Exactly eight years ago, I was working in the office. It was my first job in a media organisation which involved writing news from the press releases and also translating some stories. I was in the trade barely for two months having being joined the organisation in the month of June. Suddenly at about 7:30 PM, one of our reporters rose and said that something major has happened in US.
When we turned on the TV, there were images of World Trade Centre being destroyed by two aeroplanes. The footage was so shocking that we could see TV presenters running out of their wit about the whole scene. That was how we experienced 9/11.
It goes without saying that the incident was a talking point for most of the evening. We discussed the impact of the destruction with whatever information we had at hand, through mostly TV channels only. Then the story was flashed by news agencies. Even though we were shocked that such kind of an attack took place on US ground, there was some sort of a evil pleasure within us. Each of us expressed that this was in a way a good thing because this way US will get to know the pinch of terrorism. That guess was turned out to be right in a sense. George W. Bush was the president of India. He reined in Pakistan and made it to adhere to his War on Terror. US forces, under the garb of NATO forces, entered Afghanistan and rid it free from Taliban. (Its recurrence is a different matter altogether and it is a relatively closer development.)
Whatever the percussion of that fateful incident, 9/11 was the most shocking incident in the history of US. But it is to the credit of that country that no such attack has taken place on that part of earth after that. This strikes out boldly when we put India's record of fighting against the menace. We are unable to confront terrorism. Old terrorists are portrayed as new innocent persons and so on. Just after 9/11, India was attacked twice in 2001. Since then there is hardly any calendar year when the country has not suffered any attack. Each year, there are at least two bomb blasts, incidents of firing or hostage drama. The leaders who were responsible for solving these problems are creating problems themselves.
That is why one must appreciate the spirit of US democracy. We may differ on its policy, we may not like its high-handedness in international politics, but we have to admit that the country has safeguarded its security interest very well. That is a mark of super power. This is what 9/11 reminds us.
Meanwhile, US president Barack Obama has given his first message on the national day. The statement released by White House in Mumbai quotes him,
"As we pay tribute to loved ones, friends, fellow citizens, and all who died, we reaffirm our commitment to the ideas and ideals that united Americans in the aftermath of the attacks. We must apprehend all those who perpetrated these heinous crimes, seek justice for those who were killed, and defend against all threats to our national security. We must also recommit ourselves to our founding principles. September 11 reminds us that our fate as individuals is tied to that of our Nation. Our democracy is strengthened when we uphold the freedoms upon which our Nation was built: equality, justice, liberty, and democracy. These values exemplify the patriotism and sacrifice we commemorate today."
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