Alls well that ends well!

We have heard our elders say that we must always look f

orward to our future, to try and better it. But do we always do so? No matter ho
w much we try we cannot forget our past days, good and bad and perhaps also thos
e that are good in bad. In our day to day life so many things happen with us and
our mind decides which one to keep in store and which one to delete from the me
mory. School is perhaps one the best experiences of life. But sadly, we often re
alize this only when we are about to leave school. And in our 13 to 14 years of
school life so many things happen with us that if we try to recollect any single
happy incident, we are in a great confusion. The most memorable thing about sch
ool life for all of us is the last day of the school. This day we all try to liv
e to the fullest, to make the best of it, to do all the fun possible. Even our t
eachers and juniors help us by doing something exclusive for us, by giving a nic
e farewell to us because alls well that ends well. The parting days of the school
comes with sadness in disguise and we like to remember only the best part of it
. Things become memorable if its ending is well. This makes me recall an inciden
t of my life. An excursion was planned by my school when I was in the ninth stan
dard. The news came as a surprise to me and my friends since that was the first
time that the school had decided to organize an excursion. I was too excited to
hear the news but at the same time I was doubtful whether I would be lucky enoug
h to be joining the group. As I went home I very cautiously told this to my moth
er who did not stir a bit. I patiently waited to hear her say something about th
e trip. But she did not and finally unable to keep any more patience I asked her
if I would be allowed to go. Well, mammas reply (NO!) was not surprising to me; I
had somehow expected it and also accepted it for the time being. As the next few
days went by, the date of the trip came near and the teachers asked us to bring
money and our guardians approval letter within a specific date. I dared to try a
nd convince my mamma once more vowing many things to do mostly to please her. Bu
t she was stern in her decision despite my incessant pleading. The next day as I
went to school and heard my friends planning the trip, tears came to my eyes. S
eeing me in such a condition it made my class teacher was moved and she promised
me that she would talk to my mother personally and try to convince her. I waite
d for a positive report from my teacher, from then on, the best teacher. I went ho
me with the hope that the next I would probably be sitting with my friends and p
lanning everything from packing to food etc. But the whole night went by and as
there was no positive news from mamma, I realized that my teacher perhaps did no
t remember to call mamma. The next day was the last working day of the school be
fore excursion. Thinking of my impossibility I became desperate to try my best t
o do something. So I went to my teacher again but to my disappointment found tha
t all the teachers were busy in a meeting. I waited for forty minutes for her ou
tside the staff room. As the teacher came out I pleaded her to call my mother an
d talk to her which she promised she would. This made me wait for my mothers word
eagerly. I went home and this time did not ask her anything but carried on with
my regular work. Suddenly mamma burst out laughing and asked me to pack my bag.
I ran to hug mamma. I was at the height of excitement. The next days morning is
and will always be memorable for me. Finally my earnest urging days ended well a
nd brought in unforgettable happiness for me. Thus life has reminded me of the s
aying that alls well that ends well. The biggest threat that India faces today Indi
a being a developing country many more challenges than most of the developed cou
ntries in the world. It faces the daring challenges of hunger, population explos
ion, poverty and illiteracy, problems that have been affecting its growth in the
last sixty years. But the threat that is the most menacing of all is that of te
rrorism.

Terrorist groups amazingly justify that they are fighting for a noble cause for t
he cause of their motherland, like any soldier who may be fighting in the nations
army. But this a dangerously erroneous argument that is fabricated to suit the
unjust motives of terrorists. There is a great difference between the soldier an
d the terrorist. A soldier takes the responsibility of his deeds but a terrorist
never. Terrorists have derived their name from the very dreadful word terror. The
re was a time when terrorism was a distant concept and to some extent was confin
ed to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Then it started spreading. The next core a
rea was north eastern India. Although the frequent rupture of attacks has consid
erably reduced, these spots still continued to be terrorist hotbeds. Indians tod
ay are barred from visiting these beautiful places of their own country. Terror
returned to haunt the country recently in the form of Bomb Blast when an unatten
ded bag near the kitchen of German bakery was touched by a waiter at the place.
At-least nine people were killed and 57 injured in German Bakery terrorist attac
k in Pune. It was specially haunting because it took the lives of innocent stude
nts and this has caused widespread angst and frustration amongst all students an
d teenagers. Previously the country bled when the 2008 Mumbai attacks took place
. There were more than ten coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumba
i, Indias largest city, by Muslim terrorists from Pakistan. The attacks, which dr
ew widespread condemnation across the world, began on 26 November 2008 and laste
d until 29 November, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308. The
saddest thing is that India faces terrorist threats not only from outside forces
but also from within. One such instance is present day Bengal. Massive terroris
t activity was carried out by the naxalites in Bengal during the pre communist e
ra. In the present perspective Bengal has become the seat of active terrorist ac
tivity. Every day when we see the news channel there are hundreds of killing eve
rywhere by some terrorist groups, especially in the regions where the socially b
ackward class dwell. The most recent evidence of it is the sudden Maoist attack
in Shilda where 24 eastern frontier rifle personnel and a villager were killed.
Assam has been the most volatile state in India for the last few decades. The UL
FA has carried out several terrorist attacks in the region targeting the Indian
Military and non-combatants. Assam remains the only state in the northeast where
terrorism is still a major issue. Terrorism is not only an issue in the Indian
context but also on the bigger canvas of the world. Terrorism is a real threat t
o all nations in the world and is evident from the attacks that have occurred ar
ound the world including the 9/11 attack in USA, the omagh bombing in northern I
reland and the gas attack in Tokyo which constituted the most lethal form of bio
terrorism ever committed. Wherever there are different groups of people, there a
re sure to be conflicting ideas. The human tragedies that result from terrorist
acts are horrifying and the economical impacts that follow terrorism can be almo
st as devastating. Being in a threat India has developed certain measures to cur
b terrorism like making more strict laws like POTA (Prevention of Terrorist Acti
vities Act) and keeping an eye on the sources from which money is drained to the
assistance of terrorist activities. Terrorism has become a global threat and ne
eds to be controlled from the grass root level to the international level to mak
e the world a better place to live in.