The Circus of Terror

Irony, it seems, is never complete without a touch of humour. Weekends, on the other hand, are never complete until you visit your favourite hangout in the city.

While the whole nation awaited the much delayed verdict of Kasab, the man behind Nov. 26 attacks in Mumbai that shackled the country’s preparedness to deal with terrorist acts, the Big Brother aka USA issued a warning to its people not to visit the capital of this nation over this weekend. For Indians, it meant more than one thing.

First, for the masses & the media meant for the masses, it was the much needed break from discussing Hrithik & Barbara starrer Kites. Not to forget, this was bigger than the cats stuck on roofs and Katerina speaking Hindi in an upcoming Hindi movie. This is the stuff news is made of! Super nation of the world stepping forth once again to prepare its closest ally in Asia (as we Indians like to think). This groundbreaking piece of news awakened the dozens of channels & their army of journos to go out to umpteen numbers of markets in Delhi, interview the common man & interrogate the policeman. Reality TV at its best. The higher the panic index, the higher the viewership, and in turn, higher the revenue. Scare people, earn massively.

Secondly, for the poor little Delhi Police, they have been training & preparing for years now to treat guests well during the upcoming Commonwealth games. Last thing they need on this planet is media attention for all the wrong reasons, second last being a mock drill of being out there with their staffs & age old pistols trying to restore the sense of was-never-there security for common man. This obviously leads to more safety for women on the street as the chaps known to harass them go missing from the markets at such times.

Thirdly, for the public, the nation, the junta, these guys will carry out their tasks as usual with a bit of fear & a bit of courage coupled with a multitude of precautionary measures. The TV savvy ones are the scared lot on the roads & in their establishments. Mothers would not let you step out to visit your chosen hangout. Friends will call you & share similar stories with their mothers. It is at this horizon that a fraction of common man steps up & says- “Damn you terror. I want to live my life this weekend at the busiest of markets.” Americans couldn’t help themselves with their intel. India never needs it.

Fourthly, for the city itself, life is bliss. Dustbins get cleared off so you can actually use them to throw waste. Footpaths are free to walk on without shopkeepers, hawkers & beggars barricading them. Traffic jams are reduced as many don’t commute & the traffic policeman is on his job. Politicians are stationary in their offices leaving the city free to roam around. Life goes on as normal, only a bit more easily.

Coming back to the word we started with, irony, the phrase “terror alert” is now synonymous with “improved living conditions for a day or two”. In what is meant to make the people feel insecure, they feel safer under the guard of policemen. It becomes the voice of the nation when people come out of their houses despite of the alert to enjoy a cup of coffee in their favourite markets, communally but inaudibly saying- Go hide your face, you terror mongers.