A letter
Dear Mr. Terrorist,
I hope you are having a good day. I wish I could say the worst for you, but I cannot, that is simply because you are the worst, and you probably cannot get higher than that. Wishing something horrible for you may just be the best.
You must be happy at the thought of the terror and panic you have created in the people of Mumbai. Well, let me tell you something that you are already aware of. Mumbaikars cannot be scared. Even though I don’t stay there anymore, I have spent four years of my life in that city. I will probably not respect any other city as much as I would Mumbai. Mumbai taught me what it means to get help from a random stranger on the road, while you were wading in the murky waters, scared about where to take next step. I experienced fear when I was cut off from family and friends for over 24 hours, unsure if they had managed to reach home safely or where they were. I knew what safety was, because travelling alone at home at 3:00 am did not scare me. I knew what humanity was, because people gave people clean water and some biscuits to eat to quench the thirst and hunger in July 26 incident. And they did not know them.
I also understood that nothing stops the city. The people are back to their jobs, battling for security and not knowing whether this is their last ride from home. It really doesn’t matter if you have escaped the bomb blast 100 meters from you. Life goes on. It really does. You are back to the grind called life that awaits you. The spirit of Mumbai is to never give up, and we will battle the hardships that come across our way. I’ve known Mumbai, and will always believe that Mumbai is one city that welcomes people from all walks of life. No one thought if the food grains they donated during the floods went to a marathi manoos. No one really thought if the blood they were donating went to a person who was or was not a Maharashtrian.
We lost three of the most respected and feared officers from the Police. They died protecting us without giving a second thought to a family that would be waiting for them at home. My heartfelt sympathies are with their families. When I saw the ATS chief on television, I thought to myself, “Does this guy know what he is getting into? There are chances that they may not get back home, “and I woke up to the news of this death. I don’t know him, but it saddened me. Sodid the deaths of the Additional ACP and the Encounter cop.
Each new channel wants to get an upper hand over the other, while one boasts about getting an exclusive e-mail sent from somewhere in Russia, another raises the quantity of RDX found near Bade Miyan. Why can’t these channels report the right things and just give us the truth. Why id everything blown out of proportion and distorted? Why does one have to show the blood spattered floors of Leopold and zoom into a random face and say “this man is terrorised and traumatised.” Of course, you jackass, so am I even while I am sitting in the comfort of my home and getting worried because I cannot reach my friends in Mumbai. What do you expect the man who has just witnessed random people being shot at in front of him?
A random Minister, scrambling for some screen space called it as the most shameful attack on India. I ask, were the rest of the attacks not shameful? Our *respected* Prime Minister has not yet addressed the nation. Is India so used to militants attacking us and disrupting the harmony, that this is being treated as a one-of the oh-so-frequently happening incidents? An Emergency meeting has meeting called, and yes the PM will address the nation later criticising the shameful act of terrorism, and how India will not succumb to any of these attacks. India has brave sons, and all mothers will be ready to sacrifice more sons to protect the motherland. He will also talk about how they will nab the terrorists as soon as possible and make India a safe place. Yes, those empty promises will surface again, its election time.
I just wonder when will all this end. We need someone to thrash people into their senses. We do.
I hope you are having a good day. I wish I could say the worst for you, but I cannot, that is simply because you are the worst, and you probably cannot get higher than that. Wishing something horrible for you may just be the best.
You must be happy at the thought of the terror and panic you have created in the people of Mumbai. Well, let me tell you something that you are already aware of. Mumbaikars cannot be scared. Even though I don’t stay there anymore, I have spent four years of my life in that city. I will probably not respect any other city as much as I would Mumbai. Mumbai taught me what it means to get help from a random stranger on the road, while you were wading in the murky waters, scared about where to take next step. I experienced fear when I was cut off from family and friends for over 24 hours, unsure if they had managed to reach home safely or where they were. I knew what safety was, because travelling alone at home at 3:00 am did not scare me. I knew what humanity was, because people gave people clean water and some biscuits to eat to quench the thirst and hunger in July 26 incident. And they did not know them.
I also understood that nothing stops the city. The people are back to their jobs, battling for security and not knowing whether this is their last ride from home. It really doesn’t matter if you have escaped the bomb blast 100 meters from you. Life goes on. It really does. You are back to the grind called life that awaits you. The spirit of Mumbai is to never give up, and we will battle the hardships that come across our way. I’ve known Mumbai, and will always believe that Mumbai is one city that welcomes people from all walks of life. No one thought if the food grains they donated during the floods went to a marathi manoos. No one really thought if the blood they were donating went to a person who was or was not a Maharashtrian.
We lost three of the most respected and feared officers from the Police. They died protecting us without giving a second thought to a family that would be waiting for them at home. My heartfelt sympathies are with their families. When I saw the ATS chief on television, I thought to myself, “Does this guy know what he is getting into? There are chances that they may not get back home, “and I woke up to the news of this death. I don’t know him, but it saddened me. Sodid the deaths of the Additional ACP and the Encounter cop.
Each new channel wants to get an upper hand over the other, while one boasts about getting an exclusive e-mail sent from somewhere in Russia, another raises the quantity of RDX found near Bade Miyan. Why can’t these channels report the right things and just give us the truth. Why id everything blown out of proportion and distorted? Why does one have to show the blood spattered floors of Leopold and zoom into a random face and say “this man is terrorised and traumatised.” Of course, you jackass, so am I even while I am sitting in the comfort of my home and getting worried because I cannot reach my friends in Mumbai. What do you expect the man who has just witnessed random people being shot at in front of him?
A random Minister, scrambling for some screen space called it as the most shameful attack on India. I ask, were the rest of the attacks not shameful? Our *respected* Prime Minister has not yet addressed the nation. Is India so used to militants attacking us and disrupting the harmony, that this is being treated as a one-of the oh-so-frequently happening incidents? An Emergency meeting has meeting called, and yes the PM will address the nation later criticising the shameful act of terrorism, and how India will not succumb to any of these attacks. India has brave sons, and all mothers will be ready to sacrifice more sons to protect the motherland. He will also talk about how they will nab the terrorists as soon as possible and make India a safe place. Yes, those empty promises will surface again, its election time.
I just wonder when will all this end. We need someone to thrash people into their senses. We do.