August 2. “Button, do you know how a terrorist is born?”

“No. All I know is that they are bad people. Weren’t they responsible for 26/11?”

“They were but the transformation of a simple human being into a terrorist is very sad and unfortunate.”

“Tell me.”

“Simply put, these are poor and needy people who have no idea where their next meal will come from. Their children go hungry day after day. Forget the clothes. Forget their education. All they want is to put some food into their bellies and the bellies of their children”

“And…?”

“And when a terrorist group approaches them with promises of feeding their children and taking care of them, they take up the offer and pack them off. These children are then trained in the use of arms and the transformation begins.”

“What you mean is that parents pack off their children into becoming terrorists?”

“If parents are unable to feed their own children, what option do they have but send these kids off so they can, at least, get a meal a day. These people are also illiterate so when they are approached by others who offer to feed and take care of their children, they are only too willing. I also have doubts that these parents know what terrorism is all about.”

“This is terrible.”

“Celebrities like Arundhati Roy and actor, Sameera Reddy, have no hesitation in dedicating themselves to the Naxalite cause.”

“What is the real meaning of a terrorist?”

“One who terrorizes to get what he/she wants. A simple day-to-day example would be a child terrorizing another child into parting with his lollipop. Terrorism is a much larger issue of the same ideology.”

“Do terrorists terrorize for anything other than food?”

“Yes. They terrorize in the name of religion, causes they believe in, to get attention… Terrorism is, like I said, a much larger issue. I’ve made it very simple for your benefit.”