Bomb Blasts yet to Blast our Hypocrisy

Dear all,


Recently I had written this article and had circulated in couple of Yahoo Groups. I had received lot of applause and disapproval both for writing this article.The article is repeated below for the benefit of the members of citeHR.


Regards,


Dinesh V Divekar

Bangalore







Recently there were bomb blasts in two major cities. As usual blasts caught us unaware. Terrorists had shown some mercy in Bangalore . Whether the bomb blasts were done to assess their own capability or really to cause the damage is not known. In Ahmedabad they were not so clement. The gory pictures in the newspaper of fruit vendors or buyers lying in pool of blood were sufficient to send a chill down to our spine.

The blasts also brought some heat in the drawing rooms discussion. The general lament is that bomb blasts happen because of ineptitude of our politicians, ineffectiveness of our police our intelligence agencies and general lack of security culture in our country. For whatever the reasons the blasts have happened, the one single thing that is not discussed is that how we keep police personnel or police department aloof from us.

Policeman’s job is quite nasty. They have to deal with ragtag elements of the society to savants, face brickbats figuratively and literarily both. Their work schedules are irregular. Add up to this is the risk element that their job has. All these factors have made their profession aloof to the lower and higher middle class. What is not covered in the heated discussion of our drawing rooms is that it is this very aloofness is partially responsible for ineffectiveness of our police force.

How many youngsters are ready to take up career in police force? Cosy comforts of cubby-hole are far more attractive to them than dealing with the riffraff? If career in police force is no-no then how about accepting spouse as police officer? The proposal is incongruous with the dreams of holding green card visa? When it comes to getting bride, defence personnel, paramilitary personnel or police personnel are always at disadvantageous position. Above all, how many mothers-in-law are ready to accept their daughter-in-law as police officer? Howsoever modern our mother- in-law may be our tradition demands our bahu to maintain continuity of the chores of our custom. After all is it not foolhardiness to abandon those chores, seemingly obscure they may be, for the sake of profession?

The profession of policing demands a respect and that very respect is missing in our society. Our perceptions are based on what is portrayed in the films. This portrayal varies from hero’s becoming police officer or settle personal vendetta or to extreme uprightness. The vacuity that lies beneath this portrayal also creates void in our complete understanding of their life.

Though we know that security is a need of the society, or absolute need for that matter, we want to keep some distance from the security personnel. There is no motivation from the society for the heroic deeds of the police personnel. Once in London a fire-fighting person had lost his life while dousing flames of a big fire. Later thousands gathered to lie wreathe on his dead body. Can we expect similar attendance in our country? No not even perfunctorily!

We know that society progresses on the sound security system only. But at the same we don’t want to become part of the system. We wanted to take umbrage of the system but at the same time we want to keep persons working over there at our mental periphery. Bomb blasts are yet to blast this hypocritical mindset. Charity begins at home says the adage. Possibly 21st century demands a change in the adage to policing begins at home. Any takers for this new adage?