The purpose of terrorism lies not just in the violent act itself. It is in producing terror. It sets out to inflame, to divide, to produce consequences which they then use to justify further terror.
-Tony Blair
Terrorism is not just a huge word to describe but also has an exceedingly large expanse to deal in. This topic is not new to anyone in the world, and for an Indian, it has never ever gone to the back seat. It has been a prevalent form of extremism since long. According to the Global Terrorism Database collected and analysed by the authority of the United States, it was found out that on the basis of the Global Terrorism Index Rank India was given the Fourth position. Preceding India are countries Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan at first, second and third positions respectively. It is not shocking news though this is shocking that we are on the leading ladder in this field as well, in the whole world! Also, another interesting fact is that most of the satirical things happen in our gigantic country only as if no other country was good enough to joke about better than ours. However, terrorism, like other mocking facts, is no tongue-and-cheek humour.
Extremism, as I would like to call it, is considered to be of immense threat to the people of the affected city, state or the whole country. It has many names and types like Ethno-nationalist terrorism, religious terrorism, Maoism,Naxalism and trust me a hundred more. As of 2013 statistics, 205 of the country’s 608 districts were affected by terrorist activity. Bomb attacks, conspiracies, rebellion, aggressive activities, police encounters, special forces, red alert and all of this leading to just one thing- ruthless killing of human beings. The man hunt majorly describes a situation of a major imbalance or obliviousness towards various sects of people on the basis of cast and creed and religion. Though the latent truth is far more bewildering still religion is a convenient mask to put forth a subject like this. This is the time to throw some light at the back of our minds wherein intuitively terrorism is meant to be directly proportional to sects of religious fanatics who are irrevocably interested in destroying the beliefs of their rival (relative competitor) religions or castes.
The unfortunate thing however is not this but the fact that no one till now has been able to distinguish clearly the basis of the terrorist attacks and so just for the sake of closing the filesthe content is misjudged.The act of creating terror has its deep roots inside the soil of agitation. The soil that was discriminated as barren land has reincarnated as the desert filled with sand storms of revolt. A revolt always takes place due to anger amongst people who have suffered a lot as their lives were mere puppets in the hands of a cruel ventriloquist. It’s a passé veracity that the extremism has paid the price of being that way. Right from Bipin Chandra Pal, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev to the recent radical moaist or better known as naxalites, all have paid and will continue to pay off the price of their radical activities. This statement is in no sentiment to create any kind of relation between any people. The point here is the psychology which has grown in a stagnant form. They all have created a great havoc in the lives of a common man period but very less known fact is the state of life of these extremist. But why would we care? They are the rebellious ones; it is their problem after all, right? The gravest truth of India is that the concept unity in diversity only has its appearance and existence in essays and national event speeches. Otherwise who’s who is always a hot corner-bench gossip!
Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.
-Frederick Douglass
It is not someone’s grudge against a country or a sect or a religion but indeed someone’s suffering in the past due to their oppression. Illiteracy and poverty are the prominent elements to make a person’s life bitter; transform a common-man into a terrorist. There are more than 600 terrorist groups working all over our country. Extremely poor people become the easy targets of such groups who train them so well that they forget to be a human being. Their families are given food and shelter by these groups and the survival is not the ultimate goal then. The sense of religion is lost for good and sense of humanity just becomes a nightmare. Their fight is for their rights, their lost opportunities and perhaps their happiness for which they don’t mind capitulating to death too.
My point of view might appear to be scandalous however the reason I brought out such an issue to seek public attention is of great significance and as true citizens of the biggest democracy we must have the quality to understand another person’s approach. Terrorism is a concept of revolting against something that has been ignored by the masses or mainly by the government of the country. However, whoever gets involved in such an activity shall be no more considered a person with any religion, caste or creed. A person with the understanding of religion is either God-fearing or God-loving. However in the case of terrorists, they are far beyond this concept or let’s say for them this concept is nothing more than Latin and Greek. So soon after terrorist attacks pointing fingers and pinching and eye-poking any and everyone who comes under the creed of the attacker is not just insane but also humiliating. Divide isn’t created by an outsider; it is rather created by communication gap and misleading judgements. It leads to more and more conspiracies and radical activities. It is like a vicious cycle.
There is no conclusion or end to this issue. This issue is to be pondered upon in great depths so as to reach the psychology of people who are termed as “fanatics”. You know, sometimes some things appear to be different from wat they actually are. We shall not be interested to know ‘who’ they are, but rather put a question as ‘why’ they ought to be like that. At that point, somewhere we would be close enough to be called united.
I was called a terrorist yesterday, but when I came out of jail, many people embraced me, including my enemies, and that is what I normally tell other people who say those who are struggling for liberation in their country are terrorists.
-Nelson Mandela
– Asavari Savarikar
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