Encounter of the first kind...

What just happened in bangalore yesterday?A terrorist attack right in our backyard.And why not? We have the best defense research labs here,the best institutes for education,from the IISc to the IIMB,all the software companies with their offices here...so this is the next best thing for an attack next to the capital. The saddest thing about thing about b'lore would have to be its shabby security.Its ridiculous when all the police seem to be saying is-"save yourselves".When a call-centre employee was attacked all we could do was sit up in shock & sympathise with the family.The government cleanly put the onus on the call-centre company in question,forgetting the basic fact that there is no basic security provided by the police.At this time another aspect of the emergency exercise comes to our minds-lack of a unified emergency number.It is scary that we have different numbers for different emergency situations.The only one that i can remember,that comes to my mind immediately, is 100 for the police.So if im in a fire or a medical emergency i would either have to reach for a telephone directory or call my family.Here i must mention the medical emergency helpline-1062,which,i believe was started by a group of private hospitals;but whose efficacy i cannot comment on as i have not witnessed them in action.But there have been glowing reports of their quick action & their ambulances being well equipped.This brings to my mind an incident which occurred when i was in my final year of graduation.My friend & i decided to go a shop near our college to buy some stationery.As we were walking back from the shop we noticed an auto-rickshaw driver who had parked in front of another part of our college (which is located outside the main campus),stand next to his auto with his hand in his pants.We were busy talking & laughing about something & I didnt notice that this man was a flasher.My friend pointed to the man & that's when i noticed the man's behaviour.We immediately rushed into the college building which was outside the campus & since i had a cell phone decided to call the police.I immediately dialled 100 & to my surprise or was it shock,i realized nobody was picking up the phone!we tried for almost 15 mins.And i was thinking all the while,"what if this was an emergency....?" We then went inside the college building & called the police station.Surpirse,surprise!Nobody still picked up the phone....By this small,almost insignificant incident i just want to illustrate the state of security in this city.This is where i was born but this is not the b'lore i was born in....