Will India stand up; show a little moxie

The spineless killing of two Indian soldiers and the mutilation of their bodies at the border by the Pakistan army personnel has caused much outrage across the country. As concern turns into anger, there is a growing perception that we Indians are losing the resolve to assert ourselves even in the wake of extreme provocations by our impish bedevilled neighbour.

The same Indian administration, that often responds with water canons and police force on its citizens on home turf, seems to have a Job's patience in matters involving Pakistan which is living up to its reputation of being a rogue nation.

From renowned personalities to commoners, all have expressed their disgust on television channels and called for the country to react strongly against the inhuman killing of our jawans and show a little moxie.

Recently, when the Pakistan cricket team visited India it was seen as a positive step towards improving neighbourly relations. But this macabre incident of mutilating Indian army personnel has undone whatever iota of hope that was rekindled.

Many people have alleged that the Government of India did not react on time or rather went into a slow motion mode while dealing with such a grave and sensitive matter that violated the basic spirit of civilized existence and the Geneva Conventions.

My personal belief and experience is that when you react, make a noise, then only you stand a chance of being heard and things getting sorted out. I would like to mention four incidents that I had written about earlier in these columns that had a positive effect.

First, I had written about the unavailability of the AED (automated external defibrillator) machine in 5 Star hotel gyms. After writing about it, I received emails from almost all the 5 Star hotels saying that they had initiated the process of getting the AED machine or had placed procurement orders.

Then, I had mentioned about the Dunhill shop incident in Delhi and Bangalore. People who go out for shopping with an eye on brands in these two cities would know very well that both these shops aren't operational any more.

Third, when I wrote about Café-Coffee-Day and its shoddy service, I got an email from the company's head office in Bangalore saying that they had addressed the issue and even invited me to be there.

Finally, I had written about how the air hostesses of Indigo Airlines kept the life jacket on the floor while demonstrating the security drill. I was surprised to find that during recent flights the air hostesses in the same airlines were no longer placing the jacket on the floor of the craft during the security demo. When I asked an air hostess about this, I was told that they had received an internal mail restraining them from keeping the jacket on the floor of the plane due to reasons of hygiene.

I am not claiming that because of me these changes have come into effect. The point that I am trying to make is that if you do not react, how can you expect any change.

In the same way, if the Government of India expects Pakistan to behave they must react now. It is already late and the country's patience is running out. India has been tolerant to the extent that many think it to be a weak nation.

Wonder when will the real India stand up?

ess bee