Blasts at Varanasi

Blasts at Varanasi

The main aim of such attacks is to create fear in the minds of people and spark communal tensions. The sites chosen for the blast stands testimony to this. The best response by the people is to stay calm without reacting to such provocation. It is much easier said than done as the seeds of insecurity that have been sown may have a domino effect.

The support of the goverment and the people to those affected can mitigate the risk of further communal clashes. It is very important for the politicians to express solidarity and help people in distress than starting a blame game. It is time that our politicians acted more responsibly than attributing the blasts to Bush or Howard's visit when the issue is much deeper than that. When the whole nation is waiting for the claimants to make a statement, irresponsible comments from respected people is very comdemnable and does not help to defuse the situation.

The government must come down heavily on the groups behind such attacks. It is very worrisome to see many such attacks taking place in the last few months. This will create fear and insecurity progressively. The security system in place should go for a review as the situation is changing fast.

Let us hope that those responsible are brought to justice and the fears of people are allayed, while we pray for the departed souls to rest in peace.

Read the articles from rediff

http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/08up4.htm

http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/08up3.htm

Past two weeks

Well, I am still trying to bring myself up to the task of writing my experiences. I have the time (nothing better to do) and I have the good intention (what a revelation !!)...For the last couple of weeks I have been trying to read a few pages of 'Points of View' by Somerset Maugham. It is a collection of five essays written by Maugham. The task has not been simple, considering that my reading habit has been on the decline. I started with Maugham's views about the three novels of Goethe, an eighteenth century German poet. Maugham draws parallels from Goethe's life and cites the reasons and inspiration for his novels. From the essay, it appears that Goethe, during most part of his life had this habit of falling in love very often and mostly with women who were already engaged or married. Maugham's adds more to this. He also suggests that Goethe's work may not seem interesting today as the setting and the public opinion of those days were different and writing has undergone radical changes since then. I will write more about this essay as a separate post once I complete it.