Am I going to die in terrorist attack?

Public safety is a huge concern in India today. Threat perception is very high. And it's getting worse and closer by the day. On Feb 11th, I was discussing the security issues and terrorism in India with a distinguished gentleman at the Pune airport. He was in a hurry so I had to meet him at the airport. Two days later, on Feb 13th, the unfortunate German Bakery incident took place. Less than 4 kilometers away from the airport.


This morning, I saw the bomb squad entering State Bank of India. I still don't know if it was a drill or a hoax or an actual threat. There is nothing in the news yet. The bank is less than a kilometer away from my house. It's getting closer and it's scary.

But wait a minute. Why am I talking about all this on this blog? This is not supposed to be serious blog. Right? This is why – I am gung ho about the upcoming IPL. Version 3.0.

For the uninitiated, IPL is the Indian Premier League - T20 matches played between clubs of a colonial game called cricket – not played in white clothes anymore, unless you play for five days. This one is a three hour version and apart from cricket , you get to watch skimpily clad women dancing at the drop of a hat, sorry catch! Another thing – the game is played on a pitch about a hundred yards away while the girls dance right in front of you. You know what I mean. It's more than cricket and you might be interested even if you don't know what this game means. (Disclaimer – I love the game and insist on watching even five day version, including the ones between Australia and New Zealand – which, btw, has become easier now that I have quit my job. Disclaimer 2 – I did not quit my job for watching cricket (or for writing stupid blogs, for that matter))

Coming back to the game of cricket and IPL, some of the games will be played in New Mumbai and Nagpur which are not very far from Pune. I do want to watch some of the matches in the stadium (apart from some in the multiplex – another novely of IPL v3. Lalit Modi ji ki jai ho!). Now the issue is this – there already is lot of discouragement from friends and family. It's supposed to be risky. What if there is a bomb blast (which, in fact, is a possibility)?

Now, please consider the following data (sources: various) -

Odds of dying in a car crash – 1:185
Odds of dying in a terrorist attack – 1:19,159,765
Odds of winning a jackpot – 1:13,983,816

My chances of winning a jackpot are higher than my chances of of dying in a terrorist attack. And I know it for a fact that I will never win a jackpot. Yes, I do increase my chances by going for an IPL match or by going to any other public place but so do I by buying an actual lottery ticket. The buying ticket thing hasn't worked for me till now. Also, my chance of dying in a car crash are really scary. I should stop travelling in a car before I stop going for movies and IPL matches, I guess.

Btw, I am planning to drive down to the stadium. I will drive carefully!
 
Happy Living folks!!