26/11 - Salute thee Mumbai
Posted by Vasundhara Prasad on November 25, 2009
On 26th November 2008, India came to a standstill.
I vividly remember today, last year. I was visiting my sister in New York City, all excited to celebrate my very first Thanksgiving in America, when the news of the attacks in Mumbai broke through. Over the next few days, I sat glued before CNN, watching my home being ravaged by mindless terror. I must confess though to feeling helpless, almost violated, as if someone had defiled the shrine of an old unhurried, SAFE Mumbai.
Each terror site ignited a flash of memories. Each grenade blew apart a certain way of life, exploding the innocence of just another era. Leopolds Café, where I spent hours with my friends, drinking frothy coffee shakes over a plate of hot, spicy Reshmi Kebabs; Colaba Market, where in the congested lanes you find the best street-food in the city; Chatrapati Shivaji terminus, which left you awe-struck with its sheer size, the most crowded place in the 'maximum city'; and of course, the Taj, where I spent the night of my high-school graduation, talking about life and the future, with two of my closest friends. It seemed as though in the space of 60 bloody hours, an entire world of memories had been shaken, perhaps irrevocably.
Sadly, Mumbai is not a novice to these attacks. Serial blasts in 1993, 2002 and the train blasts in 2006 left us all dazed and fearful. However, a crisis reveals the strength, the audacity and the tenacity of Mumbai's heart. In 2001, a day after 9/11, journalist Nancy Gibbs writing the cover story for Time magazine made a significant observation, "On a normal day we value heroism because it is uncommon. On Sept. 11, we valued heroism because it was everywhere." A year ago, on 26/11, that heroism was a contagious blessing across Mumbai. It had infected people everywhere the AK47-carrying killers went.
The entire ordeal claimed almost 200 innocent lives. Among all those who were killed in the attacks, I did not know anyone personally, but I still feel as if there were so many among them who were close to me. Despite what happened, the city did not waste a single day pondering over its terrible fate. Mumbaikars went ahead with life, picking up pieces and building with every passing day, all the more resolute to never let those heartless terrorists have their way again.
This 26/11, I won't be in Mumbai. But Mumbai will be in my mind and my heart. The city has taught me the real meaning of resilience and the importance of self-belief. With utmost pride and teary eyes, I salute thee Mumbai!
Jai Hind!