do......"

This exhortation is not to be confined to cheer up the Indian cricket team during World Cup cricket. For me it is a battle cry that should rattle throughout my motherland. India is encountering the most severe blows it had for decades in the form of militant terrorism. Mumbai was an easy target and their choice was far more symbolic. It was clearly meant to defame India's growing reputation as an investment friendly destination and thus hit hard at the core competencies of Indian economy. They wanted to convey to the international community that India is no longer a safe place especially for Britons, Americans and Jews. They wanted to defeat the very concept of INDIA as an embodiment of secularism and democracy.They wanted to wipe off the country's history , present and future in one shot as Mumbai represented all of these. The India Gate is India's edifice of heroism, Taj and Oberoi hotels represented the nerve centres of India's economic ambitions and the paranoia effect that the blast created has arrested the hopes and aspirations of India's youth.

The coordination and sophistication of the attacks were more than enough to suggest that it had external links and patronage. Given the size of our country, it is practically impossible for our security forces to be vigilant at all places at all times. But of course, Mumbai was a strategic location and it should have been observed more closely.The familiarity and ease with which the terrorists were operating clearly points at our security lacuna as it is apparent that they have surveyed those places before either in person or virtually through a detailed satellite image or map of the area. When our commandos were finding it difficult to move around in dark on account of smoke inside Taj hotel , the terrorists were doing the same very confidently which indicates that they were well -informed of the layout of the building. The precision and style of attack also suggest that it involved at least a few months of extensive planning as well as training and it is very unfortunate that our intelligence agencies did not get even a small clue.

Other than security lapses, the Mumbai carnage has revealed the shameful collapse of governance in Indian states. Mumbai has been always notorious for its active night life attributed to underworld. State machinery was never keen on nipping their menace in bud and were often alleged to be facilitators of their heinous crimes. It is a wake-up call for India as these underworld dons are an easy prey to the baits set by terrorists and we cannot rule out the possibility of them being used by terrorists to provide local knowledge. Politicians never dared to stand against them for fear of retribution and in fact most of them received generous donations from underworld tycoons in lieu of closing eye on crimes committed by them. What we have just witnessed are the wages of sins of administrative incompetence and political malfeasance of our representatives in power. They are too busy playing communal cards to ensure their seats in future that they cannot be bothered to think about the long term interests of the nation. Unless and until our politicians and bureaucrats stop gambling with the country's destiny, the country is not going to have a future.

India always used to be a tough nation and extreme measures has to be resorted when the time demands. From being a perpetual victim of terrorist strikes, India has to be prepared to deal with terrorism more effectively. India has paid enough price for being a soft state. We can't afford to be like this anymore. Enough is enough. Our security forces have done a commendable job in flushing out terrorists from their hideouts in an encounter lasting more than 60 hours. Let us salute these valiant heroes who have fought their best risking their lives. Let us also pay homage to those brilliant officers who lost their lives while performing their duties. Let us also not forget the sacrifices made by the hotel staffs who shielded their guests even while enduring bullets themselves. Can we see this noble gesture anywhere else in the world? And that's what India stands for and again that's why I love my country as much as I love my mum.

The security forces have done their part and now the ball is in our courts. Do we have the audacity to flush out all those inefficient, divisive politicians and bureaucrats and cleanse the soul of the nation? Will the Mumbai episode be a watershed event that charts out a new political landscape. It is still possible, if only we exercise our fundamental right of adult franchise with caution. We should never allow anyone with a criminal track record to adorn our offices. We should be able to resist the temptation of giving or accepting bribes . We should never allow our public policies to be coloured by caste and religions. I am sure all those who love the country will give heed to my battle cry.."Come on India...dikha do.."

(Photograph used is taken fromTimes of India online editionCopyright © 2008 Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved)