Apathy towards national interest … explained !
A newly married couple. First anniversary being just a few days away. Husband on his mandatory "community service". Just a few days to go before he gets back to his 'routine urban life'. And then - the disaster !
No, it’s not the story of the latest Hollywood flick.
Meet Ms Karnit Goldwasser. The most brave & courageous lady I've ever come across.
Wife of one of the two Israeli soldiers that were kidnapped which triggered tension in the middle-east. With the tension mounting on either side, she was asked about what is she expecting from her Government and what’s her take on the entire situation?
And there I got the most remarkable answer: “We want the killing to be stopped, both in Israel and in Lebanon. We want everything to be back as it was before, no killing, no kidnapping, we want them back home. I love my husband very much. I think there is a reason for what is going on across the border, the way it is going on. I'm looking forward to reuniting with my husband."
A perfect blend of love, maturity & patriotism. Nothing more, nothing less.
Having heard this, my mind traveled back to that last week '99 when Indians were kept hostage in Afghanistan as the flight from Kathmandu was hijacked. The kind of emotional pressure exerted on Indian Government was not funny. I still remember the clippings of families of 200+ hostages outside PM's residence seeking safe & early passage for their dear ones. In his much talked about book "A Call to Honor" the then Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh speaks about how he was unwilling to free some of the dreaded militants in exchange of these innocent Indians.
So were we right in holding our Government hostage to take the step that it took.. Don’t know..
On second thoughts, Ms Goldwasser's response has more dimensions than meet the eye. Israeli Government has called for a full blown war on Lebanon for latter’s 'misadventure of kidnapping its 2 soldiers'. A common Israeli can repose so much faith in their Government for the Government knows how to reciprocate it.
Cut to India. After serial blasts that killed not 2, but 200 people, all that Mumbai received was an apology speech from its PM. Citizens' apathy towards national interest explained.
No, it’s not the story of the latest Hollywood flick.
Meet Ms Karnit Goldwasser. The most brave & courageous lady I've ever come across.
Wife of one of the two Israeli soldiers that were kidnapped which triggered tension in the middle-east. With the tension mounting on either side, she was asked about what is she expecting from her Government and what’s her take on the entire situation?
And there I got the most remarkable answer: “We want the killing to be stopped, both in Israel and in Lebanon. We want everything to be back as it was before, no killing, no kidnapping, we want them back home. I love my husband very much. I think there is a reason for what is going on across the border, the way it is going on. I'm looking forward to reuniting with my husband."
A perfect blend of love, maturity & patriotism. Nothing more, nothing less.
Having heard this, my mind traveled back to that last week '99 when Indians were kept hostage in Afghanistan as the flight from Kathmandu was hijacked. The kind of emotional pressure exerted on Indian Government was not funny. I still remember the clippings of families of 200+ hostages outside PM's residence seeking safe & early passage for their dear ones. In his much talked about book "A Call to Honor" the then Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh speaks about how he was unwilling to free some of the dreaded militants in exchange of these innocent Indians.
So were we right in holding our Government hostage to take the step that it took.. Don’t know..
On second thoughts, Ms Goldwasser's response has more dimensions than meet the eye. Israeli Government has called for a full blown war on Lebanon for latter’s 'misadventure of kidnapping its 2 soldiers'. A common Israeli can repose so much faith in their Government for the Government knows how to reciprocate it.
Cut to India. After serial blasts that killed not 2, but 200 people, all that Mumbai received was an apology speech from its PM. Citizens' apathy towards national interest explained.
posted by Narendra Ganpule @ 5:05 PM
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