I merely smirked and feigned gratitude at their concerns, for I was driven by logic and stats. My analytic yet gullible mind thought that post 26/11 the city of Mumbai would be a fortress, as promised by the government. You know how you protect what is more vulnerable. I thought that was the agenda after the horrific 26/11 or the train blasts or the several bomb blasts that now seem passable. I thought tough measures were being taken, as promised by the government.
My belief was driven by the simple fact that no other city in India has been a bigger target for terror than Mumbai. So according to common sense it should now be the safest city in India given the deployment of security forces in their fancy new tank like vehicles.
But it wasn't to be. It was deja-vu all over again. Like some anticipated yet dreaded yearly occurrence.
There was a blast. There were body parts strewn all over. There were horrified faces. There were faceless bodies. There was public outrage. There were police officers at the spots. There were official statements and condemnations.
There was no action taken. There was no attempt to punish the offenders. There was just an open invitation for the mercenaries of death to come and kill some more of us.
This governmental impotency aside, I don't understand the crap we are fed daily in the form of the 'spirit of Mumbai'. Its not spirit that forces people to get out of house the very next day, its need. The need to survive and provide for the family. People are used to such acts of terror that they have accepted it as a part of their daily life. Getting scared and staying at home is not an option for the regular mumbaikar, because frankly hunger kills more people than bombs do.
No one steps out in the face of a tragedy with a Rambo style bandana and wild chest thumps. People step out because that's what they have to do. Life never stops, it just ends. There is no spirit in being one of the many name in a dead list.
There was no action taken. There was no attempt to punish the offenders. There was just an open invitation for the mercenaries of death to come and kill some more of us.
This governmental impotency aside, I don't understand the crap we are fed daily in the form of the 'spirit of Mumbai'. Its not spirit that forces people to get out of house the very next day, its need. The need to survive and provide for the family. People are used to such acts of terror that they have accepted it as a part of their daily life. Getting scared and staying at home is not an option for the regular mumbaikar, because frankly hunger kills more people than bombs do.
No one steps out in the face of a tragedy with a Rambo style bandana and wild chest thumps. People step out because that's what they have to do. Life never stops, it just ends. There is no spirit in being one of the many name in a dead list.
