The City that I call home

Photo Courtesy: National Geographic Archives
“Terrorists attack the Taj Hotel in Mumbai”. As I saw this text message on my phone, I had a lump in my throat. I quickly called my cousins in Mumbai to check on them. While my family was safe and sound, the city that I once called home was not. Some of the most prominent landmarks of the city, such as the Victoria Terminus, the Taj Mahal Hotel and the Oberoi Trident were attacked. Over the next 60 hours, while the security personnel were able to eliminate the danger, the city lost 188 people, Indians and foreigners. Many others were injured. As terrorism raised its ugly head yet again, public anger was imminent and the terror attacks drew world-wide criticism.

Mumbai is, and has always been, the crucible of India. Since the Portuguese took possession of seven tiny islands off the west coast of India and called it Good Bay, it has brimmed with entrepreneurs eternally in search of their dreams. A channel for millions of ambitions, it is the land of possibility. The financial capital of India, home to the country’s thriving media and film industry and the second most populous city after Tokyo. Bangalore gets a lot of attention with its dotcom boom and its software prowess. Nevertheless, one simply cannot compare a Silicon Valley with a New York. Mumbai is what the Indians call Mayanagari, the city of dreams.

It was this dream that terrorists have often tried to wreck. Mumbai has seen more that its share of terrorist attacks. Be it the terrorist attacks at landmarks in 1993 or the 2006 bomb blasts that targeted its lifeline, the suburban metro rail transit also called the local. I remember being circumspect for a while every time I boarded the metro after the train blasts. And yet, the city took this in its stride and marched along unperturbed.

These recent attacks were different. We see a lot more emotions across Mumbai, India and the rest of the world; emotions of anger, anguish, pain and resolve. The public opinion this time around is vastly different and sustained. Not to say that there was no public outcry the previous times. This time, it is different. It may be because people are tired of the mindless killings that the city has seen before. However, I think it is because the terrorists struck at the very heart of the Indian dream. They targeted places that epitomize modern day India. The Taj Mahal hotel overlooking the Arabian Sea symbolizes the vast riches and opulence in the city; eschewed by many as they walk along the waterfront, gazing dreamily.

I am not from Mumbai. Nevertheless, like many, I too made it my home. It embraced me with open arms. I would often travel to the very stations that were attacked. I would enjoy a cold pitcher of beer in the very café that saw a mindless spray of bullets. I would visit the Taj hotel, always wanting to come back. Soon, this attack will become just a tragic date in history. It will be business as usual. However, for most of us, the blood of innocent victims will have left behind indelible stains.

I tell the story of Mumbai. But, this is not just the story of Mumbai alone. The same is the story in New Delhi, Islamabad, Colombo and Tel Aviv. Let us not forget New York, London or Madrid. India and Pakistan have been at loggerheads for over 50 years. Israel and Palestine haven’t seen eye to eye. Sierra Leone, Angola, Congo and other countries in Africa continue to fight bitter civil wars. There is no end in sight for America’s war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is not a problem of a city or a region alone. It is a virus that plagues the whole world; a disease that has spread its tentacles wide and hides under a garb of a ‘cause’.

Every terrorist has a cause, a reason that he uses to camouflage murder. Cold blooded thoughtless murder of innocent victims. The reason put forth could be religion, freedom, money, power or revenge. However, there is no reason that justifies senseless killing. The true spokesperson of non-violence, Mahatma Gandhi, once said “An eye for an eye will make the world blind”. The world is already blind with greed, hatred and jealousy. Let us all resolve to not let this blindness obliterate humankind.