Social insight to the Pulwama tragedy

My paternal grandfather was a retired DSP(Deputy Superitendant of Police) and my maternal grandfather is a retired SP(Superitendant of Police). Sounds something like ‘mere chacha vidhayak hain?’.

 No?

Alright. This is on a plain context by an ordinary citizen of India. Yesterday on the occasion of Valentine’s day, where it was supposed to celebrate love all around, the whole country shed is filled with remorse due to the suicide bombing of 40 jawaans in their army bus at Pulwama. This article isn’t concerned about anything about the incident but almost everything after that follows on social media.

Scene 1:

Sharing status

News feed, stories, status updates- they were all filled with the news of the incident. People are continually expressing grief over the incident but like everything, it is a problem for some. Now the question to those who are fed up with the status, why don’t you understand that like you, others too have their freedom of expression?Alright, everyone has their freedom of expression, so just imagine how good it could be if everyone just understood this and rather than opposing against the status feeds of grievance, lets come together and console each other. You never know what one goes through. I was tensed because my friend whose dad is in the army in Kashmir, hadn’t replied me till morning since last evening. Things are hard to handle and few would be there who wont care. Its genuine. If things like this get irritating, then take a break off social media for the peace of all.

The social media of today is more of antisocial media. Everybody plainly wants to see the world their own way but forget the purpose of the platform they are on.

When you upload a picture of yours with a smiling face, how many are there in your contacts who actually want to see you happy? Some may see your attire, some flaws, some search for anything in the picture they can make fun of, some artistic people will crave to find the effects and the picture quality and the list goes on. How many do you think are actually happy of your position, your emotions and your well being?

In such an environment, virtual wars are fought. The free startup news pages get their TRP on these incidents by pointing fingers. Legendary writers (with all sarcasm) who don’t know what to say to their readers, do not miss the chance to write meaningless stuff on a template which have their name; for a while you will simply think whether it was a quote or something, then eventually share it on your status. It’s an open bonfire generating toxic smoke which each one of us are fuelling by doing the many things we unknowingly do on social media- things such as sharing!

Now, my words are contradicting here. So let me make it clearer. Whatever you are posting/sharing/watching is your right just like the same rights which other possess but there are better ways to own when it comes to reacting. Do not expect everyone to react the same as you do and at the same time respect them and their freedom. It’s like slapping the unknown neighbouring person in cinema hall for not standing up during national anthem, who has come to the cinema hall just like you to watch a movie. And most importantly, avoid adoring the idiotic minds who are using you as clickbait for their popularity.

How to avoid virtual wars when someone does that?

Use the unfriend/unfollow/delete contact/block/mute features which the developers of the platform have made with so much of hard work.

Scene 2:

Everyone has a problem

Many people removed their whatsapp display picture, some circulated instructions do so, and some did voluntarily. Does it make a difference? NO! It doesn’t give justice to the martyrs. So what’s to be done? Any idea? No idea? Then do not take it as a discomfort if people removed their dp out of their own will. There are these phobia-of-everything kind of people who will oppose everything for no reason.

Anonymous messaging feature came on the internet, trolled instead of using it to convey love and untold praises, demanded sex and bullied, and then to act as the savior of the mankind- negated the feature for its use in bullying. Who bullied? You bullied!

Oh wait, are you the victim?

Then don’t you think you need to take actions or should be more careful about people around you?

These phobia affected people even go on to have a problem with google and support duck duck go without a clear motive. Now these people came to our friend list. They have a problem with our removing dp’s (though I didn’t, I never do because I did that often during depression and became confident that even after removing dp for prolonged time, nobody cares), and being insensitive they call our actions useless. And anyone after listening to that, will anyone do what they said by belittling them?

Actions of both are useless- double win!

I am not supporting or pointing out any group or individual anyhow but think with a clear mind. Is a small gesture that uncomfortable and unworthy? Even going on rallies and doing candle marches for the deceased souls don’t achieve anyone a feat so should that be called off?

Scene 3:

The Gandhi Fans

This particular section might be very controversial and offensive so do not read without a neutral state of mind. Alright lovers of non-violence on the mission of spreading shame to those who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the protection of the nation, think of these questions:-

(1) Can you travel to your hometown alone, expecting passengers to be as friendly as family?

(2) A female member of your house is commuting to workplace alone, or living alone outside the state/country for job, or leaves home at 10pm for night shifts. Don’t you think it’s nothing to be worried about and it’s a safe world?

(3) Your girlfriend is very attractive and she wants you to roam the streets with her watching the beautifully silent and lighted environment all around. Will you grant this wish of hers without a second thought?

(3) Your partner is recording your intimate moments with him/her on a camera, do you really believe it’s being done for a memory?

(4) You have a business and begin to expand your growth with lots of efforts and honesty. A gangster or the underworld calls you to pay them tip off every month. Can you sway them away with love and soft skills as if they are Ganesh Puja organisers?

I guess you understand the motive of my questions, the evil forces are bound to hit wherever they see a weak spot. It’s like bacteria in a body which enter through wounds. The Buddhists travel through places where there is a chance that they might be looted/ attacked by dacoits. To avoid such incidents, they practice martial arts. Are they fools?

Are the people (women mostly) who go through self-defense classes fools? I think they understand the enemy is never to be underestimated.

Now think of your family, even if nobody is in the army or doing anything that can be sacrificing. You expect your brother to bring you something when he comes home, instead his dead body comes after he somehow died due to ragging by seniors. Your dad leaves home for some bank work and his dead body arrives home after being shot by dacoits. I don’t want to put the possibilities of dangers that women are vulnerable to so continuing on the two cases above, what will you do? Somehow you know who the culprits are and they can be life threatening to you, for no good reason of theirs. Will you sit at home meditating expressing calmness over ‘the dead are already gone, let bygones be bygones’? I really don’t think you can do it when it comes to your family. The millions of candle lights on the streets for the 40 deceased are the people who don’t see them as someone not of their family. If this isn’t oneness, then what is? Ranting over social media the ways one should behave?

Talking about non-violent movement, what did it bring to the country? Seeing history through the eyes of school teachers is one thing and extracting knowledge as stories is something different. Just imagine a country full of non-violent people, not reacting to the beatings, lashes, misbehavior, rape by the Britishers in pre-Independence period.

“Awww! Such a beautiful country it is, such beautiful people! We should not rule over them, they are very kind and co-operative and listen to whatever we say. Let’s leave them alone”, the Britishers said and left India forever and India lived a happy life ever after.

If that’s how you think India got independence then you are wrong. It’s not by the non-violence of Mahatma Gandhi but with the increasing agitation of the people which Britishers found it difficult to rule upon, due to which they fled the country. The same plain not-a-rocket-science idea applies here when the country demands revenge. If you are alright with it, then stay calm when breaks into your house and kills your dad in his sleep or your mom gets bombarded when she opens the refrigerator.

Hereby, I end this article before it gets graphically violent and I expect everyone here to be sensitive towards the tragedy that has taken place. If you are feeling free to do some more interesting thing like trolling/blaming/imposing superiority of your standard of thoughts to others, then think what level of safety the brave protectors of our motherland has given to all of us without partiality.

Jai Hind!