26/11! The dirtiest day in the history of Mumbai! A day which made us feel ashamed of ourselves!
The firing at CST station..and at Leopold cafe..the explosions at Taj & Oberoi..the attack on Nariman House..we were stunned! Sitting in front of TV..without even blinking! I pinched myself several times, wondering whether it is really happening or I am in a dream! The most astonishing fact about this attack is, unlike Mumbai train blasts, they were not cowardly attacks. Without any fear, a man came and fired at CST station (!), and he had a smile on his face while doing this?? It was not a bloody Hindi movie, where we could convince ourselves that, 'Oh, it is just a movie. It's not real.' But it was real!!
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus..there are so many feelings attached to this station. It has always been my favorite station in Mumbai because of its beautiful architecture and lofty style. The feeling of being at CST station was definitely different than being at any other station of Mumbai. It indeed gave a sense of being 'in Mumbai'. But now the way of looking at CST has drastically changed. The first thought that came to my mind whenever I went there after 26/11 was 'it is here it all happened'.
Not only 26/11, but also the days after cannot be forgotten. When the commandos were fighting there for the people whom they have not known, there were people arguing 'See, someone tell Raj Thakare, not the Marathi manus, but commandos from outside Maharashtra are here to save Mumbai.' I was absolutely shocked to hear that. What a ridiculous comment it was! Who were Shahid Karkare, Kamate and Salaskar? And, forget about Marathi and non-Marathi! The commandos were not biased with cast. They did not have even thought about 'whom' they are saving. But the people sitting safe outside were irresponsibly making such obnoxious comments on TV channels!
The security system of Mumbai, the hypocrisy of politicians was all unclothed. It was so frustrating to see a politician making comment about women in peace march, visit of CM with a film director, the TV news channels overwhelmed with the treasure of bites.
I remember the peace march we attended shortly after the attack. When we reached on CST station, it was a different feeling to see that building again. Unknowingly our eyes, filled with tears, were searching for the traces of attack. It was so horrible to imagine that, just a few days back so many people were ruthlessly killed and the dead bodies were lying here. Surprisingly, the station was all crowded with people including children to go to the peace march. We had to struggle a lot to get a cab. When we told the taxi driver that we are going for the peace march, he said 'अरे काहेका मार्च साहाब, पिछली बारभी जब बोम्ब ब्लास्ट हुआ था, ऐसेही कुछ किया इन लोगोने. लेकिन क्या फ़ायदा हुआ? थोड़े दीन ये सब नाटक चलेगा. फिर सब भूल जायेंगे. कुछ नहीं बदलेगा.' We argued with him on that. But somewhere at the back of our mind we knew that he was right! And, just by attending a peace march, we were simply doing NOTHING! Today, when I the saw interview of Mr. Karkare's wife, she was asked her opinion about these peace marches with candles. She said, "हा फ़क्त दिखावा आहे. खरच जर काही करायची गरज आहे तर पोलिसांना चांगली शस्त्रास्त्र देण्याची." Really, did the peace marches show the unity of Mumbaikars? I don't know!! For me, it was all unintentional. To do at least something rather than nothing! Just to be a small part of the crowd which is protesting. One of those voices who outcried "This is not acceptable!". Our taxi could not go ahead after flora fountain and we took a walk towards Gateway. The roads were full of people with banners in their hands & wearing T-shirts with messages of protest. Near Gateway it was crowded like a second class compartment of local train. Still many people were walking with their children on shoulders. Many were standing on the road dividers shouting in protest. Many celebrities were there giving bite to news channels. We reached the end of the road next to Taj. Could catch only a glimpse of it. And, started our journey back. That's it!
One year after, today I again could realize the truth in what that cab driver said..'NOTHING WILL CHANGE'. Has the security system in Mumbai improved? May be. But definitely not enough! The metal detectors put on CST station only work as a hindrance for commuters. Nothing else. Newspapers are feeling proud about being first to give some or the other news (for example, there is a news in MT today stating that, they were the first to show Kasab's photo. Wow! What a great achievement!). Newspapers say, we have spent a bloody 31 crores on that bastard terrorist. And today senior parliamentarians fight with each other over compensation paid to victims by government. Aren't we making fun of ourselves in front of the world?
But do I have a right to raise objection?? NO! What is most hurtful is, sitting thousands of miles away from Mumbai, neither I am doing anything for it!!!
The firing at CST station..and at Leopold cafe..the explosions at Taj & Oberoi..the attack on Nariman House..we were stunned! Sitting in front of TV..without even blinking! I pinched myself several times, wondering whether it is really happening or I am in a dream! The most astonishing fact about this attack is, unlike Mumbai train blasts, they were not cowardly attacks. Without any fear, a man came and fired at CST station (!), and he had a smile on his face while doing this?? It was not a bloody Hindi movie, where we could convince ourselves that, 'Oh, it is just a movie. It's not real.' But it was real!!
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus..there are so many feelings attached to this station. It has always been my favorite station in Mumbai because of its beautiful architecture and lofty style. The feeling of being at CST station was definitely different than being at any other station of Mumbai. It indeed gave a sense of being 'in Mumbai'. But now the way of looking at CST has drastically changed. The first thought that came to my mind whenever I went there after 26/11 was 'it is here it all happened'.
Not only 26/11, but also the days after cannot be forgotten. When the commandos were fighting there for the people whom they have not known, there were people arguing 'See, someone tell Raj Thakare, not the Marathi manus, but commandos from outside Maharashtra are here to save Mumbai.' I was absolutely shocked to hear that. What a ridiculous comment it was! Who were Shahid Karkare, Kamate and Salaskar? And, forget about Marathi and non-Marathi! The commandos were not biased with cast. They did not have even thought about 'whom' they are saving. But the people sitting safe outside were irresponsibly making such obnoxious comments on TV channels!
The security system of Mumbai, the hypocrisy of politicians was all unclothed. It was so frustrating to see a politician making comment about women in peace march, visit of CM with a film director, the TV news channels overwhelmed with the treasure of bites.
I remember the peace march we attended shortly after the attack. When we reached on CST station, it was a different feeling to see that building again. Unknowingly our eyes, filled with tears, were searching for the traces of attack. It was so horrible to imagine that, just a few days back so many people were ruthlessly killed and the dead bodies were lying here. Surprisingly, the station was all crowded with people including children to go to the peace march. We had to struggle a lot to get a cab. When we told the taxi driver that we are going for the peace march, he said 'अरे काहेका मार्च साहाब, पिछली बारभी जब बोम्ब ब्लास्ट हुआ था, ऐसेही कुछ किया इन लोगोने. लेकिन क्या फ़ायदा हुआ? थोड़े दीन ये सब नाटक चलेगा. फिर सब भूल जायेंगे. कुछ नहीं बदलेगा.' We argued with him on that. But somewhere at the back of our mind we knew that he was right! And, just by attending a peace march, we were simply doing NOTHING! Today, when I the saw interview of Mr. Karkare's wife, she was asked her opinion about these peace marches with candles. She said, "हा फ़क्त दिखावा आहे. खरच जर काही करायची गरज आहे तर पोलिसांना चांगली शस्त्रास्त्र देण्याची." Really, did the peace marches show the unity of Mumbaikars? I don't know!! For me, it was all unintentional. To do at least something rather than nothing! Just to be a small part of the crowd which is protesting. One of those voices who outcried "This is not acceptable!". Our taxi could not go ahead after flora fountain and we took a walk towards Gateway. The roads were full of people with banners in their hands & wearing T-shirts with messages of protest. Near Gateway it was crowded like a second class compartment of local train. Still many people were walking with their children on shoulders. Many were standing on the road dividers shouting in protest. Many celebrities were there giving bite to news channels. We reached the end of the road next to Taj. Could catch only a glimpse of it. And, started our journey back. That's it!
One year after, today I again could realize the truth in what that cab driver said..'NOTHING WILL CHANGE'. Has the security system in Mumbai improved? May be. But definitely not enough! The metal detectors put on CST station only work as a hindrance for commuters. Nothing else. Newspapers are feeling proud about being first to give some or the other news (for example, there is a news in MT today stating that, they were the first to show Kasab's photo. Wow! What a great achievement!). Newspapers say, we have spent a bloody 31 crores on that bastard terrorist. And today senior parliamentarians fight with each other over compensation paid to victims by government. Aren't we making fun of ourselves in front of the world?
But do I have a right to raise objection?? NO! What is most hurtful is, sitting thousands of miles away from Mumbai, neither I am doing anything for it!!!
