Values must not be forsaken in the quest for justice
In its editorial on the fifth anniversary of the jihadi attack on the Indian parliament The Pioneer makes an interesting point:
One of the traditions of India’s Parliament – and a facet of all that is good and noble in the civilisation it embodies – is that weapons will not be carried into its premises. There are no armed guards inside Parliament House – they were none on December 13, 2001, and there are none on December 13, 2006. In that sense the terrorists did not change India, and they never shall. That is the least India owes to its 11 sons and daughters who were martyred defending its passion, principles and polity on that black Thursday. Yet there is a degree of sadness – shame, really – to the fact that what should have been a solemn occasion has become yet another moment of political acrimony, to push a religious agenda into what should be a straightforward narrative. [The Pioneer]
The professional rebels—who have openly advocated terrorism—have swung into action and invested in a conspiracy theory that will pay them rich dividends (not to mention handsome royalties) in future. They too have to earn a living. GreatBong thinks that the profession must be recognised with an award.
It was refreshing to see that there was an organised initiative to hold up the right end. Families of the security guards who were killed defending the parliament, sporting heros, former intelligence chiefs and political types are fine — but why was a blind child paraded on stage? It is heartwarming to know that he feels for the cause, but it is repugnant to make children call for a death sentence to be carried out. There are far more important traditions outside parliament. Terrorists should not make us abandon them too.
Nitin: Please check the Daily Poineer links you have given. None seem to work for me. I am not sure if this is for me alone or for everyone.
Krish,
I tested them on both Firefox 2 and IE7 — seem to be working for me. I’ve cited today’s lead editorial and linked to one of yesterday’s main stories.
First (into action) works but not second (organized initiative)!
Ashish,
Daily Pioneer’s hyperlinking leaves a lot to be desired. I’ve re-linked it. Try again. It’s the same link as ‘paraded’.
If you still can’t get it, here’s the cached version on Google.
Nitin,
For the record, the blind child was not any other child, he is a popular performer on the Zee TV show “Sa Re Ga Ma pa” and was a finalist in the singing competition.
So its more of a celebrity support than anything else. If you have problems with that, its another matter. But I dont think its got anything to do with the handicap or the age of this supporter.
Yes, I know. The fact that he’s a celebrity does not change the fact that he’s just a kid. He’s too young to make up his own mind about such things as supporting the death penalty.