Bangalore's Blasts Defused???

This afternoon, right about lunch time, just as a large number of the denizens in the city were smacking their lips in anticipation of a much-looked-forward-to meal, Bangalore was mildly shaken by a series of bomb blasts. Nothing normally comes in between my food and me. So, I first heard of the blasts long after lunch was done and only when my karmic sibling, Pradeep, called to check if I was back from my morning's jaunt in town. Much to my disgust, he could give me no more news than that there had been 6 blasts in the city because apparently the NDTV news site stubbornly refused to open out the lead story. Trust technology to falter in my hour of need!!!
Agog with curiosity, I marched in search of a television set to find out the gory details and found one at the end of the corridor, with a buzzing crowd already around it .
As I listened to a rather frenetic news reporter repeat his lines over and over again at a speed which defied sound, a colleague snorted in disdain " 6 bombs, one victim and a few injured??? Must have been a local wanna-be terrorist!!!...Someone who wrapped up left over Diwali crackers and, when no one was watching, shoved it in any which deserted place he found!!!.. I tell you, we are damn lucky to be living in this country where a lot of people can't be bothered to think or plan or execute meticulously!!!....Had it been a locally planned bombing in Iraq or US or anywhere else in the world, each bomb would have had a hit rate of 50-100"
I take a moment off from the sleepy dogs and the beaming corpulent faces on screen to digest his words. He does have a point in that, how can 6 bombs not claim more lives than one? My train of thought comes to a screeching halt as the phone begins to ring. A friend from the land down under. The loss of a ear doesn't seem to faze my colleague, who continues to hold court
" And look at those bumbling cops....they are just prancing back and forth, preening and posing for the cameras...no wonder they have nothing to report other than the basic information!!!...These guys haven't the faintest clue as to what they are looking for and imagine allowing the news crew to walk all over the place..They will only contaminate the evidence and finally, to placate the people, will cook a story assigning the responsibility to the L.T.T.E or the Naxals or the LeT.."
The calls keep pouring in, some from people stuck right in the heart of the troubled zones. I am touched that so many love me but I am also rather surprised to see urgent news flashes about networks in Bangalore being jammed. Seriously, what did those bozos know???? Here, my ears were beginning to burn from the steady stream of calls while the idiot box was telling me that networks all over Bangalore were jammed ??? Just as it was telling me, and the rest of the world, to buy their theory that a few piddly little bombs amount to a 'rocked' and tottering Bangalore??
I decide to ditch the chattering crowd, the eloquent orator and some pompous guy on telly, for the less vocal and equally informative offerings thrown up by Google Search. So, an hour later, after having waded through many dramatic headlines and news alerts, I had to concede that my colleague did have a point when he spoke about the amateur terrorist and the poor quality of planning and execution...
Apparently most of the bombs were 'planted' randomly near bus stops and traffic islands, without serious intent to kill. There only seemed to be one semi-serious plant which claimed a life and seriously injured two others - Although most of the news channels were still arguing about the casualties. All the others, contrary to media reports, were just big bangs with a lot of hot air. Now, why on earth would anyone would waste time and energy, making and planting little baby bombs whose impact, so to speak, was to accelerate heart beats for a few hours and ruin every one's Friday evening? And although the preening bomb experts and sleepy dogs on T.V were unable to explain the who, why, and how's of the bombs, the ubiquitous Laskhar e Toiba's name along with SIMI was doing the rounds as possible culprits.
I do not know about the SIMI's involvement, but I do wish the Toiba thugs are tuned into India or World News tonight... because I bet my last shiny penny that the LeT killing machines would probably line up and commit suicide in droves if they heard of the ignoble blasts which was being laid at their doorstep!!!





Disclaimer: This post intends no disrespect to the memories of the victim/s of the Bangalore blasts nor does it mean to denigrate their passing away in anyway. Life is precious, and my prayers go with the families of the bereaved.