The Cost of Freedom

I suppose I have to write this and find a way to save it through the end of us, so the next race of living things find out how humans terminated themselves.

Suppose some commander in an ultra-deep movement, with resources and influence all over the world thought of hatching a plan to potentially cause a war. A war needs two sides and there cannot be a better prospect than one country split into two, constantly pointing fingers at each other. With Srilanka engulfed in an internal war with the LTTE, there needs to be little said about the already prevailing tensions in the subcontinental area. It only needs a small trigger such as a group of 10 to 12 people shooting indiscriminately, to start speculations on a global basis as to who could be responsible. Speculations lead to confusions, confusions to accusations, accusations to summons and summons to wars. Idea has enlightened!

Suppose he decides to put together exactly such a group of young men who do not have anything to lose except their lives, whose love they have already been brainwashed out of. Suppose these men (boys) have always been told their only purpose in life is to lay it down for one common purpose. Suppose there are men (boys) in this world who wake up everyday thinking they are destined to die today. Suppose these young "recruits" have been rhetroically stressed to a point so it just takes less than a second to fire at someone without any private motive. Suppose their heart ticks only by the rush of insulin brought forth by seeing the fear in the eyes of someone whose death is in their hands. Recuriting has finished!

Suppose these men are re-brained to think that more blood is the only way to clean blood. Suppose the minds of these men has reached a level of fanatisicm where they just need to pull a trigger to convince themselves out of any doubt. Suppose they are trained rigorously in real combat conditions that are easily created by small terror plots, in which more innocent lives can be claimed, with the actual goal in mind. Suppose they are administered with a sense of power and money that they can never dream of otherwise. Suppose they are made to travel around the world with genuinely fake passports and trained in different parts to speak fluent English, Hindi and Arabic - Probably more languages too. Suppose they are spoken to often by the commander himself to keep their motivation levels up, to indirectly gain control of their senses and nerves and in the end, their lives itself. Suppose these men are adept enough to survive for long periods without food and sleep in conditions of extreme stress, when they feel normal is only when the heart ticks at the rate of 110 beats per second. Training is perfect!

Suppose resources are tapped and movements are made. Suppose plans are obtained and buildings are surveyed. Suppose docks are compromised and intelligence gets involved. Suppose spies are abundant and traitors are manipulated. Suppose hotels are recced and rooms are booked. Suppose cars move around and eyes pry. Suppose Cafes are chosen and vantage points identified. Suppose arms are abundant and kitchens are breached. Suppose the voyage began and the carnage completes. Suppose the war could happen. Planning is treacherous!

Suppose the men (boys) assemble and are given code names for the brief final stint they are about to pull off. Suppose they hijack a ship and arrive on the docks of an otherwise serene scenic Arabian sea. Suppose they split into groups and run away to pre-determined spots where more arms have already been made available. Suppose there is nothing more perfect for them than fire indiscriminately at men, women and even children in a railway station and hospital. Suppose it is just perfect for them to cystallize into luxurious hotels where people are prominent. Suppose the ever-hungry media, always craving for some news hit a golden goose, a bumper prize coverage for days together, providing a perfect platform to spread their message of terror. Suppose there are enough drugs, guns and time to kill a sea of people who all love their lives and relatives and friends. Suppose it is an added bonanza to actually kill the police and army, which would also salvage some pride for the operation. Suppose people cry, suppose they shout, suppose they run, suppose they die. Suppose the men (boys) get the opportunity to kill thousands of men among which could be Indians, Americans, the British, Germans and Jews. ATS chief Hemant Karkare dies. DIG Ashok Kamte dies. Encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar dies. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan dies. Havildar Chander dies. Havildar Gajendar Singh dies. A lot of others die a martyr's death. Operation begun!

Suppose it is conveniently spoiled. Suppose only one gets caught and the others die. Suppose the one who is caught has got thousand ways to die, but he chooses to get caught instead. Suppose he plants information that he is from Pakistan. Suppose he says he has been trained by an ultra-deep movement, based out of Pakistan, in Pakistan, for an year. Suppose he plants information that he has been trained by an Ex-Pakistani soldier. Suppose he plants much more information, relating everything to Pakistan. Suppose the Indian Government is led to believe there is enough proof to take offence. Suppose Pakistan just shrugs it off by promising co-operation. Suppose there are people who are not satisfied with the investigations and play dirty politics. Suppose there is rampage everywhere. Suppose there are borders of uncertainity, of an en-masse of explosives hanging about in air, and just anyone could light one fuse and the fire spreads. Suppose the ideology is achieved without even preaching it. Suppose anything could be led to. Suppose, just suppose, there is World War Three !!

Suppose it is that shudderingly easy ..

Whereas, continuing life in the same shade is not easy. I am an Indian, not able to digest the fact that this could happen to Mumbai, a place I love and long to go to. I am an Indian, not able to believe that the doves in the shore of Arabian sea could flutter their wings to echo the sounds of gunshots rather than those of setting sun. I am an Indian, not able to digest the dirty politics played by politicians of this country to gain some leverage for themselves and their party even at the mouth of an impending disaster. I am an Indian, not able to convince myself there will be peace anymore in India. I am an Indian, not able to control the tears that pour out even as I write this, thinking about the funerals of the brave men who laid their lives down for us, so we could wake up to one more day of freedom. I am an Indian who loves the world, not driven by fanaticism that my country is superior, but by a fantasy that all countries are equal.

Freedom comes at a special cost - The cost of some unknown selfless lives which never can be compensated anything with!