It has been a week since the US warship USS Nimitz left the shores of Chennai but I am still disturbed. No, I am not thinking about the alleged nuclear emission or the shameful way with which India prostrated and still prostrates in front of the US. I am only thinking about what the sailors did in Chennai.
What disturbed me the most was the hysteria in the newspapers. Reporters went gaga over the ship and the sailors, followed the sailors day and night and flashed not one two but several of their pictures on the front pages.
Who are these sailors? Are they heroes to be given such a welcome? Have they done any heroism in the warn- torn countries like rescuing human beings from burning houses and vehicles which were bombed by the same warship?
On the other hand, what had the war ship been doing all these years? Missiles sent from this particular ship had been killing women, children and men in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. I have no idea how many they might have killed so far; it is not in hundreds or thousands, much, much more than that. The fact is they also may not have any idea about the numbers, and perhaps they just don't care.
It is another matter that Americans care only about the lives of Americans and all the other lives are indispensable. The attitude is, why they should care about the lives of the poor Afghans or Iraqis or Somalians.
I am reminded of what George Bush the Senior said in July 1988 when a missile cruiser, the USS Vincennes, stationed in the Persian Gulf, accidentally shot down an Iranian airliner and killed 290 civilian passengers. He said, “I will never apologise for the United States. I don't care what the facts are.” Yes, they just don't care.
USS Nimitz was on its way from Iraq when it docked at Chennai Port. The smiling sailors were first taken to a Muslim school where they caressed the children, hugged them, kissed them, and showered them with gifts. Remember it is the same hands that let the missiles fly from the war ship which killed hundreds and thousands of young Iraqi kids. Will caressing some Muslim children in Chennai wash away the bloodstains from their hands?
They also visited a school which has physically and mentally challenged children. Again, the same act of love and affection was shown. I wonder whether they didn't think of all those innocent Iraqi children who have been orphaned, who lost either their hands or legs, who are paralysed, who are bed ridden all because of them. Do they not even once think of those children and felt a pang of guilt? From their faces, I don't think the thought ever flashed their minds. They acted as if they were doing a great service to these children.
Newspapers reported that they then went around cleaning our beaches and schools. As if we need some Americans to clean our beaches and paint our schools! Have they ever tried to clean the mess they have created in Afghanistan and Iraq?
Newspaper reporters were behind them when they visited the bars, when they drank, when they puked all over the ground and when they even visited women in Kodambakkam for sex! I pity the policemen who had to literally push and carry the drunken sailors to the bus.
Finally when in Chennai, they also celebrated their independence day. How could they celebrate when many countries are suffering and lost their independence because of them?
Finally when the war ship left the shores of Chennai, they were given heroes' farewell. If those who send missiles to kill innocent children, if those who drink and puke without any shame, if those who visit brothels when they are in another country as guests are the modern day heroes, I feel sad about the whole world.
Friends' Update
-
Loading ...Please wait..
ur name should”ve been Shobha Warrior
i guess i can add about the iranian airliner incident..saw it in discovery, it seems the ship’’s radar identified it as a MIG, as a MIG had been taxiing on a very next runway from where the airliner took off, the ship, marked the airliner as the MIG and tragically, the international airliner did not understand any of the std military codes for close proximity to the war ship, and had to be shot down. It was a tragic failure of american equipment, just like their JDAMS can pin point to the target within a fraction of a minute of an angle, but, go totally off course due to atmospheric micro bursts or strong winds! so much for advanced technology and shock n awe!
This is the wonderful article I have read in electronic media after a many ages. Intialy only politics were currpted and now electronic media is much more currpted than them. Please for God sake, think like indians and think for India.
A fantastic article
After a long time a thoughtful article has been written. I must congrachulate Shobha. I know that the so called liberals/seculars/intellectuals/leftists like Milind Kulkarni/Sudhir Virulkar wont like the truth. But whether they like it or not truth will remain the same. I wish to say that even I was a secular till the Gujarat results but after reading English newspapers and watching newsreports by Barkha Dutt/Rajdeep Sardesai/Pranav Roy/Sagarika/Punyaprasun Vajpayee etc. I have become a communal Hindu. If followers of other religions can vote on communal lines why cant Hindus. Minorities must understand that the secret of secularism in India is because of majority community and not vice versa. One more important thing the secular media and secular parties are forcing secular Hindus to go the BJP [communal] way. All in the secular parties/media may ponder whats wrong with their policies.
Its a good article, good analised and compiled,
Don”t understand why these bloody Media is behaving like this.
Lets hope for the better media
-Shravan
Good article , eye opening for Media’’s biosness….Now english news channels loss the credibility in political ground. More focus on Rajdeep and Barkha specially , who are acting as a Congress and communist party paid worker…
Shobha is right to point out too much attention and coverage given to them by our Media. We are less inclined to support and promote our own heroes. Atricities by war mongers have surely to be criticized, to whichever country they may belong to ….ranjit
p.s. I wrote about such a tendency in my post titled Courage:real heroes,in my blog.
Hey Mr.Sudhir,
The world knows if they are deserving or undeserving. Real matters on real land are more important than ranting on Rediff i-LAND.
As for undue emotions; the writer of this blog is more imotional about it than Indians in general. It was just a small news for us. We have long forgotten it.But for Ms.Shobha, she has taken it to her heart for reasons best known to her. I wonder if she has been sleeping well ever since this incident has occured.
I fully agree with you! It was really a shame that we show undue emotions for the most undeserving! [:0]
Nice Blog!
plz visit-
septic tank system
War always leaves bitterness. It destroys the victors and the vanquished in some way or the other. I can understand your ire at the powers that be and our proclivity to treat any foreigner, deserving or not exaggerated courtesy. But do spare a thought for the sailor or the jawan who fires, when asked to. They have no choice. And if they do manage to bring some cleansing to their lives by visiting deprived children so be it.
You have written pretty good.Really.
soldiers are always heroes across countries and nationalities..i
its the politicians that screw up…
ab kya karn modern hero r like that
As for radiation, I am sure the ship’’s nuclear reactor is much more safer than many plants in our country. About invading Iraq and Afghanistan, US is already paying the price through 911, US soldier deaths, etc. Iraq is one big mess, nobody can do anything to the most mighty nation on earth. Iran is standing up with Nukes now, but I dont trust nukes in Muslim hands, War is sometimes good for peace. MAD or mutually-assured destruction is the only thing that prevented WW3 during the Cold war but since Muslims have suicide bombers, a nuclear weapon in their hands would mean death to tens of millions and suffering to hundreds of millions.
U R CORRECT BUT IN WELCOMING THESE SAILORS AND GIVING THEM FAREWELL WE HAVE SHOWN OUR MENTALITY AND OUR ATTITUDE . WE R LEAST CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT IS RIGHT N WHAT IS WRONG BECAUSE OUR OWN SOLDIERS R NOT FAR BEHIND AND INFACT THEY DO ALL THE ATROCITIES ON OUR OWN COUNTRTYMEN. IT IS A SHAME REALLY BUT IT HAS TO DO WITH NOT BEING ABLE TO DECIDE BETWEEN WRONG AND RIGHT AND LETTING OUR MOST BASIC MONSTEROUS INSTINCTS TAKE BETTER CONTROL OF OURSELVES IN TIMES OF WEAKNESS.
hey sobha whats wrong with u? y is it that u have such a high expectatio n from the americans? they are human beings afterall! they might have visited brothels but thats it…so many us go there…not to mention so many of us go to thailand, as if our own woman are no t good enough…ok forget all that..what are our own army doing in the northeast , especially manipur , nagaland…its pretty basic…the conqurer and the conquered. look ar what china is doing at tibet, insted of criticizing the americans y dont we look at ourselves and ask what what hve we done to better the lives of those very muslim children…and it doesnt matter if itwas for jews or others …america is where today is just bcos of the americans and if we feel we are not where we shud b, its bcos of us and our bloody politicians..no use criticizing others
Let us reflect on what America is all about. Most Indians believe that Caucasians (read Americans) are born to lead but for a miniscule of the thinking populace of India who know otherwise. Every child knows how to hold a book in order to read not so the President of America Mr. Bush who held it upside down and he was extremely happy to watch his armed forces in action through field binoculars with its lens closed He who introduces the queen of England as centuries old leads the worlds largest democracy. His republican predecessor was no different. He went on to correct the English lexicon by spelling Tomato as Tomatoe and tried to justify it to the children in a classroom. As for the American sailors who patronised the brothels of Kodambakkam, I reckon they couldn’t prove their manhood to their women back home……. did they fail to prove it in Kodambakkam, Chennai, too!!! As for the technological superiority, America wouldn’t be where it is today but for the contribution of the Jews.
Fully agree with you shobha,They should have completed the naval exercises and gone instead they indulged in navel exercises in Kodambakkam…
Let me tell you that we are glorifying the acts of the americans and we unfortunately are proud to do so.When are we going to learn.Let the admiration of the americans remain in the technology areas and not in their other activities.
Forced from home and all its pleasures
Afric’’s coast I left forlorn,
To increase a stranger’’s treasures
O”er the raging billows borne.
Men from England bought and sold me,
Paid my price in paltry gold;
But, though slave they have enrolled me,
Minds are never to be sold.
But its evens more sad to see some funk a******* still glorifying US Souls for their empathy on Iraq.Drupad seems to be over excited.Wonder,what his women were doing while he grew up…Milking British cows…Have some brains and yeah,one thing dude surely matters,Self respect.Coz smoking a marlboro or wearing a versace underwear doesnt seriously get you that stuff….
hey shobha, i agree that what the US is doing is wrong. I live in america and many americans feel that they should interfere less in other countries” affairs. having said that, it’’s wrong for you to blame the sailors, who are only getting their orders from above. in other words, Bush and the leadership must be held responsible for these heinous acts you describe. Soldiers are under oath to do their duty.
I can see some of us have taken this article in a negative way. Even i love the US. But we should understand the purpose of the writings are not to make us deserte our own beliefs, but to be more aware of the others” views and the other sides of the coins….
Well, there are some necessities when the countries are not developed ones. Otherwise no one does that for choice. But, I agree with you, thinkin on that line makes us feel sad, about the “Arms and the Men”. . .
Well …soldiers are soldiers. Be it Indian or Americans…. No point in blaming the ship or the salors personally for what they did in other countires. They were only fighting for their country. But our media had no business in welcomig them the way they did, and praised their work like cleaning of school compound etc. Remember. the compound of a school was already cleaned by the students so that the visitors had an easy job.
Stop being psuedo socialist/communist. Appreciate the good stuff being done by america for india. It is a win win situation for both, what is wrong with you
As far as iraq, afghanistan or any country concerned. America is defending its super power status. they did all this because maybe they felt these countries can give them a tough fight. In war the winner writes the history. there have been so many war till date and who knows who was right, who was wrong. When you are not in the war you should watch it silently. Nimitz came here, but who knows the truth, they might have came here to spy on india or improve relations with india or some high profile buying and selling took place… I am no one to suggest you but i would like to tell you only one thing - Be diplomatic when you you put your thoughts across.
Well said Sobha!
Stop writing on public blogs………personal feelings are to be put up on personal blogs. What are you writing here….I don”t know what to say? America deoesn”t care is that the whole point…..it is they who caught a tyrrant leader not India…..do you think India would have done that. America invested millions of dollars on be it be Iraq, Afghanistan or Somalia. I always like your blogs, but this one is dissmal……stupid on your part.
why do south indian women tend to commie…and why do they tend to blabber on and on about something they never really understand..grow ur cocunuts and watch ur stupid movies…you dont matter anyways
I am saddened by your writings. My son serves on the Nimitz, he does not consider himself to be a hero. He is doing his job, as he is ordered to do. He was also saddened by the conditions and the level of poverty in Chennai, especially children living in those conditions. Americans did not create those conditions, yet they stop to help all they can and my tax dollars are paying for that? So, some of the sailors got drunk…maybe if you were stuck in confined ships quarters for 3 months, you might want to blow off a little steam as well? Its the negativity of people like you, that cause a lot of misery in this world.
I believe you are a journalist are you not? If so why are you so subjective in your approach. As a journalist are you not supposed to research before you write - there are so many holes in your story. It is easy to find fault but not very easy to appreciate. You seem to forget what Taliban did in Afghanistan -what Iraq did in Kuwait - you do not know what war is all about - war is not Harlequin Romance - War is brutal -innocents do get killed in wars - don”t tell me innocent people never got killed when India and Pakistan fought the wars? Do soldiers go around asking whether you are a civilian or a soldier? When India went to Sri Lanka -don”t tell me innocents were not caught in the cross fire? I have lived in the US for a good part of my life and true there are problems just like in any other country -but why do you blame the people for it. There is so much opposition to the war here too - maybe you don”t care to know. I feel sorry for people like you.
hmm..Shobha, you certainly did spew quite a bit of vitriol through this article! Why are you so cynical and negative in this piece? Can”t you see the fact that the soldiers are just following orders and protocol? As for killing innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan, your angst should be against the American Senate and the president, not these sailors who are following orders, even if they go against their own conscience. That’’s what they are supposed to do!
Then again, the Indian media and people also are to blame for acting like the lapdogs of the U.S. too, as you said. Maybe this whole issue does not deserve so much media space after all!
The entire article is full of hatred.
What have the sailors done to brand them bad?
Kill the enemy on orders? What would the Indian soldiers have done under such circumstances? Disobey the commands so that they would be appreciated in this blog?
A soldier has to follow the orders.
Secondly, what is wrong in visiting schools and mixing with students?
Oh that must be very bad because Indian soldiers do not do it. Hmmm.
About cleaning beaches. You don”t like them to clean your beaches.
But who had stopped your own administration from cleaning them ?
Keep your beaches clean so you won”t have to fear about aliens coming here to cleam them.
The writer is full of hatred.
Who made them heroes? Indians right? So why should you feel sad about the whole world? They themselves never expected to be projected as heroes. But then Indians are famous for what they have done time and again.