Suddenly, India is furious with its politicians.

As all the bottled-up anger pours out, many heads are rolling. Shivraj Patil, who prided himself on his dapper manner, was first shown the door, and then it was R R Patil, Maharashtra's deputy chief minister, who had told an incredulous world that these blasts were no big deal.

The next to go will be chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who smilingly strolled the corridors of the Taj as though at a painting exhibition just a day after the commandos had cleared the hotel of the marauding gunmen. Outdoing his colleagues in insensitivity, he had a film director and movie star for company.
 
No wonder people want him out. And who knows? If the pressure is strong enough, even the Kerala chief minister, who insulted a soldier's father, may have to step down. Already, slain policeman Hemant Karkare's wife has spurned the Gujarat chief minister's offer of a Rs 1 crore reward.

All of which I can follow, but I am completely clueless how the young terrorists, who looked like the sorts who'd be happy playing video games and headbanging at rock shows, should go armed and kill hundreds of innocent people.

What motivates them to do something so cruel and inhuman? What personal wrong could they have suffered that pushed them to such extreme violence? How do they put themselves in a situation where they kill this moment, and get killed the next?

Soldiers, commandos and ideologically motivated cadres are trained to conquer fear and rush in where civilians fear to tread. These young men knew they were going on a diabolic mission that would in all likelihood end in their own death. Check out the footage from CST. They are smiling. I don't understand the smile on their young faces. I don't understand their cold cruelty.