The terror war

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Mummy, tell the police that they must be quick, people are dying here, tell them there’s a madman running around shooting people.” Marianne Jones received this SMS from Julie, her 16-year-old daughter from spot of the Norway shootout. Not the stereotypical text message you’d expect from a teen belonging to the supposedly reckless Generation Y, one may say. With terror now an evil that cannot be wished away, teens are increasingly learning how to cope.
“Well, teens don’t have mortgages to pay or mouths to feed, so they’d probably tune out when they hear economy-related words, that set many adults’ teeth on edge. But today’s kids seem to have suddenly discovered a higher calling. They are now clearly tuning in when they hear words like terrorism and war. Such is the grip and intensity of the situation, post the Mumbai bomb blast and the Norway shootout,” says Jojan Job, head of the journalism department at a prominent college in the city.
“It’s appalling how innocent folks are being attacked in broad daylight and blown into shreds for no mistake of theirs. There can be no possible justification for such heinous acts of crime; no claims of communal or religious propagation can ever be acceptable. Nobody has the right over other people’s lives or choices. And for that matter, they don't have the right to force-feed or thrust their ideologies either,” says agitated 15-year-old Selvana Jayakumar. About novels like Bifocal, which is based on terrorism and aimed at teens, she says, “It’s time we tuned out of games and cartoon channels and updated ourselves on the terror status of the country. It’s about time we took the responsibility for innocent lives lost, instead of just sitting around and empathising.”
“With terror attacks creating chaos globally, teens are not only disturbed, but are stepping up to help clear the mess — which is a silver lining. Facebook pages like T.A.C.T. (Teens Against Crime and Terrorism) — an initiative started by teens to voice their opinion against terrorism but with a humorous twist, is a good start. On a serious note, the signature campaigns, reflexive peace drives and petitions to the government by the younger members of society, asking for prompt answers, is a sign that we have taken off on the right route,” says psychologist Ivy Das. Illustrating the effectiveness of such initiatives, she adds, “Only time can tell how effective these campaigns will prove to be. The enemy and the players of terror are tough nuts to crack, but something had to done and quickly. It is heartening to see that our teens have already pulled up their socks and are raring to go.”