The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Our SMS commandos

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 02, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Our SMS commandos

The NSG commandos may have taken their time in reaching the terror attack spots in Mumbai. But SMS forwards on the theme of attacks came quick as lightning even as the enormity of the tragedy was unfolding, reflecting a range of responses.

For some it was an occasion to wear their patriotism on the sleeve, with an unmistakable touch of militancy. One popular SMS that went around said: “Forgiving a terrorist is left to God, but fixing their appointment with God is our responsibility.” Some clever guy decided to attribute this quote to the Indian Army to boot! Yet another took a dig at the recent outbursts by Sena leaders on reclaiming Bombay for “sons of the soil”. It read: “Where is Raj Thackeray and his brave Sena now? Tell him that 200 NSG commandos, all south and north Indians, have been sent to Mumbai to fight the terrorists so that he can sleep peacefully.”

Surprisingly, the tragedy even inspired an SMS joke. Some Smart Alec sent around this: “I am hosting a party for all my dear friends at the Taj. Do come. If you don’t turn up, never ever ask me to give you a party again!”

The wisest of them all said: “Don’t worry about those who came through the boats, our Army can handle them as we saw. Worry about those who come through our votes.”

The right message

A lot has been said and reams written about how youngsters these days do not prefer to join either the armed forces or public service. At a seminar for college principals recently, the Bangalore University Registrar spoke about how engineering students these days want to only join multi-national companies and aim to draw huge sums every month. He then recounted the incident when a parent came up to him and said: “I am giving you my son today. At the end of four years when he graduates, I want my son back, not a money-making machine.” This seemed to highlight the fact that the current education system is somewhat flawed. He went on to stress on the importance of inculcating values, morals and a sense of nation building in the next generation.

BAGESHREE S.,

CHITRA V. RAMANI

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka