Varanasi Bomb Blasts: The Message and the Media

Gosh, is there no end to Indians feeling sorry for themselves?

You pick one journalist, and one media organistion and base an entire rant on that?

How about looking at a broader cross section of the media and really analysing the media's response to the attacks instead of just hammering off a post each time you read something that pisses you off?

Would also be interesting to read what the vernacular newspapers have to say.

In the end, it is a good thing that people, including media, expect a more reasonable response from Hindus in the face of such an obvious incitement. I am proud that we were not out on the streets en-masse demanding blood of a particular section of people (and I will be really sad and heart broken if Advani's yatra leads to violence). The reason Gujrat is such a blot on Hinduism is not because media is out to give Hinduism a bad name - quite the opposite; it is because media justifiably expected a more mature response from the oldest religion in the world. Rather than beating our drums about how peaceful our religion is and how our holy books teach peace and love then doing nothing about it, we want to prove that it is and whenever a Gujrat happens - it is against the very ethos of our religion.

When companies in the west put our gods and goddesses on toilet seats and chappals, or issue stamps that hurt our feelings, we don't start burning up buildings in the street, we go about our protests in a peaceful manner and.

To drive home the point, let me give you a simple example. Say you have a sibling at home and you are the more mature of the two while your brother has forever been irresponsible, don't your parents expect a more responsible behavior from you? Your brother might get away with a lot more things, but your smallest indiscretions result in a raised eye brow. Does that mean that you are being singled out? Nah! It is just that you have raised expectations so much that you are held to a much higher standard of behavior.

We should be proud of the fact that we have created one of the most diverse and tolerant societies in the world - I can't think of a single society and country about which Muslims can say the same.

How about looking at a broader cross section of the media and really analysing the media's response to the attacks instead of just hammering off a post each time you read something that pisses you off?

This is ridiculous. What is desicritics.org? A community of scholars where research results are published? How many newspaper opeds themselves meet the requirements of comprehensivess you demand of Sandeep? I wonder if a similar demand would have been placed if Sandeep instead sang hosannnahs to media as a whole based on one particlar newspaper report. It is that he dared to criticize one of India's holiest cows, ie, Eng lang media, that seems to be the problem.

Vikas Chaudhary uvacha

>> In the end, it is a good thing that people, including media, expect a more reasonable response from Hindus in the face of such an obvious incitement.

So what exactly is a resonable response in such a situation. What steps will any reasonable state - in response to repeated bloody and deadly attacks on its citizenry - take ?

1) Try to find out, who were the people behind the attacks

2) Deal with the external actors motivating and facilitating the attack - by way of finances, training and weapons.

3) Detect and punish the internal actors involved in the attack.

4) Deal with the idealogy and social structures that willy-nilly contribute to such attacks.


I think most reasonable people will agree that our government is not taking these steps. Since these steps are not being taken by the government, exactly how much breath is being spent by the English Language Media to bring these failures of the Govt. to light and how much being spent in condemning a (anticipated?) hindu backlash ? I think, this is a reasonable question to ask.

Let me answer your questions: [apologies in advance for thinking like a millitant in the first 2 points following]

1. Why the Sankatmochan temple, why not a Mosque?

Because if I am a jihadi fighting for the holy muslim cause of Kashmir, it does not make sense for me to attack a mosque and lose funding from all those pious muslims in Saudi and Pakistan.


2. Why was the attack carried out on that specific day?

Because tuesday is the best day to explode a bomb in a Hanuman temple. Would you like to bomb the WTC on Sunday or a working day?


3. Why were only Hindus killed?

Here I differ. The bomb at the temple was one of 6 planned [from last count]. 2 exploded in trains and one on the station, and from what my 4 years in Banaras tell me, there are no separate sections for Hindus in the railway station. Also, the market where the other two bombs were found is a market where people of both religions go about their business. Noone asks the boatman/chaat-walla/barber in that market as to what their religion is.

"An attack on Varanasi is an attack on Hinduism, no less, and this is the only perspective the issue should be looked at. A far more shameful factor comes to mind: that of a nation unable to protect its most holy place from terror attacks."

I feel sorry that this is exactly why the attack was on Varanasi - to fuel communal sentiments, and the whole post from you proves that such strategies work. Thankfully, the people of Varanasi think otherwise. Nothing warms my heart more than to see the shopkeepers of all religions take out a candle-light procession [as opposed to a bandh which makes everyone lose their daily wages] condemning these attacks.

Also, the Indian media has covered this a lot. I sitting here in LA can see that. I wonder how this misses your attention.

I take your points about the media needing a long ways to go, but for heaven's sake, please realize that this attack was anything but communal [read my answer to Q3 again]. The people of Varanasi have realized this. How long before the intelligent people of blogosphere do?

regards,
Animesh
ITBHU 2003 [...in love with Varanasi...]

Vikas Choudhary - what you are basically suggesting is , muslims are welcome to go on killing hindus , but hindus must not retaliate and show their tolerance , because otherwise they will end up giving hinduism a bad name.

Hahaha.....

Do you have any idea what a moron you are ?

No wonder bleeding heart pseudo-secular muslim apologists like you are seen with so much contempt in India.

If the terrorists didn't succeed in their 'design' (explained later) on the day of the blast, they will succeed now, with articles like these popping up by supposedly responsible citizens. And just to help Pamela Philipose here, the 'design' of the terrorists is - to fuel Communal sentiments, and to indirectly take help from 'Hindus' and 'Muslims' alike in killing this great nation. You are helping them a lot mister Sandeep.

And yes, all the bombs except the one inside temple, were 'secular' in their intent...and cud have killed anybody (any 'religion', if u are still looking for the word you love the most) in its vicinity. So, my dear friend, it's time to wake up and smell the bomb in your lap, before it bursts by your own heat.

As long as the probability of majority of the passengers being hindu exists in any given market , railway station or a bus in India , Indian muslims will continue to plant RDX and IEDs (supplied by their brothers from across the border) there.

True , a few of their co-religionists might die as well along with the idol worshipping kufr - but in the larger interest of Islam , that is forgiven - as long as the majority of those who are killed are polytheist infidels.

Quite a few muslims lost their lives in the attack on WTC 9-11 as well. But the event was still celebrated by muslims all over the world as majority of those killed were amrikan kufr.

@Raj: You obviously have no idea about the demographics of the godowlia market in Varanasi. The number of hindus and muslims in the area is very similar. If majority means 50%+1 to you, I have nothing to say, but I would assume a large percent of population near the Gyanvapi mosque would be muslims ... what do you think?

Animesh
http://animeshpathak.blogspot.com/