Nightmare in the City of Dreams

Last week’s terrifying attacks on Mumbai left in their wake death and destruction on the ground, confusion and helplessness around the country, and horror in the minds of millions around the world, including many on campus, watching the events unfold on television. For a long time we had no words to express our feelings. We sat glued to news channels, unable to understand what to say, words of anger, disgust, fear and hope intermittently filtering through our shocked minds. Sitting thousands of miles from home we watched the heart of our country under the siege of terror. The tragedy was unimaginable, the lack of respect for human life was shocking; our hearts went out to all who were in Mumbai at this time of horror and silent prayers filtered through the disbelief. It was close to impossible to articulate our thoughts at the time, it is terribly hard to know how to respond even now.

Mumbai, the city that epitomises the nation that is home to over a billion, the city that almost single-handedly supports the economy of the largest democracy in the world, the city that represents the Indian dream in its truest form, a city that never turns away those who seeks its embrace, had been taken over by terrorists. This meant more than just an attack on the nineteen million who call Mumbai home; it meant that the entire country was at war.

The implications of the attacks are manifold. One need only take glance at any leading newspaper to know that India stands at a very crucial juncture in its history and its future is closely related to that of the entire world. The effects of the attacks will be felt in the spheres of economics, politics, international relations, internal security and will affect the national psyche in an unprecedented manner. It is not that India is any stranger to terrorism – the last six months have seen six major attacks around the nation and India ranks second in the world in terms of the terror strikes it faces. What’s different this time, as many repeat over and over, is that enough is enough.
The scope of the horror unleashed by the terrorists is mind-boggling – the ten young men hoped to kill up to 5000 people, ravage the city till it was on its knees and do so till they breathed their last. The targets were the most crowded places in Mumbai, the places that were the landmarks of the city, places where one would find all kinds of people the city had to offer. The terrorists planned to create havoc, to kill indiscriminately and cause destruction till they were caught or killed.

The strikes left close to 200 dead and over 300 injured.

Numbers, they say, speak for themselves. But it is only now that the people of India are waking up to the fact that their combined voices can to be heard too. All across the nation there is unparalleled outrage at the events; people want action to be taken, people want to know what went wrong and want their country safe again. It is tragic that only in the face of horror can a country unite, but it is the hope of most that this will lead to a safer India, if not a safer world.
Sentiments, understandably, are running high in India, both on the streets and amongst the authorities. The situation has already been politicised with an eye on the upcoming national elections and the media frenzy has left people gasping for the truth. Those affected directly are trying to limp back to normal life, others are venting their anger through diatribes against the suspected perpetrators, while everyone prays for a safer future. Tension is already rising in South Asia as leaders from India and Pakistan begin their anticipated exchange of blame and try to use the situation to gain political and tactical mileage.

But this is not a time for indiscriminate anger, not a time to raise spectres from a violent and tragic past, it is not a time to secure votes or gain alliances, it is not a time to align with extremists or liberals, it is not a time to speculate, nor a time to sit back and spew fire against old enemies or act hastily. Some atrocities are too big to be turned into trivial issues. Some atrocities demand action and demand action based on prudence. The voices in India are finally beginning to unite and they can hear an echo from across borders, near and far. And these voices are demanding immediate action.

All I hope is that action is taken prudently, justice is served rapidly and fairly, anger is restricted by reason, hope is not thwarted by pessimism, that the dead and wounded do not become mere numbers in our memories, that we never experience another tragedy like this. And I also pray that my hope resonates amongst people around the world as we grieve for the losses borne by the City of Dreams.