Although its close to two months that i started blogging but i wasn't able to measure my love for it. To me this was very important as i am still to figure out the rationale behind writing blog. But the Indian government helped me in this endeavor, albiet unknowingly, when it blocked the blog sites, after the Bombay serial blast in local trains. i am still at sea to understand the wisdom behind this step of the government and i don’t think this would help in any way to achieve the objective it intended to.
But it has helped me in two ways. Now i know why the feeling of just visiting my blog is so irresistible. That i was deriving some kind of cardinal pleasure which was absent when i was not able to see my own blog. Someone has rightly said that the essence of something dear to you is realised when u loose it.
Let’s see the two faces of the government decision of the ban on blogs.
Negatives:
We may have the apprehension that some of the culprits behind the blast are still hiding in Mumbai. Given the situation, a silly but easiest decision would be to nuke Bombay to destroy the hidden terrorist? Even the side-effect would be a boon as it would give us the excuse of opening the floodgates towards our neighbour. But isn’t this adventure no more than child’s play. Do we see here some kind of parallelism behind this fiction and the government decision of banning blogs? We are fully aware who are targeted behind the ban, but the argument is does this step affect them. Do blogs really make difference to these fanatics??
Now some would argue that it will save the good soul from bad reading. But just by seeing a blog article won’t change an innocent and well meaning guy into a terrorist. Will it?? If i come across an article expressing anti-India stand will it change my conscience and i start planting bombs in local trains or destroying public places?? The only people who are inspired by these writings are those who already believe what the post was saying. The blog can certainly make their dormant thoughts active but unless we are willing to take out all means of communication we can’t ensure the objective yet.
Even if we assume the extreme case, that by blocking all internet access (like shutting down all ISP), is the communication going to be truly hampered? Can we assume that in the days before the internet/blogs no one was ever to send messages to his fellow terrorist or express anti-national sentiments? The answer is obvious. Or is the GOI is planning to take down all forms of communication? Ban newspapers, disrupt phone-lines, stop postal services, perhaps even call the military to shoot down flying pigeons because some of them might be carrying anti-national messages tied to their legs across the border.
It’s human tendency to deal with fear through contact with others. So, in this sense as a society we are not only vulnerable but also weaker. Isolate us in a crisis situation and we become more vulnerable. The first decision that the Government took after the blast was blocking the phone lines and this proved to be a blunder as it threw people in chaos. Many things have been written about the great work done right after the serial blasts by the folks at Mumbai. That’s just one example of how communication makes us stronger in crisis. The only people who are not going to be affected by them are the terrorist, who after sowing the seed of terror, have already planned in advance for any such eventuality. So the decision smacks logic and only aids in pressing the panic button, as situation is rife for rumours causing more fear. That’s exactly the government should be trying to avoid in such situations.
Also do i see a trend building here after a chain of events occurring in recent times. It started with Fanaa being banned in Gujarat, lawyers not able to defend the accused, Da Vinci code wasn’t released in some parts of the country. And now this blogophobia. I know I am exaggerating things and our democracy is full-proof as the events underlining the opposite ideas are also happening side-by-side. But it surely doesn’t do good to our image outside where most see things with bespectacled eyes.
Positives:
i am definitely affected by this irresponsible step of the government but the reason is very different than how it has affected others. But does it really matter as longs as the outcome is same. i say this because unlike others i don’t have many readers and hence technically it didn’t affect me like others, who have large following. But i am not that monkey who will throw the cap back if wearing it makes me famous. On the contrary i feel blessed that the government considers me somebody so important that they want to block my blog from being read. This is really exciting. After living a life of a coward all these years, i am finally dangerous. Suddenly i am the most wanted as government considers me an anti-India radical, a public enemy. Look at me everyone, I'm BAD. So no more being shoved aside in the local trains, no more stammering in panic before breaking a civic law. Watch out people- i may not look like much, but i'll have you know that the world’s largest democracy is scared of me. That’s right; hot-shot one billion people are all scared of me for what i write in my blog. So now i can freely move at 2 am on the road without feeling insecure, no one would dare to take the fist on my face. The possibilities are endless. All those beautiful bees who rejected me thinking as a chocolate-boy, too harmless and good for nothing might be kicking themselves badly now.
But it has helped me in two ways. Now i know why the feeling of just visiting my blog is so irresistible. That i was deriving some kind of cardinal pleasure which was absent when i was not able to see my own blog. Someone has rightly said that the essence of something dear to you is realised when u loose it.
Let’s see the two faces of the government decision of the ban on blogs.
Negatives:
We may have the apprehension that some of the culprits behind the blast are still hiding in Mumbai. Given the situation, a silly but easiest decision would be to nuke Bombay to destroy the hidden terrorist? Even the side-effect would be a boon as it would give us the excuse of opening the floodgates towards our neighbour. But isn’t this adventure no more than child’s play. Do we see here some kind of parallelism behind this fiction and the government decision of banning blogs? We are fully aware who are targeted behind the ban, but the argument is does this step affect them. Do blogs really make difference to these fanatics??
Now some would argue that it will save the good soul from bad reading. But just by seeing a blog article won’t change an innocent and well meaning guy into a terrorist. Will it?? If i come across an article expressing anti-India stand will it change my conscience and i start planting bombs in local trains or destroying public places?? The only people who are inspired by these writings are those who already believe what the post was saying. The blog can certainly make their dormant thoughts active but unless we are willing to take out all means of communication we can’t ensure the objective yet.
Even if we assume the extreme case, that by blocking all internet access (like shutting down all ISP), is the communication going to be truly hampered? Can we assume that in the days before the internet/blogs no one was ever to send messages to his fellow terrorist or express anti-national sentiments? The answer is obvious. Or is the GOI is planning to take down all forms of communication? Ban newspapers, disrupt phone-lines, stop postal services, perhaps even call the military to shoot down flying pigeons because some of them might be carrying anti-national messages tied to their legs across the border.
It’s human tendency to deal with fear through contact with others. So, in this sense as a society we are not only vulnerable but also weaker. Isolate us in a crisis situation and we become more vulnerable. The first decision that the Government took after the blast was blocking the phone lines and this proved to be a blunder as it threw people in chaos. Many things have been written about the great work done right after the serial blasts by the folks at Mumbai. That’s just one example of how communication makes us stronger in crisis. The only people who are not going to be affected by them are the terrorist, who after sowing the seed of terror, have already planned in advance for any such eventuality. So the decision smacks logic and only aids in pressing the panic button, as situation is rife for rumours causing more fear. That’s exactly the government should be trying to avoid in such situations.
Also do i see a trend building here after a chain of events occurring in recent times. It started with Fanaa being banned in Gujarat, lawyers not able to defend the accused, Da Vinci code wasn’t released in some parts of the country. And now this blogophobia. I know I am exaggerating things and our democracy is full-proof as the events underlining the opposite ideas are also happening side-by-side. But it surely doesn’t do good to our image outside where most see things with bespectacled eyes.
Positives:
i am definitely affected by this irresponsible step of the government but the reason is very different than how it has affected others. But does it really matter as longs as the outcome is same. i say this because unlike others i don’t have many readers and hence technically it didn’t affect me like others, who have large following. But i am not that monkey who will throw the cap back if wearing it makes me famous. On the contrary i feel blessed that the government considers me somebody so important that they want to block my blog from being read. This is really exciting. After living a life of a coward all these years, i am finally dangerous. Suddenly i am the most wanted as government considers me an anti-India radical, a public enemy. Look at me everyone, I'm BAD. So no more being shoved aside in the local trains, no more stammering in panic before breaking a civic law. Watch out people- i may not look like much, but i'll have you know that the world’s largest democracy is scared of me. That’s right; hot-shot one billion people are all scared of me for what i write in my blog. So now i can freely move at 2 am on the road without feeling insecure, no one would dare to take the fist on my face. The possibilities are endless. All those beautiful bees who rejected me thinking as a chocolate-boy, too harmless and good for nothing might be kicking themselves badly now.
1 comment:
Really amazing! Useful information. All the best.
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