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To be (sarcastic) or not to be (sarcastic) in the time of #Berlinattack

A Palestinian poet and author, Mahmoud Darwish, had once said, “Sarcasm helps me overcome the harshness of the reality we live in, eases the pain of scars and makes people smile.” This quote particularly holds true in light of the reactions PaGaLGuY received by Indian students in Germany (or those planning to go to the country), following the recent Berlin attacks that killed 12 and injured 48 people.

All we wanted to know is if the consequent geopolitical situation in Germany had rendered the country as an unfavourable study abroad option. We expected students to be perturbed or at least talk about instances describing the stringent security controls exercised by the country following the attack. Perhaps, things were normal and didn’t need the kind of attention we were giving it. But, we certainly didn’t expect to be trolled on a social networking platform by students for having asked the aforementioned question.

To our amusement, we were welcomed with sarcastic comments from Indian students, that read, “I guess Germany is safe till people asking dumb questions don’t come here.I hope u get my point”

Or

So, what did you do, after the Mumbai attack?

Or

Good question..Good entertainment…. Thanks for entertaining me…better for you to not come..

Or

“There are continuous attacks in India. ..how are you doing there? Is it safe to stay in India right now ? ”

Well, FYI our intention was not to entertain you, but glad we could help unintentionally. It’s surprising that in a day and age, when it is perhaps easier to get paranoid, students would equate a terrorist attack to something as regular as brushing your teeth. So what if there was an attack in Berlin, right? If one can live in India and survive continuous terror attacks, why would people not want to go to Germany. It is a first world country, after all. How could we think of such a blasphemous thing? Silly, us! Forgive us for our naivety.

Sorry, dear Indian students, for asking what we thought was a very pertinent question in the light of recent events. But, we understand, nothing can deter you from your plans of going abroad, particularly Germany. Not even Europe’s persistent rallies against immigrants.

However, if we were to take Darwish’s take on Sarcasm, your comments definitely made our day, even if the joke was on us!

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