Anti-Terrorism Day

What a coincidence, right? When our country is doing everything in order to fight terrorism, we are setting an example of what 21st May Anti-Terrorism Day is commemorated for. This day in history was chosen in remembrance of our former Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi. He was assassinated with 14 other people on a plane by a suicide bomber who allegedly belonged to Srilanka based Terror organization in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, on 21st May 1991. This day thereafter serves the purpose to raise awareness about the evils of terrorism and violence and promote peace and unity.

History is the witness to the catastrophic and morbid loss of lives of innocent people and, not to be forgotten, lives of our unsung brave soldiers. Terrorism isn’t a new chapter in the lives of people; it thrived through time. Nevertheless of advanced tech, advanced communication, or the internet, it thrived nevertheless. The history of terrorism in India dates back to 8 June 1980, with the Mandai Massacre in Tripura, which resulted in the killing of around 500 people. More recently, the Pahalgam Attack on 22nd April 2025 claimed 26 lives. Its consequences were visible to all. Terrorism has never done any good for a nation. A country’s strength lies in its ability to resolve conflicts through peace and integrity. Terrorism divides people; it takes away the most precious treasure of the country, which is “its youth”. In most cases the people involved in terrorism are young people, who are brainwashed by a few masterminds sitting at the top of the hierarchical pyramid. These leaders rarely sacrifice themselves; instead, they manipulate the naive to carry out their plans. The masterminds behind these heinous crimes have only one propaganda, and that is to influence the government or an international governmental organisation or to intimidate the public. Their only goal is manipulation, and in order to do so, they need manpower, and hence, they target the youth and convince them into committing crimes in the name of religion or duty.

Terrorism happens due to very minute things but results in devastating aftereffects. To begin with, the very cause of it is religious ideologies where one community thinks it is superior to the other. Social or economic inequalities, such as poverty , unemployment or lack of education, can push people to take extreme steps; Past psychological trauma in a person’s life, where a person thinks of taking revenge, to state an example from the past – the Pulwama attack, the perpetrator Adil Ahmad Dar joined the terrorist group to take revenge on the Indian Army because of an incident that took place in his life; State-sponsored terrorism also results in terrorism, where the government itself supports the terrorist groups and funds them to accomplish their strategic or geopolitical goals.

Regardless of how big the problem is, it can be solved. The first and foremost step towards cutting the roots of terrorism is by finding the roots and not clinging on to the branches of the tree. Addressing the root causes will help eradicate the problem; spreading awareness by strengthening education will help fight radical ideologies; improving economic opportunities so that nobody has to turn towards malpractices in lack of money and other resources; and strengthening the security and intelligence of the nation to prevent and respond to possible attacks.Concluding with what former President of the US, Mr Barack Obama, and spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism Dalai Lama, stated,

“Terrorism is a global problem that requires a global solution, and it is not a fight between religions or cultures. It is a fight between humanity and inhumanity."

For the sake of mankind, this evil has to be eradicated from its roots, or else the holy motherland will turn red.

-Nandini Dirsinala