Blasts in my favorite city leave me shuddering with fear, yet again.
When will this terror end?I was checking the goa-bombay airfare online, when i received a text from one of my friends in bombay "ask me if im safe" it said..
I was trying to comprehend the text when my sis came rushing from her room, asking me to switch on the tv.and there it was screaming headlines on almost all news channel.
My friend wasn't drunk texting me--there had been major blasts in bombay, once again!!
My first reaction was one of utter shock and disbelief.
It was just a few days ago that i was planning a trip to bombay and as hell had wanted it, i was about to leave around this very same time.
But apparently as a stronger force wouldn't have it, this was not to happen and my trip got rescheduled to the months end.
I was just recovering from the shock of the situation, when the headlines and gory explosion site-scenes caught my attention once again.
There had happened three blasts in total.
The first was planted at Khau Gali in south Mumbai's Zaveri Bazaar, the second happened at the Opera House, near Charni Road, and within a matter of minutes,the third device which was placed on an electric pole at a Kabutar Khana bus stand in the Dadar area, exploded.
The injured were being rushed in rickshaws and as per reports there were several who had to walk to the hospital with bleeding heads and gashing wounds despite being severely injured.
The police claimed to find a body with some circuits and hence conclude that this was some suicide bomber who was appointed to the task.
Everyone is speculating..some say that since the attack occured on the 13th, it has to be the 'Mujahideen' group that must be involved..while others say that this could be the work of any terrorist group who decided to seek revenge on Kasab's birthday.while some police authorities are still contemplating whether it could be some mafia game, like the blasts that happened way back in 1990.
My question however, is and has always been the same--when does this stop? or rather, is there any end to this?
How long before we step out of the house expecting to return back safe, and actually returning?
If the governament can pass smart ass comments like claiming to decipher a code for the attacks, then why in hell are they not taking any action against it?
Why isn't Kasab hanged yet?
Why the staunch need to follow the most ethical protocol when it comes to a death sentence of someone who is responsible for so many deaths and death-like-states?
Ofcourse the government would have answers..doesn't it always?
Its india afterall..we ask questions, we get answers!!
The issue however is that we ask questions only when there is an attack..and the actions promised are postponed indefinitely until ofcourse its time to promise again.
Are we the public, too lazy to react?
or has the "we are survivors" theory overwhelmed our duped conscience so much that we are now taking pride in this reactionless silence?
How many times has this happened in the past and how many times have we felt this surge of rage before?
and then what happened?..the rage simmered down after a couple of days..everyone stopped talking about it..everyone celebrated the everlasting fighter spirit of bombay.
ohh cmon, arn't we getting bored of this now?!!
One cheap remark i heard someone make today was "arreee...why so much reaction? it is nowhere like the 26/11 terrorist attack"
What in hell is that supposed to mean?
why dont you go and say that to the parents of that recently married 26 year old who went to work in the morning, and never returned?
why dont you go and compare the tragedies with that mourning wife who lost her husband in the blast? those parents who lost their son? those families who got their near and dear ones injured?
Yea they would be able to describe the exact intensity of the blast, not you who is conveniently sitting within the comforts of your home and flipping news channels and comparing situations.
So now that we have all seen, heard and lamented about the 13th july 2011 blasts, tell me---how many of those hugs offered to random strangers as a campaigne to fight terrorism, helped?..how many of those candles lighted, raised even a flicker of sympathy in those who planted the bombs?
What happened to those pages we 'liked' on facebook? those badges we pinned against out display pics? those movies which left us teary eyed? or for that matter, even these posts we wrote and continue to write on our blogs?
WHAT HAPPENED?? NOTHING!!!
Its disgusting really--how bombay which was supposed to be the 'city of dreams' has turned into a 'haven of nightmares'.
and we, the 'brave' survivors (who were lucky or perhaps lazy enough to have decided to stay at home) still have no choice but to shove it in the dark recesses of our short term memory, make a sad face and use the most overrated and unfortunately still the most overused line in the world, "what can we do? life moves on, no?"Are we just waiting--in silence, in fear, in dread...waiting for the next time?
