That sinking feeling

Another day, another attack.

As IT/BPO guys prepare to shell thousands on partying for new year, one might want to ponder about the latest terrorist attack on IISC Banglore.

Institutes like IISC Banglore are not mere universities. They are the very temples of Intellect in the country. IITs and IISCs are the reason why Indians are (if at all) respected outside. The guys from these institutes prepared the groundwork in earlier days in the International arena for midgets like us to earn money in dollars. We (as in IT guys) owe atleast a part or our success, if not our entire success, to these institutes.

When IT/Software was not big, only people from such universities or researchers would land in US (unless off course you had other means and reasons to). They were young and bright graduates who created a positive image of India in international business and government houses. I am sure that most industries would have tested Indian waters with these guys before hiring others from India.

Nevertheless this latest attack is another reminder (as if we needed one) of the danger lurking within our country.

To expect anything from the current establishment will be stupid. It is too steeped in appeasing the perpetrators of the crime. I guess time has come when the nationalists of the nation need to device means and methods to independently defend ourselves. We cannot keep on arguing with bleeding hearts and "secularists" forever. Doesn't make sense any more. If need be, create private armies and get in touch with other victims of jehadis, like for instance Israelis and learn an art or two of tackling them.

IT industry will be in a soup if more such attacks are carried. Our so called economic boom is IT centric (services form 70% of GDP). If nations loose confidence in our security we will loose on important clients and business. And even before we realise we will be in a midst of a crisis.

Clearly the attack was symbolic more than it was meant to be violent. IISC and Banglore together represent a brand, if you will. The attack (by ISI) was on the brand more than on the unfortunate professors. ISI wants to create a fear psychosis within the nation. And one must say it is doing a good job at that.

The first thing UPA government did after coming to power was to remove the law of POTA just to garner a handful of muslim votes. While UPA and Sonia Gandhi are at luxury of playing vote-bank politics , same cannot be said of the nation. We cannot afford to loose this battle against ISI.