What went missing was the happy ending, which is, usually, not guaranteed in Hollywood movies anyway! It was a happy ending but the apprehending or killing of the terrorists were not as happy an ending as we would have liked. The terrorists had done their job - that of destroying the faith of a nation on the authorities and politicians. 

Questions have been raised on Intelligence agencies by any Tom, Dick and Harry; politicians blasted; angry people calling for heads in the ruling party government. Hey! Yes, the city of Mumbai and its people have gone through a lot but, in India at least, it has been seen that the aftermath of a tragedy is not the most conducive of times to react, as there is a lot of emotions running amok and decisions can be quite faulty at such times.

It is a sensitive situation on which I had to think quite a few times before penning a few lines. It is a time when the mind is easily influenced by emotions and rumors and therefore, a lot of circumspection and responsible analysis is required.

Terrorism is an important element in whatever situation - crisis or no crisis. It has the ability to throw a nation completely out sorts; it can cause economic turmoil even if there was no economic crisis; it can cause political and social instability even in the best of democracies. Eradicating terror and terrorist elements should be an all-important item in the top priorities list of any nation.

It has been rightly observed that India had better be absolutely sure about its reaction to this act of terror, as there are some very important results and learning from it. But, as is wont in India, the buck has swiftly been passed on to the neighbor - Pakistani elements.

This is the reactive nature that has always influenced decision making in India - a desperate urge to influence public minds and a desire for sensationalism. Yes, it is an outrageous act and has been dealt with firmly and decisively but capital gains must be made of this good work. Blaming elements in Pakistan may be alright as per evidence found but, given the occasion, a more circumspect approach to finding out the reason is called for. There seems to be a desperate need to quickly blame it on Pakistan; in fact, Haaretz.com even carries an article on "Blame game/dancing on graves".

In their desperation to keep their vote banks intact, politicians have forgotten their sense of tact and occasion.

There are so many aspects of administration, governance and politics that have been exposed due to the terror strike of 26/11 that many are clearly likely to try and save their jobs by quickly blaming the other. But, this is where the Mumbaikars and whole of India need to unite and must agree that calling for politicians' heads is not the solution; calling for a clear, responsible analysis leading to valuable extraction of data and conclusive directions for the future is more the solution. By inducing the public towards free-balling of opinions, politicians and incompetent officials are only being helped to start their blame game and escape.

It is time for a change, yes, but the change must come from those seeking change!

“We must become the change we want to see.” Mahatma Gandhi.

It is a dichotomous situation. On one side is the BJP, which did not waste any time in declaring the Congress as inept at handling terrorism and that, too, while the war against the terrorists were on and on the other is the congress, that had to react, as it did not have any other option but to put the blame on Pakistan - the eternal favorites of India in the blame game.

It is not just the politicians that have landed in this situation, even the common man has. On one hand, the enraged Mumbaikars protest and call for resignations and on the other hand, they are forcing these very officials into a blame game. By not showing restraint, the people of India are forcing their own country into a situation where positive results cannot emerge.

Terrorism has been a constant threat with the growing intelligence of terrorist agencies causing more and more concern, as each time the terror tactics and execution are different.

A strong and committed resolve against terrorism is required that should include revamping of the way that police personnel are trained, which should include behavioral trainings just as organizations do; revamping of the way that coastal guards are trained; revamp the information system of the country; revamping of citizen identification system, much like the SSN in the US, with a centralized database available at any time to assist identification even at the lowest level of entry like a railway station or a harbor. Such a system will not only improve the social system of India, it will also help in identifying illegal immigrants and establish suspicion on unidentified persons. Yes, it is a monumental task but the effort has to start right now as India and its citizens have identified that the time to act is now!

Groups and networks, hitherto given to interpretations or misinterpretations of communities and triggering mass anger should be more responsible and abstain from their activities; Regional bias and actions based on these should be strongly curbed and criticized; "a war like state against terror" is just another grand proclamation as "war against terror" - proclamations and announcements are not the need of the hour, action is.

The one big, positive take away from this act of terror is the swiftness and decisiveness with which India has reacted to one of the most difficult terror attacks, as anti-terror specialists say,  terrorists holding hostages inside civilian buildings. In one way, India's experience in flushing terrorists out of buildings and religious monuments has helped in reducing the casualty and the success factor of the terrorists but crisis management is not the way to go when dealing with such situations. A proactive approach and attitude is the essential factor in tackling future terrorist activities.