Mumbai - Time and Again
December 24th, 2007. That's the last time when I penned my eccentric thoughts and flushed them out of my system. I guess I lost motivation to write because I don't think I can give the cliched excuse of "I was busy and didn't have time". But all that changed on 26/11 and my following trip to Bombay.
"...................." - That's what I felt during those 60 hours of siege. I would rather not talk or saying anything more than that because every comment/thought possible must have been expressed by someone, somewhere! But as I visited Bombay again in December 2008, I had to complete my ritual of visiting my favorite spots in the city. Be it the mini "Khao Gali" near Churchgate Station, the sea side promenades at Bandstand, Carter Road and Nariman Point or the hang out spots across the city; I had to visit them, relive my memories, laugh by myself, revisit my mistakes and look forward to the future. But this time, it all had a different meaning, the kind of significance I never wished for it! As I walked the bylanes of Colaba, Taj, VT (still can't call it CST) et all, I could see a haunting silence which was deafening and piercing it's way through the hustle-bustle of the city. To see VT station deserted at 9:30 PM on a weeknight is something unimaginable.
I keep hearing that this siege was the turning point as it was the first of it's kind. I guess it's true because typically,Bombay and India has been a victim of bomb blasts and never has the city/country been held at ransom for close to 3 days. But what actually prompted this to be the tip of the iceberg? At hindsight, a few factors are: Foreign nationals being targeted specifically, attacking the cultural ego of Bombay and above all targeting south Bombay which hosts the elite in the city! It just surprises me that neither of the previous bomb blasts/attacks were considered the"tip of the iceberg". Well, I guess it's better late than never.
I was watching a TV channel dole out it's nominees for the Indian of the year. It was funny to even see Akshay Kumar as a nominee. I agree he did produce some commercially viable films which further enhanced his bank balance but does that make him a contender to be the Indian of the year? I would consider that tag to be invaluable especially if you have to beat 1 Billion other people. Such a nomination just takes the meaning away from other contenders like Abhinav Bindra, Saina Nehwal and more deservedly the NSG Commondos, Taj/Oberoi/Trident hotel staff, Military, Mumbai Police, Karkare, Salaskar, Amte, Omble and many more. I would rather nominate the common Indian who ventures out bravely everyday not knowing how secure his life is on the street.
I was totally oblivious to what lie in store for me when I flipped through to a news channel. I saw Sanjay Dutt being given an election ticket to contest as a Samajwadhi Party nominee. It's shocking to see that a political party is giving a ticket to someone who is definitely famous and influential but is unsure when a pending case might crop up and he might be jailed. At the risk of sounding cliched, this happens only in India.
To change the system, you need to be within the system. I guess it's the educated youth of India are the only ones who can bring about that much needed change. But the question is all of us (including me at the opt of that list) have ideas/suggestions/ action plans/ strategies et all with no one ready to make the personal sacrifice and forsake materialistic benefits only so that someone else may reap the reward! I hope guilt drives me down that path sometime soon.
December 24th, 2007. That's the last time when I penned my eccentric thoughts and flushed them out of my system. I guess I lost motivation to write because I don't think I can give the cliched excuse of "I was busy and didn't have time". But all that changed on 26/11 and my following trip to Bombay.
"...................." - That's what I felt during those 60 hours of siege. I would rather not talk or saying anything more than that because every comment/thought possible must have been expressed by someone, somewhere! But as I visited Bombay again in December 2008, I had to complete my ritual of visiting my favorite spots in the city. Be it the mini "Khao Gali" near Churchgate Station, the sea side promenades at Bandstand, Carter Road and Nariman Point or the hang out spots across the city; I had to visit them, relive my memories, laugh by myself, revisit my mistakes and look forward to the future. But this time, it all had a different meaning, the kind of significance I never wished for it! As I walked the bylanes of Colaba, Taj, VT (still can't call it CST) et all, I could see a haunting silence which was deafening and piercing it's way through the hustle-bustle of the city. To see VT station deserted at 9:30 PM on a weeknight is something unimaginable.
I keep hearing that this siege was the turning point as it was the first of it's kind. I guess it's true because typically,Bombay and India has been a victim of bomb blasts and never has the city/country been held at ransom for close to 3 days. But what actually prompted this to be the tip of the iceberg? At hindsight, a few factors are: Foreign nationals being targeted specifically, attacking the cultural ego of Bombay and above all targeting south Bombay which hosts the elite in the city! It just surprises me that neither of the previous bomb blasts/attacks were considered the"tip of the iceberg". Well, I guess it's better late than never.
I was watching a TV channel dole out it's nominees for the Indian of the year. It was funny to even see Akshay Kumar as a nominee. I agree he did produce some commercially viable films which further enhanced his bank balance but does that make him a contender to be the Indian of the year? I would consider that tag to be invaluable especially if you have to beat 1 Billion other people. Such a nomination just takes the meaning away from other contenders like Abhinav Bindra, Saina Nehwal and more deservedly the NSG Commondos, Taj/Oberoi/Trident hotel staff, Military, Mumbai Police, Karkare, Salaskar, Amte, Omble and many more. I would rather nominate the common Indian who ventures out bravely everyday not knowing how secure his life is on the street.
I was totally oblivious to what lie in store for me when I flipped through to a news channel. I saw Sanjay Dutt being given an election ticket to contest as a Samajwadhi Party nominee. It's shocking to see that a political party is giving a ticket to someone who is definitely famous and influential but is unsure when a pending case might crop up and he might be jailed. At the risk of sounding cliched, this happens only in India.
To change the system, you need to be within the system. I guess it's the educated youth of India are the only ones who can bring about that much needed change. But the question is all of us (including me at the opt of that list) have ideas/suggestions/ action plans/ strategies et all with no one ready to make the personal sacrifice and forsake materialistic benefits only so that someone else may reap the reward! I hope guilt drives me down that path sometime soon.
posted by Simba | 12:04 AM
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