War on Mumbai

26^th November 2008 began as a normal day for the people in Mumbai. But for some 200 people, it never ended and for the rest of people, the terror attack has left such an imprint which would never be washed away from their minds.

For the nasty terrorists, the November 2008 attack was

It was just a different weekday
It was just a different Team
It was just a different Strategy

But for the Indian civilians,

It was the same old getting gunned down on the road for no reasons
It was the same old getting blasted in the street for no reasons
It was the same old getting handicapped for no reasons
It was the same old getting orphaned for no reasons

And the aftermath.

...........blood filled streets
...........houseful hospitals
...........destructed buildings and towns
..........hour long commando operations
...........death and panic everywhere

War on Mumbai, it’s just another routine nightmare for the Indians that has been continuing for so long.

Consider the following statistic:

1. 112 March 1993 – Series of 13 bombs goes off killing 257

2. 06 December 2002 – Bomb goes off in a bus in Ghatkoper killing 2

3. 227 January 2003 – Bomb goes off on a bicycle in Vile Parle killing 1

4. 114 March 2003 – Bomb goes off in a train in Mulund killing 10

5. 225 August 2003 –Two bombs go off in cars near Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar killing 50

6. 111 July 2006 – Series of seven bombs go off in trains killing 209

7. 226 November 2008 to 29 November 2008 - Coordinated series of attacks killing 172.

Governments have come and governments have gone but the nightmare still haunts us, the insecurity continues and the promises continue to be broken.

Excerpts from The Times of India few days after the attack:

There were no blasts in USA after the 11^th September, 2001 attacks, no blasts in UK after 7^th July London bombings, no blasts in Spain after 11^th March Madrid bombings. But for India, the agony continues. As per some statistics, there were around 56 bombings in 2008 alone.

We have brains that could accomplish missions to Moon. We have the bravest men who could just fall down dead fighting for the nation. We have a stable economy that didn’t shiver when banks and other financial institutes in US and UK touched the dust. But we never had a leader that could make strong decisions without considering the vote banks.

There were peace march protests at Gateway of India. People poured in from all parts of the city; and much more than anticipated. At one point, I found myself separated from the city. There was emotion, there was chanting. The calls for Vande Mataram made me want to cry, but those were drowned out by the cries against Pakistan, Deshmukh, Raj Thackeray and all the politicians in general.

Frustration, anger and helplessness were visible among the crowds. It had been an emotional 3 days for me as I watched Mumbai attacked, yet again. And as the attacks unfolded and counter attacks started, I wondered what would be India’s view after all this gets over? Will the usual ‘famed Mumbai spirit’ and the usual clichés of the city’s resilience to get on with the life start ringing again? But this time even the mumbaikar’s shouted back. Life moves on but our life has been taken for granted by the same guys whom we have elected.

The crowd was gigantic, unruly, pushy, enthusiastic, angry, sweaty, patriotic, considerate and unstoppable. But the view that I had allowed me to see things from a distance and brought home the fact that a few days after the terror attack, we were still vulnerable as ever. Our police for most part looked disinterested and fat, and while the crowds throng the Gateway, it seemed to me, from my vantage point, there is still no protection. No clear lines were demarcated, no surveillance of any kind.

The home minister of Maharashtra even had the audacity to state that such incidents happen in big cities’ and that too in a press conference. Does the guy even know the magnitude of the attack? If that’s not all, I wonder what really drove Narendra Modi to even think of having a press conference on Day 2 of the attack. How can someone even think of politicizing the whole issue?

Till few days back, BJP, MNS and the clan were pointing fingers at ATS chief Hemant Karkare and today they have put up boards across the city saluting him as a Martyr and letting the common people know that these boards have been put up by them- with larger than life sized party posters.

It came as a no surprise that Karkare’s family refused compensation from Narendra Modi government. As the NSG commandos mopped up the operations, in process losing out 3 brave men- all from different parts of the country, I wonder what Raj Thackeray has to say now. His sons of soil VANAR SENA didn’t turn up to save Mumbai from the ‘outsiders’. The real ‘men’ were fighting for Mumbai and the so called sons of soil ‘leader’ was playing with his pet dogs.

India, along with its people, is still waiting for that leader who would save their land; protect the people and who could stop the tears of the people.

Mumbai is the city where I have spent wonderful years of my life. It’s the city which is closest to my heart and will always remain so. And why only me, the city belongs to all the citizen of India. And as the city was laid under siege, I just cried in pain in Pune. Clearly the administration has not any lessons and I am sure they never will. Some day the scares on the Taj, Nariman House and the Oberoi would heal, the blood would be washed out; all the signs of the burnt places would be erased but what about the voices of the innocent dead victims? Won’t they haunt us each time we visit these iconic buildings. The time has come for the government to sit up and listen to the growing voices of the angry citizens who have lost the faith in the system.

They say public memory is short. The people who man this system might want to live in this belief but this time it won’t be forgotten soon. The country wants some answer. Mumbai wants some hard answers.

To be continued...