26/11 has happened. What now?

We all have seen how ten people entered Mumbai without much problems and held the entire city to ransom for over 60 hours. As if this wasn't bad enough by itself, we now have further problems created over this attack which I have no intention to discuss. (Still, what were the CMs of Maharashtra and Kerala thinking?) What is of paramount importance is how such a happening is to be averted the next time before it happens. Unfortunately, we have no real quick-fix solutions, as the cause of these terror-mongers getting away every single time is deep-rooted. Here is what should be done in the long term:

1. Education
I believe that to combat the influence terror has on children of impressionable ages, they should be taught a subject on the lines of Terror Management. This would include giving a clear idea about who is perpetrating this terror; why is this being done, that is to say, what are the objectives of the people behind these incidents, and how to thwart them; and most importantly, what to do in the event of an attack.

2. Security
An important reason why the battle continued for so long was the pathetic technology and weaponry that the armed forces possessed in contrast to the sophisticated AK-56s and RDX that the terrorists had. Only one thing can follow from this: Our security forces urgently need better ammunition, technology (and safer bullet-proof jackets) at their disposal. This way, the taxpayer's money would be put to some use.

3. Intelligence
26/11 heralded one of the biggest Intelligence failures in India, ever. This is saying a lot, since the intelligence has never been up-to-the-mark to begin with. However, why don't the best sleuth agencies of the world (Scotland Yard, FBI, etc.) tie up together and work as a single unit to encounter terrorism on a global scale? Wouldn't it be more prudent to focus all the resources of all the intel in the world together to fight a problem that is endangering the world? And before anybody asks, I don't trust Indian intel to work on its own.

4. Politics
However, among all the problems mentioned so far, this one has to top the scales for the biggest problem mentioned on Opinion Matrix so far. (And yes, that includes Terrorism.) For 61 long years, we, as people of India, stood behind Democracy, elected our own representatives, and expected not much apart from a few basic things like food, shelter, and security. But, democracy has failed this country. I now long for an authoritarian government, even dictatorship, that would not run behind vote banks, indulge in petty bickering and politicize important issues such as 26/11. Such a government would be able to take quick decisions, focus itself on the task at hand without caring for political mileage, and kick terror out of the country the way a fly would be removed from a cup of tea, perhaps by instilling his own brand of terror.
To achieve this, just empty 'We-want-answers' slogans or huge rallies won't do. All we need is a Mass revolt; a REVOLUTION.

5. Citizens
And, at the root of even this big malaise is something... yeah, us. We Mumbaikars have always gone with the 'Chalta Hai' attitude. We don't take part in what is going on as far as politics is concerned. We give a damn to terror attacks, because we apparently know that the city will 'bounce back'. We have seen terror so many times that we have stopped caring about these things unless our family, friends or girlfriend/boyfriend had to bear direct brunt of the attack. Well, that will have to change now. We'll need to be active participants in the city's present and future. We can start by being watchful 24x7 and alert the people concerned when we see any suspicious activity, anywhere.
In the end, only we can save our city.