Last evening we got out of the house clueless, hoping to have dinner and catch a movie. A friend called and movie got scrapped and we had a nice dinner instead. Got home by11, put Cubby to sleep and went off to sleep too to be woken up at 5am to a cat entering our house through the bathroom window. After we had shooed it away, I looked at my phone to see the time and my phone read 1 new message.
I read "heard about terrible attacks in Mumbai, trust everyone at home is ok." I showed it to M and he checked his phone to see similar sms from Papa. Since we don't have cable TV at home, we logged on to the internet and came across the goriest images and worst news we have read in a very long time.
Yet another terror attack on Mumbai. Not some bomb-blasts orchestrated by some militant group but actual people blazing guns in some of the biggest establishments and most popular areas and haunts in Mumbai.
After a long time, I cried reading the news and seeing the images. I have lived in Mumbai and seen the first blasts that rocked the city and over a period of time just got numbed in acceptance of the situation. The way shit happens, bomb-blasts and floods happen. WE laughed and sang our way home through waist deep water till even the water decided to kill.
And yet we kept saluting the spirit of Mumbaikar. What choice does he/she have but to go on living. Even my mother matter of factly said trains are running and she may go to work and we told her nothing doing. Stay put at home. But thats how we are now.
Yet this time, it's sending chills down my spine. Holding people hostages, indiscriminate shooting and killing of people by some who look 16years old and should be in school...
It's been over 12hrs and the situation is yet to come under control. Brave police officers and innocent civilans are still dying and I don't think I want to watch it live on TV. Relaity TV was NOT meant to be this, was it?!
This is not the time to come up with blanket generalizations and simplistic solutions like wiping out a race as a solution to these constant attacks.
Let us keep the faith in humanity. Like M said in his comment in my previous post "But overall, I guess it is better to trust and love in these belligerent times than to suspect everyone. Aage, sabki apni kismat..."
I cannot help but agree with him. I don't mean be careless and don't be vigilant, but please dont let your prejudices stop you from reaching the best in you.
This is my 100th post and I had requested M to do a guest post, but this isn't the time for it.
Instead I am linking his Brilliant post here. Maybe he can write the 101st for me.
Please pray for safety of the hostages and pray for the city that once never slept because there was so much camarderie and friendship around...
19 comments:
Prayers is all we can do. I feel so sad & down & low today.
:( May God help all of us to find a solution
"I don't think I want to watch it live on TV. Reality TV was NOT meant to be this, was it?!" No Abha it wasn't.
I hope they come out safe, and this is the end of all this madness. My prayers are with them.
I hate these morons!!!
They should be publicly executed.....that's the only way
Amen to your prayers.
May better sense prevail.
Sending silent prayers for everyone's safety at Mumbai
Wow! How easily and quickly can normalcy be changed. Its eerie! You are right about the spirit of bombay - same spirit, different name - and the question posed alongside - do people have a choice? Even if half the city would blow up, the other half will continue to function - simply because people for whom this city is a base, do not have a choice. Also, prejudice should be controlled, but its hard when every terrorist is from a particular community - and it is a worldwide phenomenon. The onus then falls on that religious community to exonerate themselves by doing something about it. While many suggested more radical ways, one friend suggested a more practical approach. The members of that community can announce that each time a terrorist from that community commits such a cowardly act, people will denounce the religion in large numbers. It is one way the community can deal with this issue peacefully. Question is - will they adopt this (or any other) method? Do they want to deal with it?
People of Bombay will resume life and get on with their chores the next day. For them normal life will continue, but the question is - What do we consider as 'normal'? The definition of that word has been moulded by serial blasts, the ongoing terror strike and many such disturbing events. The definition has changed! But we will again forget about it soon because now there are too many such anniversaries to be remembered. Has our sanity turned into softness? Is this softness just a guise to inaction?
Feeling so helpless, so down. My mumbai, what have people done to it!!
Whats the world come to really? at loss of words here!!
Its terrible Abha, makes me think about my post...maybe I was not to wrong is getting pessimistic then
My prayers join the millions that are being sent Mumba's way.
May the madness stop and stop NOW!!!
abha... its sickening.. all we can do is say prayers and get angry... and i feel angry on that...
Interesting to see that almost everyone on my blogroll has been moved to post on this incident. No other incident in the past has brought such a spontaneous reaction from almost everyone. Like one report said, this is India's 9/11.
What still pains me, nonetheless, is how despite our education and civility our instinct is to look at this from a religious fundamentalist angle. Just by doing that we are playing into the hands of people who WANT us to treat this as a religious divide. The fact is that this is no more than a law and order breakdown and should be tackled as such.
I know it is difficult to forgive, but I sincerely hope we as a nation do not commit the same error as the US. Not blaming an entire community for the acts of 25 people is not "being soft on terror". Finding it in ourselves to rise beyond religious politics and show these guys that we will hunt them down as common criminals is what the Spirit of Mumbai really means.
The alternative will merely lead to more rounds of retaliation, while the masterminds sit back and relish the fracas. That indeed would be the real tragedy.
I think we have started living in times when anything and everything is possible.
When 9/11 happened, no one actually thought an entire aeroplane can ever enter a tall building killing thousands of people.
Now, we see this. What next ? Living in cities like Mumbai and Delhi, one doesn't know which corner is safe. Like a rodent scavenging the entire house, these terrorists have made their routes everywhere.
I want to attend one such terrorists meeting and want to listen how diversely a human mind can think. How is it possible for someone to even THINK of planning out such an attack. Where is it all going to end? When? How?
At this moment, I just have endless questions in my mind...
Yes Abha, Your Mumbai, my Mumbai, Our Mumbai will get up and walk again... but this time we will have to scream ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I cant live my life in fear! We need to give a better future to our kids. We owe it to them.
Its not just about Mumbai. Its about India and we will have to show them that there is a limit to all tolerance! :(
I have no words.
all we can do is pray for everyone and hope that it does not happen again.
hey all!
am sorry! but i cant bring myself to read another post about the mayhem or comment or reply to these comments.
all i would have liked to ssay is there in Vidooshak's comment. Life is too short to ruin it with our prejudices and live a life of mistrust!
yes, stay vigilant and alert, of course. and lets keep doing our bit to make India a safer place.
and may the souls of those who lost their lives, rest in peace.
cheers!
abha
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