I think I was in 8th standard, my sisters were in 6th and 3rd - some short circuit, some sparks and kids ran towards the ground. Rumour said it was a terror attack, some said armed men have held us hostage and a few kids are badly wounded. It was all rumour though, but the entire school was shocked and assembled in the ground. And my eyes frisked the ground trying to locate my sisters, and they found me and we three were together.
I recollect back in September 2008, I was in Gaffar, Karol Bagh moments before the serial blasts in Delhi, me and my younger sister were in metro when we got to know about the blasts. We turned back to CP to catch up with our youngest sister and reach home at 11. It was a curfew at 8 pm. ITO's traffic signal that has always been choc-o-blocked was quite, and we quite had made up our mind that there is gonna be no conveyance today, we might have to walk home. The biggest accomplishment that day was that three of us were together.
I have grown up with terrorism as a way of life, just like a road accident or a heart attacks. Whenever I heard a minister delivering a pompous speech on anti-terrorism, I would think of whether this man knows about people entering metro premises without being frisked? Does he know that at this point we are not hitting the root of terrorism, a tragedy that could have been avoided to create a terrorist?
Let's talk about Taliban, there is no good or bad Taliban, they are men with Guns teaching boys to hold guns. Do not let them flourish because beyond all righteous and not-so-righteous is humanity that says COEXIST. Pakistan, your Taliban (your good Taliban) does the same with us what Peshawar attack Taliban (the so called bad Taliban) did to Army Public School Kids. Those kids fought solo, by stuffing something in their mouth, or by acting dead, they did a great job. But they could do it only because you were camouflaged by the dead. Can we just be alive and not be shielded by something?
Pakistan I am sorry for your loss, and my heart goes out for the families who have lost their loved one. I am sharing some words of Gulzaar
अपनी मर्जी से तो मजहब भी नहीं उसने चुना था,
उसका मज़हब था जो माँ बाप से ही उसने विरासत में लिया था,
अपने माँ बाप चुने कोई ये मुमकिन ही कहाँ है, मुल्क में मर्ज़ी थी उसकी ,
उसका मज़हब था जो माँ बाप से ही उसने विरासत में लिया था,
अपने माँ बाप चुने कोई ये मुमकिन ही कहाँ है, मुल्क में मर्ज़ी थी उसकी ,
न वतन उसकी रजा से वो तो कुल नौ ही बरस का था,
उसे क्यों चुनकर, फिरकादाराना फसादात ने कल क़त्ल किया
उसे क्यों चुनकर, फिरकादाराना फसादात ने कल क़त्ल किया
Author's Note: As far as my encounter with terrorism is concerned, it seems that it is my sole responsibility to protect myself if a terror attack happened. When one does not have a choice, all one can do is to bravely declare it as a sole responsibility because yes, I fear next time it could be me - point blank at a terrorist's radar. And for the love I have for people close to me I do not want to imagine any loved one in such a scenario, so sorry I will stop here than to elongate that emotion.
