Mar 24 2010

Was the 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai, ‘India’s 9/11′ ?

When India was attacked on 26th November 2008, news anchors and journalists started calling it ‘India’s 9/11.’ This film examines this terminology and the links between 9/11, 26/11 in Mumbai, Iraq, Afghanistan and Modern terror. The conversations between taxi drivers and their passengers in Mumbai taxis delve into these larger issues. A tragic terrorist attack, a lapse in security, the loss of the top Anti Terrorist Squad officials who were investigating the so called ‘Hindu terrorist’ attacks in Malegao lead the people to voice their notions of larger conspiracy theories at a time when the Mainstream media mentions none of this. These are not authoritative voices but perspectives like yours and mine on the events which affect and shape our lives. They are short takes, 140 characters long tweets in taxis, between real people riding in a taxi, in a city that experienced extreme violence, terror and loss.

The current poll on The Taxi Takes has a majority of 50% who say it should not be termed India’s 9/11 and 34% in favor of the Mumbai attacks being termed ‘India’s 9/11. However there are also a small 8 % who are not sure which hence makes this a rather balanced undecided poll.

Watch the film and cast your vote. But more importantly I urge you to listen to the common voices on the streets of the Mumbai Metropolis and gather a sense of where the Mumbai terrorist attack of might figure in the larger scheme of current happenings in the world. Please give your take and comments below.

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2 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in 26/11 terrorist attack, 9/11, Afghanistan, America, Bombay, corruption, George Bush, India, Indian politics, Jihad, Mumbai, Obama, Pakistan, Security, South Asia, taxi driver, terrorism, Terrorist Camps

2 Responses to “Was the 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai, ‘India’s 9/11′ ?”

  • Watch Hindi Movies Says:
    March 24th, 2010 at 1:44 pm

    nice blog post about this subject. this makes me ask a question though, so i dont really understand the relation of this topic and your entire blog. it just doesnt go together. But nontheless i found it very readable. Cheers, Rizwan

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  • Vida Streeby Says:
    January 14th, 2011 at 10:26 pm

    Well, that is my first take a look at to your blog! We are a group of volunteers and starting a brand new initiative in a regional community in the exact same niche. Your blog supplied us valuable information to work on. You’ve done a marvellous job!

    Reply

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Nov 4 2009

The Taxi Takes on Terror on Flickr

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no comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in South Asia, taxi driver, terrorism, Terrorist Camps

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Oct 30 2009

Meeting Malalai Joya and Made in Pakistan

I had the great fortune of meeting Malalai Joya, a wonderful voice against the occupation in Afghanistan. She is against the warlords and drug lords in Afghanistan who she says are just as bad as the Taliban and are becoming stronger and more corrupt with the support of the US. A good account of the talk, written by Ellora Derenoncourt can be read here on the South Asia Solidarity Initiative site.
It was an honor to stand by this incredible human being.

In solidarity with Malalai Joya at the Graduate Center, CUNY.

In solidarity with Malalai Joya at the Graduate Center, CUNY.

On a separate but related note, this Sunday The South Asian International Film Festival SAIFF is screening ‘Made in Pakistan’ which appears to be an interesting documentary posing a fresh un-stereotyped view on what Pakistanis themselves feel and are doing in their country. Possibly some good post Halloween realism.
Tickets can be purchased here

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1 comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Afghanistan, counterterrorism, gender, Indo-Pak relations, Pakistan, South Asia, terrorism, Terrorist Camps, women

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Sep 25 2009

Rory Stewart’s insights on Afghanistan

I just heard Rory Stewart on Channel Thirteen talk about his views on if the US is doing the right thing by increasing troops in Afghanistan. Mr. Stewart is currently the Ryan Family Professor of the Practice of Human Rights and the Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. As a former British soldier he walked across Afghanistan in 2002 getting to know the Afghan people, understanding its culture and studying the country. He writes about his experiences in his book, The Places in Between
He eloquently spoke about how he believes that the US goal of creating a Nation State in Afghanistan with the indirect goal of added US security from the Taliban, Al Qaeda and other terrorist outfits was impractical.

He goes on to add that it might take several decades for Afghanistan to have basic education, infrastructure, a judicial and military system etc. institutions that Pakistan has. However in my mind, this does not necessarily imply security against terrorism.

Unlike Mr. Stewart I am not an authority on such issues, but I do firmly believe that Pakistan’s current political instability and situation should be of greater concern to the US than Afghanistan. A new documentary called RethinkAfghanistan is currently online to be viewed. I’m personally not in favor of another war, this time Obama’s war!

An excerpt from Rory Stewart’s Irresistible Illusion :

“Furthermore, there are no self-evident connections between the key objectives of counter-terrorism, development, democracy/ state-building and counter-insurgency. Counter-insurgency is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for state-building. You could create a stable legitimate state without winning a counter-insurgency campaign (India, which is far more stable and legitimate than Afghanistan, is still fighting several long counter-insurgency campaigns from Assam to Kashmir). You could win a counter-insurgency campaign without creating a stable state (if such a state also required the rule of law and a legitimate domestic economy). Nor is there any necessary connection between state-formation and terrorism. Our confusions are well illustrated by the debates about whether Iraq was a rogue state harbouring terrorists (as Bush claimed) or an authoritarian state which excluded terrorists (as was in fact the case).

It is impossible for Britain and its allies to build an Afghan state. They have no clear picture of this promised ‘state’, and such a thing could come only from an Afghan national movement, not as a gift from foreigners. Is a centralised state, in any case, an appropriate model for a mountainous country, with strong traditions of local self-government and autonomy, significant ethnic differences, but strong shared moral values? And even were stronger central institutions to emerge, would they assist Western national security objectives? Afghanistan is starting from a very low base: 30 years of investment might allow its army, police, civil service and economy to approach the levels of Pakistan. But Osama bin Laden is still in Pakistan, not Afghanistan. He chooses to be there precisely because Pakistan can be more assertive in its state sovereignty than Afghanistan and restricts US operations. From a narrow (and harsh) US national security perspective, a poor failed state could be easier to handle than a more developed one: Yemen is less threatening than Iran, Somalia than Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan than Pakistan.”

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3 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in 9/11, Indo-Pak relations, Obama, Pakistan, Security, South Asia, terrorism, Terrorist Camps

3 Responses to “Rory Stewart’s insights on Afghanistan”

  • eliotter Says:
    September 25th, 2009 at 7:53 pm

    Just saw the same thing, and I share the concerns. His advice at the end seems spot-on. But Barack is his own man, charting a course, so only time will tell.

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  • Bunny Smedley Says:
    September 27th, 2009 at 10:40 am

    It would have been great had you been able to make the point you raise in your second paragraph – about the relationship between development and security, and the crucial relevance of Pakistan to the USA – to Rory Stewart directly, as his answer presumably would have been quite interesting. I also wish the interview had included questions about the relationship between the USA and Iran – he walked across Iran on the same journey that included Afghanistan, so he ought to have insights of some value. But then I guess there is only so much time in any given interview, and so very many questions ….

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  • admin Says:
    October 2nd, 2009 at 9:06 am

    Well one one hand more development and infrastructure can create nuclear weapons which can help in increasing National security if you go by the tenants of the Non Proliferation Treaty. But in this case I feel that the US trying to develop Afghanistan will not necessarily solve National US security problems for now, since as R. Stewart points out the terrorists are hiding in Pakistan, which being a stronger and more developed nation than Afghanistan can actually shelter them against the World community.

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Apr 25 2009

What questions should the taxi driver ask?

Most of March went capturing, downloading, editing and subtitling. The footage I have till now was unplanned, both in terms of the questions being asked and the way in which it was shot by me. However the compliance of the passengers and the audible footage gave me proof that the concept works and that the logistical details can be ironed out. I am inherently intervening in the space between the driver and passenger and then facilitating a dialogue between them. It’s a tricky thing to handle, especially in Mumbai where class distinctions prevent conversation to take place. A driver will rarely ever initiate a conversation and he will only talk if the passenger speaks to him. This premise is turned on its head in this project.

taximeter

I am currently working on a list of comprehensive questions to be asked by the taxi drivers to their passengers. These questions decide the focus of the conversations and the key issues that will be addressed with regards to Modern terrorism. So I’m all in favor of inputs and feedback. This is my list. Feel free to edit it by posting your comments.

Q1. Have you ever experienced terrorism? What do you think terrorism is?

Q2. Can terrorism be avoided/ prevented?

Q3. After the 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai how do you think the:

(1) state (2)media (3) security forces

should have responded?

Q4. If you were a politician what would you have done?

Q5. As ordinary citizens how can we reduce terrorism?

Q6. What kinds of things make a person into a terrorist?

Q7. What can Muslims do to remove misconceptions about Islamic Terrorism?

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10 comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in India, Mumbai, Pakistan, Terrorist Camps

10 Responses to “What questions should the taxi driver ask?”

  • Martijn Says:
    April 26th, 2009 at 11:35 am

    Great website and wonderful pictures. It will be interesting to see how this project develops, and I hope it can bring about genuine change in the mindsets of people.

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  • Martijn Says:
    April 26th, 2009 at 11:36 am

    I think your list is quite good.

    Scientifically, I would say that there are several antecedents of terrorism. These antecedents are comprised of both individual as well as country/macro level factors (wealth, culture, rule of law).

    Next, there is a set of consequences of terrorism.

    So ultimately, you want to examine the nomological net of terrorism, which includes both antecedents as well as consequences.

    Based on such relations (and their strength), public policy makers should act, and as you said, also individuals within a society can do things to prevent terrorism.

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  • Martijn Says:
    April 26th, 2009 at 11:36 am

    By the way, if possible, you can also reverse the roles, by asking questions to cab drivers instead of passengers (which would be a different setting and research methodology, as you would not need to be in a cab for that). Then, you can see whether the belief structures of cab drivers are different from the beliefs of passengers. People from different social strata might have different views on terrorism, who is to blame, etc. Then again, the views might also be the same. It’s an empirical question. I don’t know enough about Indian culture to have strong prior beliefs.

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  • Martijn2 Says:
    April 26th, 2009 at 11:36 am

    In addition, I think that merely talking to people will lead to further questions. You can discuss each theme, and each theme will give you further insight into what should be asked at the follow-up interviews. Like that, you can generate a hermeneutic interpretation, which seeks to be open to possibilities afforded by the data you have, rather than to project a predetermined system of meanings on to the data.

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  • abdul khalique khan Says:
    April 29th, 2009 at 4:20 am

    dear,vandana,clips dekne ke baad laga ki wakai akela insan chahe to khuch bhi kar sakta hai,jis tarha se aap ne terrorism ke khilaaf awaz huthai hai woh kabile tareff hai,terrorism ko haaar pehlo se dekhna chahiye jaisa ki aap ne dekha,,aisa nahi hona chaiye ki attak hua aur sidha ilzam kisi ek ommunity ke sar laga diya.meri taraf se aap ko bahut bahut mubarak baad,

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  • admin Says:
    May 5th, 2009 at 1:07 am

    Yes good point Martijn. I am reversing the roles too. In casting or finding a taxi driver to become part of this project I am talking to many drivers daily.In that sense those chats of ours are conversations between a passenger and taxi driver and will be part of the project.I try to engage the taxi driver in the same set of questions to investigate his perspectives too.

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  • Tori Anderson Says:
    June 10th, 2009 at 5:13 pm

    Vandana, Thank you for directing me to this site! You are doing some great work! I look forward to seeing how it all progresses!

    Hugs,
    Tori

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  • KattyBlackyard Says:
    June 15th, 2009 at 5:03 am

    Great post! I’ll subscribe right now wth my feedreader software!

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  • RohanW Says:
    July 28th, 2009 at 12:35 pm

    Taxicab Confessions for the conscience !

    Very Very interesting concept Vandana. Heard about your site through Trips.

    As a Bombayite, I cannot express how much I appreciate this.

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  • admin Says:
    July 29th, 2009 at 6:20 pm

    Thanks Rohan! It really matters to me that Bombayites like the project and respond to it well. PL. do pass the word around to others. Trips can always be counted on:)

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