26th Nov 2008 dawned like any other day....we woke up late,had a hasty breakfast and literally dashed to class barely making it in time for the hospital rounds to start.......I dont remember what I wore to class that day,nor what I had for breakfast nor,for that matter what it was we did in class....what I do remember is it was a friends birthday and after class we went out looking for a gift......needless to say I dont remember what it was we bought..............the evening saw us looking at a wonderful birthday party complete with music,good food and lots of fun......again the flavour of the cake and the items on the menu escape my me
mory.........but theres one thing I distinctly remember about that night............I remember the moment when we learnt about the terror strikes on Mumbai........I remember it as clear as day.....as if it were playing before my eyes even as I write this.................M,S and S were sitting on the sofa in S's room, B was on the computer and I was standing midway between the TV and B.......S was swiftly surfing the channels,at unbelievable speed when she stopped at BBC........"Mumbai under siege" the headlines screamed........"Indiscriminate firings at CST".........."Another bomb explosion at the Taj"........it took a full minute for the news to sink in, and when it did,we realised t
he horror of it all.......it left us numb........shocked........scared...........and then a realisation dawned..........our parents,siblings,people we love go there to work.........in the very area which was under attack.......how were they?had they reached home?what exactly was happening?They were not anywhere near CST,were they?.........it was a mad dash to the telephone..........the 15mins it took for my call to get through were perhaps the longest of my life........everyone was fine,they told me...."Dont worry"......S was also relieved that all were safe at home, "Dont worry", they told her. I must confess we felt a bit better........we were soon back to BBC and I felt like I was suspended in space and time had stood still.............hundreds of people were dying a violent,senseless death.....people who were loved,who were needed by those who loved them......those who they loved,a husband,a wife,a child,a father,a mother,a brother,a sister........someone who had unfulfilled dreams and hopes and aspirations and failures and anguish and sorrows and joys ,like you and me....who felt the same feelings as you and me.....who perhaps loved with abandon,laughed freely,gave willingly.......who was perhaps a wonderful son who had come to Mumbai in search of a better future....whose frail old parents perhaps waite
d for him with eager enthusiasm............... a prodigal daughter returning home after a wonderful performance at some exam.......all mercilessly crushed because some idiot in some corner of the world thought "Next on my terror list is Mumbai. Terrorize the people. Ruin the city".............for what? That was the only question that kept running through my mind the next 2 days........it seemed like such a large waste........such a sad waste......and all for what?After the attacks,Mumbai saw a sudden surge in the number of vigilant citizen groups across the city....they mushroomed overnight and sprung into action.......candlelight vigils.......marches for peace....."we will 
not give in so easily"........"we will not let terror win"......"we want answers"......they demanded more transparency from the government...........more credibility..........more responsibility.........However, people were back to work the very next day........the trains were just as crowded.......CST was packed.........as if nothing had changed.......and yet something had...........
not give in so easily"........"we will not let terror win"......"we want answers"......they demanded more transparency from the government...........more credibility..........more responsibility.........However, people were back to work the very next day........the trains were just as crowded.......CST was packed.........as if nothing had changed.......and yet something had...........The world was watching and lauding the "spirit of Mumbai". What spirit? Has anyone ever looked beyond the huge metropolis that is Mumbai and tried to see what it takes to survive here? How you have to fight from the moment you step out of your house till the moment you reach your workplace/school/college? Fight to board a bus, fight to first get into- and then stay inside- a local train that arrives packed beyond capacity.......there are thousands waiting to jump at any opportunity of a job offered to them........labour markets spring up at almost every station in the mornings......people just waiting endlessly, waiting for someone to come up to them and offer them a days job......something to see them through one more day in this monstrous city........this city of dreams........how can anyone afford to stop for a terror attack? Not possible.......it pulls at my heartstrings when I read about the "spirit of mumbai"......it is helplessness that drives this so called "spirit".............how can anyone be foolish enought to think that people are not scared for their lives after a terror attack? How can anyone be naive enough to believe that we all go to work to "show the terrorists that they have not won"? How is that possible? Is the country really that stupid? Or is it that we are now being taken for granted? "Ah! Mumbai na,its ok re....they'll bounce right back....they always do".........What else can explain the fact that our beloved PM Manmohan Singh was enjoying the hospitality of the white house on the 1st anniversary of the terror strikes? Or the fact that our president, Pratibha Patil literally touched the skies in a Sukhoi? Were they trying to mock us? Or was it pure indifference?
We are told to check under our seats when we board a bus........look out for suspicious items in the luggage racks of the trains and this is not just Mumbai's story,its the same in almost every metropolis of the world today...........the other day my sister asked me " Is this normal? We live with the fact that we might be attacked at anytime,and we all seem to be okay with it. Is it normal?".....What was I supposed to say?..................Living with terror and accepting it as a part of ones life never was and never will be normal.......be it the USA, Britain, Russia, India, Afghanistan or any other country on the face of this earth..............no person deserves to die at the hands of a terrorist......... Or live in fear of one!
Pics courtesy : http://www.sodahead.com/technology/what-kind-of-flowers-do-you-like/question-363363/?link=ibaf
AS, my sincere heartfelt feelings go out to you and your fellow countrymen and women. Just like with the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York...it changes one's life forever. Living in the country, as I do, and not near a large city, the fear has lessened, but I know the threat is still there. I wish the wealth of the world was more equally distributed and all lived peacefully together on Earth. Why wouldn't "anyone" prefer that over the killing of innocent people and the distruction of beautiful cities! Fellow average citizens of the world understand AS, that it is "helplessness" that drives Mumbai's so called "spirit"...it's the same here as well for the average citizen!
ReplyDeleteIt was good hearing from You!
Wanda in Ohio,USA
That was beautiful...u echoed every mumbaikar's feelings.
ReplyDelete@ Wanda: Gracias senora! Thank you for your support and wishes. :)
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous: Thank you.