Mumbai Blasts

This was a little disconcerting on all fronts. A number of questions raced through my head.

1. How could after a parliment attack in Dec 2001, India be so woefully unprepared with the placement of the commandos?
1. Why should it take 9 hrs for commandos to get there?
1. Why on earth should there be only one unit based in one place for a country as large and populous as India?
and many more (and yes, they're all 1 because they're all screaming questions).

That said, after the initial 60 hours of gruelling, just by 10 people, we now have a situation where we're not doing anything. The reason the ISI or whoever keeps coming after us, is because theres a ridiculously poor response to an attack. Right now - theres a woeful lack of leadership in India. I heard there were protests in India with the slogans " A country of Lions lead by a a leadership of donkeys" (I paraphrase) - but the quote is such an accurate depiction of most of the leaders in the country today.

I don't know what to say at this point. I feel so helpless (for the lack of a better word) right now. I really wish I was in India. I wish I could be putting together some sort of team - a leadership team of sorts, to start a grass roots movement. May be not now, but in 5 years time, we could be in a better position to demand from our leaders, or put better leaders in place, or perhaps be leaders ourselves?

All that though - starts from the individual. The more I think about it, the more I believe that each individual that starts thinking about the betterment of their surroundings, starts talking to their friends and neighbours and starts forming groups and networks is what will be required to get a better country. It seems so simple - but when you put a diverse group of people - who's first thought on their minds are - how am I going to earn my lunch today - it gets immensely difficult.

The middle class per se - is already caught up in the material wealth gaining - so the middle class turns a blind eye, and when nothing else - bribes its way to what they need. We need to stop doing that. We need to ask for better leaders - and we need to start making sure that our kids can become better people!