It was going to be just another weekend I spent at the news room, things moving slower than the weekdays. But God said "No"!
The clock stuck 6 and there was panic in the room. Television monitors fitted on the walls beaming various channels started disseminating the "panic words".
Blasts, one after another rocked Indian national capital New Delhi. The news room came alive. Suddenly from nowhere hustle and bustle started in the nearly empty room.
Visuals of shattered stalls, charred bodies started pouring in along with "official bytes" and statements of panic stricken eyewitness. As time passed by, panicked channels first reporting four simultaneous blasts at different parts of the capital "confirmed three".
Amidst all these reports about declaration of "Red alert" and "security tightened up" started pouring in. Statements of the police officials were there to substantiate them.
When I stepped out of the office, one of my colleagues prescribed me to look for an "office cab" and to avoid the public transport system. "It's not safe now". One of the blast sites comes on my way to home. But my instinct pushed me to take the public bus either.
"I will get a chance to look at the actual situation. "
I prepared myself to pass through the many security checks, answer to questions of the security personnels, to get caught in panic jam and even to be an eye witness ( or may be one of the victims!) of another blast that might take place.
But in contrast to what I reported, roads were empty just like it happens on any weekend. I saw people strolling in the parks just like...I did not have to pass through a single security check and consequently not to answer a single question from the alerted security personnels. In fact there were not single security personnel seen except for those in the blast site.
Except that Police stopped me from going near the dreaded spot (I did not feel like using my identity card to force an entry). But in spite of the terror strike, there was no trace of terror anywhere. And also no one to stop or prevent any attempt that there can be later.
When I reached home, I found the news channels beaming the terror words which I failed to trace on the streets of the national capital.
I prepared myself to pass through the many security checks, answer to questions of the security personnels, to get caught in panic jam and even to be an eye witness ( or may be one of the victims!) of another blast that might take place.
But in contrast to what I reported, roads were empty just like it happens on any weekend. I saw people strolling in the parks just like...I did not have to pass through a single security check and consequently not to answer a single question from the alerted security personnels. In fact there were not single security personnel seen except for those in the blast site.
Except that Police stopped me from going near the dreaded spot (I did not feel like using my identity card to force an entry). But in spite of the terror strike, there was no trace of terror anywhere. And also no one to stop or prevent any attempt that there can be later.
When I reached home, I found the news channels beaming the terror words which I failed to trace on the streets of the national capital.
I choose to switch over to a movie channel.
"I am also a part of the MST (MACHINE SELLING TERROR)."
Comments
in mumbai i was caught outdoors during the floods. And while it was hair raising, the attitute of much of the people on the roads who were stranded was "f*** it". there was almost a funeral kind of humour that prevailed. Yet, the next day on the news all we saw was misery.
Good news does not sell :)
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