‘Calm after the storm’. The author of this phrase would be proud to see his work so tremendously in use today. Never before has such a calm descended on this city. After an unbelievable 60 hours the city, for the first time, will sit back and introspect as to what hit her. Her citizens are the carriers of the gloom against which she has shielded them for so long. 10 mortals have caused a pandemonium that has struck Mumbai’s every citizen where it hurts the most.
Every media (print & electronic) had a field day or rather days. Never had their coverage reached the extensiveness before, than what was witnessed in the dreaded week. The reporters and their cameramen panned at all possible angles just to air a glimpse of the buildings that were attacked. Suddenly the police force was no longer a group ‘paunchies’ or the ever popular bribe takers. But they were the hope. Every kid knew who is a NSG commando or a MARCO. Sachin Tendulkars & MS Dhonis were replaced by Sandeep Unnikrishnans, Hemant Karkares, Vijay Salaskars & Ashok Amtes as their heroes.
What suffered was not just a heritage structure, a 5 star hotel or the hitherto nondescript Nariman House. What suffered was the faith of the loyal citizens cum lovers of this city. There is no longer a belief of safety for the millions who would still go about their job trying to forget what happened. Each would be turning their heads just to check if they are not be trailed by a killer. They would not readily hang out at the City’s beloved ‘Gateway’ any more. If they do they would remind themselves of what happened here days ago. Yes the suburbs are kilometers away from ‘Ground Zero’, but its resident would face the same anxiety that a town resident would face.
Now what? What now? Is what each and every one of us is asking and expects straight answers. Yes we tolerated the blasts of ’93 & ’06 not just because we are resilient, but we chose to mourn and move on. The investigations now rust in the archives in the government’s bug ridden store rooms. Yes we chose to dodge the stones that were hurled at us because someone desecrated the statue of a famous leader who was never remembered till that time. Yes we chose to stay indoors, when a bunch of hooligans held the city to ransom because their leader was arrested for creating chaos in the city. But this time all limits were crossed when a group of well trained terrorists bypassed all our so called intelligence networks and entered the city calmly and shot innocents at free will.
Would lighting a candle be enough? It might be a depiction of unity that is desperately required today. However all emotions right now need to be channeled towards making our politicians pay. We need to condemn the callous men & women of the million political parties who were waiting for this moment to show their fake solidarity. We need to tell the party leaders (read warlords) that gathering a bunch of cronies and causing mayhem in the city to prove your fake point is a passé. We need serious people who would do their job at all costs. We need people with hearts of the security forces who put their lives under the sword to save the lives of people that did not know or would never know.
In the next few months, we will vote with hope , a hope that we do not have to silently shed a tear again for the citizens of our Mumbai.
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