I know this sounds a little crazy, but there is some amount of truth in this craziness. Long ago, may be a year ago, I had come up with a post on how spider man inspires me. Today, at this time of terror and violence, it’s another super hero who inspires me. A super hero, THE DARK KNIGHT, BAT MAN.
26\11\2008. One of those days, which we don’t even wish to be one of those nightmares that spoils our sleep. However, reality is quite tough and hard. What happened on 26\11\2008 in Mumbai would be a single nightmare haunting many people who were directly and indirectly effected by this. It would remain etched in our memory as long as we live and may be after that.
Mumbai. A city I would hate to forget. My father stayed here until he retired from job. I spent my early childhood here. We stayed in the Mumbai chawl. Typical tenement was common Gallery,large 12-18' x 10' room, followed by smaller Kitchen with Bathroom(Mori) at the end with Tap for water.Common Toilets were norm.There was no provision for underground water tank and Water supplied by BMC did not reach overhead tanks due to lack of pressure,so storing water in big drums was necessity. Tenement were small so there was no space for residents.You use home to bath,eat food and sleep.Rest of the time you have to be out of the house.So groups were formed according to age and each group had its meeting place.During holidays and vacation half the day was spent in company of friends. With plenty of time on hands you indulge in games-cricket being favorite,but we played Kabbadi,lagori and Marbles.Carrom was very popular,and Table Tennis on small wooden bench.There was no TV, so Radio Ceylon with Binaca Geetmala was hot favorite.
Chawls are unique for Mumbai and are responsible for cosmopolitan ,liberal ,tolerant culture of Mumbai. Everyone took part in Festivals. I dont remember being asked not to play or not to mix with low caste people.We were aware of the caste but it had no place in our day to day life.This has given Mumbai its unique character.
Sadly, this is quietly deteriorating. Thanks to our own Sena’s and non-Sena’s. However, what happened on 26\11\2008 surely, tested this uniqueness of Mumbai, once again.
Operation Black tornado, Burning hotels, gun sounds, grenade blasts and scattered bodies. Over 188 dead, 293 injured, broken dreams and pieces of hearts all over. The aftermath of this incident was unusual. The patience of people has been tested and it has broken all the dam. Anger just rose like tsunami and two countries were on the verge of war. Frankly, when the first terrorist was captured, I told my friend, “gosh! Is it the beginning of 3rd world war?” I have no doubt in my mind that the 3rd world war will not be fought for land, oil or water. It will be against terrorists. Terrorism has evolved as the single most powerful entity threatening the human existence. If this war is not won, then each day ,we survive unhurt ,successfully till we fall on bed, would be termed as ‘a miracle’.
However, ‘WAR’, is not as easy as said. We know what happened to the most powerful country in the world when they went on war with terrorism and ended up invading lands with false intelligence reports of weapons of mass destructions. This led them to bankruptcy and created more enemies.
What we need to understand is that terrorism is not a country. You cant invade a country and win over terrorism. Terrorism is more of a theory. It’s everywhere. Declaring war on Pakistan would explode it, living us with an Afghanistan at our border, which we don’t want to have.
Infact that’s what the terrorist look for. A terrorist is a JOKER. Perhaps when you are angry, you fail to understand what it really means. Bruce Wayne( Batman) pushes the bad men. However, Alfred( his loyal butler) tells him exactly why he was wrong.
Bruce Wayne: Targeting me won't get their money back. I knew the mob wouldn't go down without a fight, but this is different. They crossed the line.
Alfred Pennyworth: You crossed the line first, sir. You squeezed them , you hammered them to the point of desperation. And in their desperation they turned to a man they didn't fully understand.
Bruce Wayne: Criminals aren't complicated, Alfred. Just have to figure out what he's after.
Alfred Pennyworth: With respect, sir, perhaps this is a man that *you* don't fully understand.
Terrorists don’t want anything in return. They just want to instill the fear in us, that’s all they want. By pushing Pakistan to war, they would loose their focus on afganisthan and join hands with them to fight the war. This is worst. We cant let them off hook this easily.
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Alfred Pennyworth: A long time ago, I was in Burma, my friends and I were working for the local government. They were trying to buy the loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with precious stones. But their caravans were being raided in a forest north of Rangoon by a bandit. So we went looking for the stones. But in six months, we never found anyone who traded with him. One day I saw a child playing with a ruby the size of a tangerine. The bandit had been throwing them away.
Bruce Wayne: Then why steal them?
Alfred Pennyworth: Because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
You can kill a terrorist by burning down a country, but we cant kill the terrorism because it’s a theory which would come up in another country, may be our own country. They don’t look for anything but fear in other’s eye and want the world to burn. We cant let that happen.
The Joker: [to Det. Stephens] Do you wanna know why I use a knife? Guns are too quick. You can't savor all the… little… emotions. In… you see, in their last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way, I know your friends better than you ever did. Would you like to know which of them were cowards?
We have seen bomb blasts in train and markets. None of these resembled what happened in Mumbai, wherein these terrorists went on firing spree on crowd in front of all the security. This shows that they have upgraded their techniques. They no more hide and attack. This makes things very serious. This shows how vulnerable, inadequate and pathetic our intelligence is.
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The Joker: The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules!
The Joker: See, I'm a man of simple tastes. I like dynamite… and gunpowder… and gasoline! Do you know what all of these things have in common? They're cheap!
Terrorists don’t have rules. Perhaps, this explains why our NSG took time to end the saga. We have rules. We just cant let the hostages die because of us just because we want to end it. This is why they terrorists have an edge over our police, army or NSG. We have rules, they don’t.
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The Joker: You'll see, I'll show you, that when the chips are down, these uh… civilized people, they'll eat each other. You see, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.
Perhaps, this is what the terrorism is all about. The just brought two nations on the verge of war and despair. They just wanted to show the world how desperate we could get when the chips are down. However, I am proud today, considering how the situation was handled. We didn’t consider all the knee jerk reactions and dealt with it pretty well. I know its too soon to say this. But by not giving into terrorists motive’s, we have begun well.
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Batman: Sometimes, truth isn't good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.
Can our politicians take something out of this. People deserve something more than truth. It’s the faith in you politicians and cops that needs to be rewarded. Our intelligence have failed us badly.
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The Joker: You have nothing, nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all your strength.
This is true with terrorism as well. You can threaten a person. You cant threaten the idea. You need to get it out of the roots.
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Harvey Dent: The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming.
Perhaps people of this country should believe in this now, more than ever before. Because it’s the hope that keeps the candle of life burning all day and night.
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Batman: Then why do you want to kill me? The Joker: [laughs] I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, NO! No. You… you… complete me.
Batman: You're garbage who kills for money. The Joker: Don't talk like one of them. You're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak, like me! They need you right now, but when they don't, they'll cast you out, like a leper! You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these… these civilized people, they'll eat each other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.
Batman: Where's Dent? The Joker: You have all these rules, and you think they'll save you.
Terrorism will test us all time and again. However, we cannot allow it to win. When the chips are down, we need to make sure that we show our resilience and bounce back with our head held high.
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Bruce Wayne: People are dying, Alfred. What would you have me do?
Alfred Pennyworth: Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They'll hate you for it, but that's the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice.
I know a lot of people think that enduring something is bad and cowardly act. No its not. We need to endure few things , to act at the right time in a right way. We cant go on war and put our freedom at stake by going on war with a country.
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[the Joker has rigged two ferries to explode, one filled with prison inmates, one with ordinary people, giving each ferry a detonator and telling them that one has to blow up the other, or he'll blow up both of them]
Tattooed Prisoner: You don't want to die, but you don't know how to take a life. Give it to me; these men would kill you, and take it anyway. Give it to me. You can tell 'em I took it by force. Give it to me, and I'll do what you shoulda did ten minutes ago. [Scared, the man hands over the detonator. The Tattooed Prisoner throws it out the window]
This again explains the difference between the Asian emerging super power and US. When US was attacked, they went on war, and almost went bankrupt creating more enemies and lot to think. However, we showed the world how we handle our 9/11. We cant afford to give up all that we have worked for. We cant give up what we have. Surely, we are afraid, but we cant give up to the terrorists motives.
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The Joker: [to Dent/Two-Face] Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it. You know, I just… do things. The mob has plans, the cops have plans, Gordon's got plans. You know, they're schemers. Schemers trying to control their little worlds. I'm not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how, pathetic, their attempts to control things really are. So, when I say… Ah! Come here.
[takes Dent's hand into his own] The Joker: When I say that you and your girlfriend was nothing personal, you know that I'm telling the truth. It's the schemers that put you where you are. You were a schemer, you had plans, and look where that got you.
[Dent tries to grab the Joker] The Joker: I just did what I do best. I took your little plan and I turned it on itself. Look what I did to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets. Hmmm? You know… You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go [makes air quotes]
The Joker: "according to plan". Even if the plan is horrifying! If tomorrow I tell the press that, like, a gang banger, will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all part of the plan. But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds! [Joker hands Two-Face a gun and points it at himself] The Joker: Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair! [still holding the gun, Two-Face pauses and takes out his coin]
Two-Face: [showing the unscarred side] You live.
The Joker: Mm-hmm.
Two-Face: [flips, showing the scarred side] You die.
The Joker: Mmm, now we're talking.
Terrorism doesn’t have any plan. It’s a crazy freaking idea. The main aim is to create fear, uneasiness and make people fight among themselves. Some people give up and take up to terrorism listening to their fake sense of pride and power.
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Batman explains to Two-face why the Joker had lied to him.
Batman: [about the Joker] He wanted to prove that even someone as good as you could fall.
Two-Face: [bitter] And he was right.
A terrorist will test every man and every country. We need to have faith in what we are and go on with our work. We cannot give up.
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Batman: [to the Joker] What were you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone is as ugly as you? You're alone!
The people in the ship decide against blowing up each other and thereby they let the joker know that they are united against him. We have to fight this terrorism together. We cant blow up each other and start another war simply because we have worked very hard till date to reach this place.
We need to be resilient and prove that terrorists are alone.
In fact, the Indian Muslim community rejected to bury these dead terrorists in their burial grounds. This shows how lonely the terrorist are.
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Batman: What did you do?
The Joker: I took Gotham's white knight, and brought him down to our level. It wasn't hard. Y'see, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little… push. [laughs]
We need to be very careful when the chips are down, because this is exactly when we are the most vulnerable and take worst decisions.
In the end batman saves the joker from falling.
The Joker: You just couldn't let me go could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly are incorruptible aren't you? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness, and I won't kill you, because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever..
Batman: You'll be in a padded cell forever.
Good and bad will always go hand in hand. We cannot allow the terrorist to create a battle field where we fight against each other. We cant just kill someone just because they belong to a particular cast.
Perhaps, it is known that the muslim community in the J and K are tortured by few. They should understand that just because of the act of few, we cannot corrupt ourselves. We blame or kill the entire community. We should stop having misplaced sense of self-righteousness and stop playing God.
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In the end,
Batman asks Lt. to get the dog’s chase him and he run’s away.L
t. James Gordon's Son: But why he is he running?
Lt. James Gordon: Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.
Yes, the good ones will always be blamed. When we blame the cops, intelligence or for that matter any cast or creed we should be careful that we don’t target it against the entire community. There are good and bad people in all of us. Yes you be called coward if you don’t return a blow with blow. However, it’s important to understand that an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. I salute the martyr’s of 26\11. They are the real hero’s. The silent guardians, a watchful protector.
THE DARK KNIGHT.
