Wake Up: This is the time to act; not sulk, sympathize, and feel sad…

"What have done to deserve this?" Earlier I asked this question each time a terrorist attack happened in our country. Not any more.

This “war-on-Mumbai” was different. Watching this horror drama unfold on the television made me realize that this is a reality we Indians have to live with. Now no political party, no security agency can help us, unless we as responsible citizens keep our eyes and ears open, take responsibility of our own and our neighbors’ safety, and create a noisy momentum to make the political parties unite to prepare India to tackle such strikes and take “stern” action against terrorists.

Here are a couple of reasons why I feel this attack was different:
- For the first time, the attack happened not on masses but on “real people” (don’t get me wrong here). This was not some blast on a railway station where the terrorist and the victims remained faceless. This time around we exactly knew who was attacking and who was being attacked.
- For the first time the nation saw in real-time the helplessness of authorities around the entire process. It took several battalions of NSG men, police, SRPF, marine commandos three days to salvage the situation.
- The attacks happened on Indian soil but were targeted towards citizens of multiple countries.
- No political party could get any political mileage (I am so glad!). In fact this was the time when Mr. Raj Thakare’s Nav-Nirman-Sena was required to “save Mumbai,” for Mr Advani to mobilize and pacify the masses, for Mrs. Gandhi to make some “constructive” appeals to the nation. I wonder where they were through all this!

Here are my reflections from this “mayhem:”
- Gone are the days of unrestricted freedom for all citizens to walk freely in public places. From now on, there will (and should) be metal detectors at most public places (hotels, monuments, cinema houses, restaurants, etc.). And, we as citizens should take these “little” inconveniences in our stride.
- Unless political parties take concrete steps to ensure such things do not happen in future through increased security, institution building, enabling foreign policy, etc., they can forget coming to power in any state.
- People have had enough of this, and are clamoring for change. And, this voice-of-the-people will only get louder in future.
- We have to live with the uncertainty; this sword of terror will dangle over our heads at all times.

Wake up politicians, we do not want to see you visiting the war zone, we do not want to see you at the hospitals visiting the injured, we do not want to see you holding protests and "bandhs," and we certainly do not want to see any political mileage or finger-pointing happening post this terror strike. It is we as a nation (irrespective of our political beliefs, religious following, casts, etc.) that was attacked, and it should be “one” nation that responds to the situation.

U.S. Gets a New President -- Clean Energy Has a New Hope!

The "most powerful" country in the world has a new president. And, this seems to be good news for clean energy lovers. Under President-elect Barack Obama, the fossil fuels industry may face "dark days ahead," while alternative energy sectors are likely to flourish.

Obama's lynchpin policy is a climate change bill that would cap emissions such as carbon dioxide and auction greenhouse gas credits to encourage a fundamental transition away from high emitting industries to low-carbon alternatives. As part of that policy shift, renewable energy, natural gas, plug-in hybrid vehicles, and advanced electricity transmission are forecast to receive a major boost. Senator Obama has proposed using $150 billion from the emissions auction to fund such low-carbon alternatives over the next decade.

Obama administration energy and environment policy marks a tectonic shift for the nation. He plans to move the U.S. away from petroleum as its primary energy source and towards renewable energy, advanced biofuels, efficiency and low greenhouse-gas-emitting technologies. And the effect is likely to “rub off” to the entire world.