“IS ANYBODY THERE?"






Many years ago, when Kashmir was burning, THE DAWN CLUB had asked young boys and girls to speak (in the Public-speaking class) on the topic: ‘SHOULD INDIA GO FOR A NUCLEAR WAR WITH PAKISTAN’?

The following was the speech delivered by Amish Sahni, then a young college student. This speech occupies a space, prominently, in our book – ‘Vaachas Chame – Grant me the power of expression’, which is being used as a text book by Dawn Club students over the years…

As Kashmir is, once again, burning… and, as everyone around me is angry and cries for revenge… blood… an eye-for-an-eye…  Yes, as I hear this and see this around me, I remembered this speech, today…

I sincerely feel it is as relevant today as it was years ago…

Hope, I am not alone in such a feeling…


“IS ANYBODY THERE?”
- by Amish Sahni
------------------------------------------------------


“Is anybody there?”
“‘Is anybody there?”
“IS ANYBODY THERE?”

Respected sirs and my dear friends,

These are the words of anguish, pain and futility…
These are the words of a lonely man…
These are the words with which the spine-chilling movie, ‘DAY AFTER’, ends.

A lonely survivor of the nuclear holocaust stands amidst the dark clouds and dead ruins…
and screams:
“Is anybody there?”
“Is anybody there?”
“IS ANYBODY THERE?”

Friends, when America dropped the atom bomb on Japan in 1945,
an aircraft had to carry it all the way…

Today… today, Pakistan need not go into such a trouble…
Just a button… Yes, just a button pressed from Rawalpindi…
and, within ten minutes, our entire city can turn into a graveyard!

I fully agree with all my fellow-citizens…
that, Pakistan is the culprit…
that, it has provoked three wars… and lost…
that, it still continues to breed, feed, train and harbor the terrorists…
and, still continues to play havoc on our soil…

Yes, I agree that …
that, Kashmir has become a deep bleeding-wound!

Friends, if three wars, fought with conventional weapons, could not tame our enemy,
I doubt… I highly doubt - it can be tamed with a nuclear war.

My dear friends, let’s not be MAD…
Only a mad man can think of a mad method… like a nuclear war.

There are other ways… Certainly, there are other ways…
More rational and saner ways…
Let’s find out.

Otherwise… yes, otherwise, my friends, I am scared, I am very, very scared,
that, like that lonely man in the midst of the ruins,
we may have to stand alone and scream:
“Is anybody there?”
“Is anybody there?”
“IS ANYBODY THERE?”

Thank you.


GERLAD D’CUNHA

 Pic.: Internet




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