when terror strikes (synopsis)

Synopsis

Killing to Munni-chachi was a method to clear obstacles. Very few knew of her real power, her hidden agenda. To the commoner, she could manage the impossible. People loved and respected her for her generosity, for her helping nature, for her willingness to go the extra mile.

The Mumbai bomb blasts of 26/11, to her, were Godsend. It would camouflage her intentions.

The only surviving terrorist Joseph Akmal Khan was behind bars – it threw up immense possibilities. Munni-chachi could now activate her terror modules.

If there were remnants of burnt Urdu newspapers, Pakistani coins and firearms with foreign markings in the debris of any destruction those would imply the presence of foreign hands and the situation could be exploited to the fullest.

She was spurred for quick action due to an e-mail received by a TV news channel hinting at attacks on defense and strategic installations in and around Mumbai. All hell broke loose.

The Home Minister called for an emergency meeting with RAW (the Research and Analysis Wing), the Anti Terrorist Squad and the Police Commissioner with the Chiefs of the Armed Forces to evolve strategies to counter the threats.

With kidnappings, missing slum children and a doctor-builder nexus in a kidney racket, this novel keeps you on the edge.

This is a story of modern day terrorism, terrorists and terror modules.

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suicide is not a solution

Suicide prone individuals are continuously on the rise. The disease has struck persons from all walks of life and the victims are of any age from five to ninety five. It is the ultimate path one chooses when he or she finds it impossible to adjust to changed scenarios. When expectations are not met, people begin to brood, they lose interest in life and the final result is the untimely loss of one more life – a life that could have been saved. Illnesses, sudden loss of wealth, loss of face, reprimanding of children, inability to live upto expectations of elders, failure to accept changes in work life – these are but a few of the reasons that ends in suicide. With that objective, this section has been opened – anyone can send in his or her experiences in dealing with suicide prone individuals so that others can share the knowledge. Or – if you happen to be someone who wanted to take your own life but,, finally, did not – these would be of great help to others.

CHILD HELPLINESA toll free 24-hour telephone help line 1098 for children in distress can be accessed in 72 cities of the country. This number can be available by any child or concerned adult on his or her behalf.

This helpline, easily remembered in Hindi as “Dus, Nau, Aath”, is presently working in the following 72 cities: Agartala, Aurangabad, Chennai, Guwahati, Kanchipuram, Kozhikode, Nadia, Pune, South 24 Paraganas, Varanasi, Shimla, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kanyakumari, Kutch, Nagapattinam, Puri, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada, Ludhiana, Ahmednagar, Baroda, Cuddalore, Imphal, Karaikal, Lucknow, Nagpur, Rourkela, Thirunelveli, Vishakhapatnam, Akola, Bhopal, Delhi, Indore, Kochi, Mangalore, Nasik, Ranchi, Thrissur, Waynad, Allahabad, Bhubaneshwar, East Midanapore Jammu, Kolkata, Madurai, New Jalpaiguri, Salem, Tiruchirapalli, West Midnapore, Alwar, Chandigarh, Goa, Jaipur, Kollam, Mumbai, Patna, Shillong, Udaipur, Agra, Amarawati, Cuddalore, Gorakhpur, Kalyan, Kota, Murshidabad Port Blair, Sholapur, Ujjain and Gurgaon.

http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=21250

Makkala Sahaya Vani responds to calls ranging from :- Counselling for emotional problems, On harrassment, exploitation and sexual abuse, shelter for lost / missing children and to reunite them with families, Legal Medical services, Calls from public and parents of children who are mentally and physically handicapped, Children denied of their earnings, Children who just want to speak to MSV. An initiative of the Bangalore City Police to attend to the problems of children was established in the premises of the office of the Commissioner of Police on 30th December 1997. This is a helpline for children with a toll free telephone No.1091.

http://www.onlinebangalore.com/gove/banp/bangpol5a.html

Child Line is a 24 hour emergency phone service for children in difficult circumstances. Any child in crisis can dial 1098 free of cost and speak to a friendly, experienced counsellor. The service seeks to aid any child below the age of 18 who is injured, sick, exploited, abused, in danger, or lonely. They may be street children living on the pavement or railway station, or normal children with normal families. Parents often call in search of a missing child.

http://www.i-indiaonline.com/prog_childline.htm

HELPLINES FOR WOMEN

With an increase in the number of crimes committed against women, the police have opened several help lines which can be contacted for immediate assistance. Whether it is eve teasing or harassment at work or in the confines of the home or even in public place, on the roads or in buses or trains, dialing the toll free numbers is the only way to tackle the growing menace.

Women's helpline launched in Mumbai

The women in distress can call the helpline number '1298', which in turn is connected to around 16 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) including the Maharashtra State Women's Council and report their problem.

http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20080129/878569.html

Mumbai Police introduces women helpline No. 103

From this February 25, if any woman gets any physical and mental harassment, can dial 103 and it will reach directly at the police control room. … The police in Mumbai have also introduced a helpline No. 1090 for senior citizens. This helpline is operated by the Mumbai police.

http://www.samachaar.in/Mumbai/Mumbai_Police_introduces_women_helpline_No._103_25527/

Stay safe, girl!

It's best to just dial 100 if you are in trouble, especially after 8 pm. The women's helpline, Vanitha Sahaya Vani (1091), at the office of the police commissioner is open from only 8 am to 8 pm.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1112122.cms

HELPLINES FOR THOSE IN DISTRESS

Students in distress can turn to following help lines of Mumbai -

Mindtemple - 022 - 32421111 (10 to 6 pm)
Avishkar - 022 - 24227515 (10 to 6 pm)
Aasra - 022 - 27546669 (3 to 9 pm)

Save environment plant trees

The 5th of June is the World Environment Day. It has become a tradition that learned people get together on this day and discuss the fate that awaits our future generations. It has become an annual ritual in which there are innumerable participants but no concrete results. We curse the truant monsoons; we stare at helpless peasants waiting for rains in their parched soils when suddenly we hear of a dam burst inundating hundreds of villages elsewhere. Or of bush fires that leave behind burnt embers as memories of dark green vegetation that was home to innumerable varieties of flora and fauna. The smoldering leaves float in the wind spreading the smell of death – not only death of nature but gradual of mankind.

Any place where there is a multitude of greenery; there is peace, calm and quiet. Large trees like the Banyan give shelter to hundreds of birds, they provide shade to the weary traveler, and they are a thing of beauty – that is why we worship this tree. In the botanical garden in Kolkata, there is a banyan tree that is ageless – it has innumerable roots that go into the ground. People do not know which of these is the original trunk.

Cutting trees is a serious offence but, in cities, the axe falls indiscriminately on these protectors of environment – excuses that are put forth range from the innocent 'widening of road' to the bizarre 'for hoardings of ads to tell us to plant more trees'. The railways introduced tree plantation drives all along the sides of the railway tracks – plenty of funds must have been earmarked for this activity on a continuous basis but the results do not indicate any noteworthy progress. Similarly for the preservation of mangroves – these protect the coastlines and when plans are worked out to convert these into living areas like the salt pans of Mumbai, it foretells a bleak future for the environment.

Save environment ban plastic

Protecting environment is everybody's business – we must take the initiative and put our foot down when we come across anyone who is flouting the norms. Formulating regulations and not being able to implement them is not what is required. If plastic bags are to be banned, let there be no limits laid down for thickness. A ban is a ban and is to be enforced. Those that churn out this poison must be taken to task. There again, they usually are those who have hit upon a novel business, their earnings go to feed the family. Therefore, they must be provided with alternative means of earning.

Then there are the throwaway plastic cups and glasses that one sees in the railways. Water in plastic pouches are served with food in trains. Mention must also be made of bottled water – some of the containers should fall in the banned category. Earthen containers to serve tea could have been a better substitute – these could be more costly but the additional financial burden would be borne by the travelers if it is forced upon them. After all, a cup of tea costs must more outside than that in the train. Similar earthen containers could be used in those dispensers that sell cold drinks – if the containers are painted, the youngsters would not even notice. In order to popularize these, some film celebrity could be roped in to say that he (or she) drinks only from such containers. Taking it a step further , in order to make a point, these containers could have numbers printed on the bottom – users could be given rewards for accumulating so many points and claim their gifts. Such advertisements would certainly wean away the youngsters from plastic cups; they fall for new twists very easily.

Save environment ban thermocol

Thermocol is a bio non degradable product and is one more enemy of environment. The use of this product has grown in the past ten years or so – most packaged items rely on thermocol. Whether it is a television or a computer or a washing machine, the inner packaging is invariably of thermocol. It is easy to mould to shape and ensures damage free transportation of fragile consignments. But what happens to this ultra light weight packaging material once the product is taken out and the packaging discarded? Some use these for decorations – they can be easily cut into desired shapes, painted and used to liven up the walls. But, a majority of these find their way into dust bins and from there travel to the dumping grounds to remain buried in the heap of trash. Since these do not possess bio degradable qualities, they continue to remain intact.

Similarly for thermocol sheets used in schools and colleges, these are used for mounting drawings and photographs in exhibitions or in the showcases of shops or for decorating stalls in fairs. But, whatever is the purpose, at the end of the day they create environmental problems. Days of paper and cardboards have gone, so also have gone those corrugated sheets that one would fund in medicine bottles to support the bottle in its package. Thermocol has taken over and if things are not checked, the dumping grounds would get converted into mounds of thermocol, plastics and other such products like reels of music cassettes, damaged floppy discs, damaged compact discs etcetera that will annihilate mankind.

save environment - ban pollution

Yes, pollution of the atmosphere is destroying the ecological balance that is so important for survival of all living beings. The picture is more or less the same in any large metropolis – the air is always heavy with the fumes of exhausts mixed with dust particles and other pollutants. Other pollutants could cover waste gases of nearby factories, and during festival times could be a result if burning firecrackers.

Indiscriminate use of petrol and other gaseous products result in the global warming phenomenon that is being discussed at practically every forum. Everyone is trying to find out solutions to contain the bad effects of gaseous pollutants. Keeping a check on the emission factors of vehicles is not given the seriousness that it deserves. On the one hand we suggest traveling to office in car pools – on the other we invite people to buy the latest model car because it has plenty of new gadgets that will set the owner apart from the commoners. Finance is easily available and, when the car is delivered, who would want to be a part of a car pool and not show off his latest acquisition? There is a new model released practically every month and, there are cases when families proudly declare that they own more than one car. Therefore, expecting car pools to operate to the satisfaction of environmentalists is asking for too much. We human beings want to make our presence felt on society and never bother about the serious repercussions of not heeding the warning signs.

Pure and healthy air is what the body requires and properly maintained parks are one means of inhaling fresh air – here again, open space comes at a premium. Specially constructed jogging tracks in natural surroundings are much sought after by the young and the old but, even now, we seldom walk short distances – instead, we rev up the car to go to the barber's or kick the scooter to go round the corner to pick up a friend. We should cultivate the habit of relying more on alternate means of movement rather depend always on a vehicle powered by petrol or diesel.

Lessons of Red Riding Hood

At some point of time, someone somewhere visualized the dangers that lurk in every step for girls – and important lessons were passed on down the generations via bedtime stories like Little Red Riding Hood. There is hardly anyone who has not heard the story of the little girl who was sent by her mother to visit the sick grandmother. The child carried fruits and delicacies for the bedridden grandmother. A wolf saw the child and followed her to the house of grandma. Then, it devoured the old lady and lay in wait to taste more fresh and tasty morsels in the form of little Red Riding Hood.

The lessons are unambiguous –

Mothers should never send their little girls anywhere all alone and without chaperons
Girls should be very careful of strangers and suspicious of anything that appears to be out of the ordinary

Girls should know that villains hide beneath innocent looking dresses of do-gooders, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing