The real tribute to the martyrs

2008-12-04T12:34:00.008+05:30

After a number of policemen died fighting terrorists in the recent mumbai terror attacks there have ben a series of events where citizens have come together to pay a tribute to them by lighting candles and writing what they feel for the martyrs on sidewalks etc.. It is very heartening to see people come out on the streets and show what they feel for those who defend our country. Just yesterday I saw another such peace march in Pune. A large group of about fifty students had come together on a very busy road at the evening rush hour and were lighting candles. At first I saw students standing in a single file on the sidewalk with candles in their hands, and I appreciated the effort they were making. But I went further into the square and the picture was different. The students had made a large crowd which was spilling over the sidewalk almost upto the middle of the road, a bus was trying to push through whatever gap was remaining between the crowd and the divider, the signal had gone green and there was a pile up of vehicles behind the bus blocking the whole square. The students were completely oblivious of the inconvenience they were causing and were busy in chatting or talking over cell phones. To top it all some of the students had set fire to large sticks instead of candles and were shaking them vigourously in the air and dangerously close to the passing traffic. This carelessness we show was also obvious in the way the electronic media was reporting during the mumbai crisis and how onlookers were making the job even more difficult for the police by gathering at the scene of crime despite being warned and thus creating another security hazard. Is this the kind of tribute we should be paying to our heroes? The emotions behind the whole thing were sincere but the careless implementation shows that the need of the day is realizing our duties and responsibilities as citizens, basic responsibilities like not causing inconvenience to traffic or risk the safety of others through our actions, obeying traffic rules, showing consideration for people on the road etc... Our war heroes didn't die so that we would gather in large crowds to pay tribute to them and cause inconvenience to everyone around, but they died so that we would be safe, so that we would become responsible citizens and so that in the future so many lives won't be lost in defending the country. And when this happens, that will be a fitting tribute to those who died for our safety. Read this blog Civil Obedience

Peace of mind

The real tribute to the martyrs