Thursday. Paris.
Twelve hours ago, Bombay was once again assailed by a spate of terrorist attacks. I don't know what to say, and even if I do, I don't know how to say it. This is abominable. There's no other word for it. There's this anger bubbling inside of me - why do they keep on repeatedly targeting my city. In my lifetime alone, there have four instances of serial bomb blasts or terrorist attacks, which have altogether killed 500-1,000 people, and injured twice as many. Three of those have been in the last five years. And now I wonder, how many more?
How many more till these so called warriors of whatever religion they profess to follow (frankly, to do such things in the name of God is an oxymoron, because you need to be godless to be able to do such a thing) eventually destroy our city —MY city? I'm sure people from New York, London and Madrid might feel the same way.
People talk about the spirit of Bombay — one that's never truly broken. The spirit of Bombay which allows people to return to their normal everyday lives after such terrorist attacks. How many more attacks can the spirit of Bombay endure till it's eventually crushed? I'm not sure. While I'm a firm believer in the city I call home, and its resilience, part of me wonders if Bombay can withstand this without even a tiny bit of suffering. Bombay is perhaps the only city in the world that I will truly call home. People may argue that I'm not a true Indian; that my heart belongs to Paris (as I've heard much too often since coming here); that I'm Americanized and will never move back to India. Maybe they're correct. Maybe not. But one thing remains true : that no other city in the world — be it Paris, be it Sydney, be it Los Angeles — will ever occupy the same place in my heart as Bombay does.
I've already mentioned that this is the third set of terrorist attacks in the past five years. Why vent now? Shouldn't I be numb to it by now? Maybe. This time, however, the attacks hit close to home. They struck in South Bombay, my part of town. They occurred in places where anyone among my family and friends could very well be at, or have been at, that evening. Local trains, in which the 2006 blasts occurred, are less likely to stir a chord in me as I or anyone I know rarely use them. The Taj, Oberoi, Metro and Leo's however, are all places I go to at least once a month if not more often. If I were in Bombay right now, I could have very well been in any of those places at the time of the attacks.
I'm angry. Scared even. But what can I do about it? Take justice into my own hands and avenge the deaths of my fellow citizens? Not the most practical idea, but then what else could I do? Nothing. And I don't want to end on a pessimistic note, so cheesy as this may sound, people need to have hope, so here I go:
As someone who to goes to USC, I'm used to hearing "Fight On's" from people, occasionally using it myself. but not until now have I meant it with all my heart. Fight On, Bombay.
Post-scriptum (3 December 2008)
Wednesday. Paris.
One week after the attacks:
The attacks lasted 60 hours. Between 170-180 people were killed depending on the whims of the police. Among them, my high school chemistry and biology teacher and parents of several people I knew from school. The Taj's and Oberoi's interiors are gutted beyond recognition.
India's Home Minister, Maharashtra's Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister have all resigned amid the ensuing political brouhaha. People are angry and want decisive action. I sincerely hope that something is done about it.
4 comments:
Definitely stirred me up, well written, Bombay is "FIGHTING ON".
Hopefully when i talk to you next the situation will be calmer.
Abhinay, I have only seen pictures of you, and I have never been to Bombay, but as Cody's mom I have been thinking of you and hoping that nobody you know personally was affected. Your writing about how you feel about Bombay struck a chord with me, I have a hometown where I will never live again, but it is a HUGE part of my person and means more to me than any other place ever will. If it were attacked as Bombay has been I would feel just as you do. During this week of TG we here in Albuquerque have been giving thanks for our good fortune, and thinking "fight on" for Bombay. Stay well, Kate (Cody's mom)
There's never going to be another place that feels more like home than Bombay, and it's so weird to think about how any of our families could be in those places..or you and me, if we were in Bombay that night.
But Bombay will fight on and we'll defeat this. You don't mess with South Bombay and get away with it.
"no other city in the world — be it Paris, be it Sydney, be it Los Angeles — will ever occupy the same place in my heart as Bombay does."
---- Abhinay, I knew that without you having to say it. You commented that others remark how you belong in Paris, or that you're too Americanized--but I disagree. Having known you for two years (going on to our third) I know the way your eyes light up when you talk about home. After all, you're the one who's made me thoroughly jealous and wanting to visit Bombay at all costs! I really will someday, when I earn my own income. I expect you to take me around! haha.
But seriously, hearing the stories on the news of foreign survivors made me all the more aware--what about the hotel staffers? the waiters? their stories seem so much more heroic. I can't believe how brave they are. They're not soldiers or police--they're ordinary people who saved lives during the terror attacks by helping people get out at risk to themselves. And it's really displayed a deep amount of Indian valor that I hadn't realized before.
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