Mumbai at WAR

Mumbai at WAR for the 1^st time after the 71 Indo-Pak war.. this time the enemies – 22 year old kids who should be thinking about which girl to go out with in college and not be motivated beyond imagination to randomly kill people with AK-47s and grenades.

We are prepared when they blow up our offices, our buildings, our trains, our buses, but this time when they came in from the waters and took to the basic form of terror – on the road with the ammunitions – IN YOUR FACE.. shoot the people whoever, whenever – be there.. “akir kya bigad lenge” attitude of these terrorists has shaken the very roots of each mumbaikar. Like loads of leaders and prominent people are saying ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. The politicians can continue to sleep and enjoy their personal security, we the mumbaikar will now not sit around and hope and believe that the people whom we directly or indirectly put to power will wake up, at least after this incident and do something that will make a difference.

A 105 iconic building The Taj Mahal hotel, an awesome state of the art hotel – The Oberios, after 24 hrs still battling and hostage to the madness and the mayhem created by these inhuman plans.

Café Leopold the only place where u can enjoy a tower of awesome beer and mad music at the top. Just 30secs of madness turned this wonderful beer tower, foreigner gauging place to the start of a battlefield.

Nariman House, a place that was just an address or a location on colaba causebay is now a NSG operation area.

Another 6 locations where there was shooting or a bomb blast happening in the last 26 hrs.. starting 26/11/08 9:34pm to still happening.. when will this end!!

The Mumbai Police, Maharashtra Police, NSG, navy, army and all the people involved are doing such a fantastic job in this endless war against terrorism. With the kind of salaries that they get, the kind of politics and political pull and push that happens to them and the sad state of affairs for our armed forces in this country, they are a bunch of seriously motivated officials who donot think before putting themselves on the front line to do their duty. To the 3 top officials, ATS Chief Hemant Karkare, the encounter specialist- Vijay Salaskar and the Mumbai ACP - Ashok Kamte and the other 11 police officials – We Salute You.

To all the innocent people who were injured or lost their lives – wish u were in some other place, safe and ok. Condolences for your loss and hope the families have the strength to go on.

Corporate India and the hospitality industry have proved that that’s an industry to work for. Apparently they are doing something right, for their employees to take their jobs SO seriously. At both Taj and Oberoi, the staff has turned out to be heroes, doing their bit to make sure that the guests who sometimes can be mean, can demand the skies because they are paying for it, are safe and the staff have “made it a little more bearable” for the people. Again putting themselves on the line.

For once, at least 3 TV channels have shown that journalism and intelligent and relevant coverage still exists in this country. NDTV, Times Now, CNN-IBN. Hats off to their entire team to make sure that the relevant, necessary and timely information was given in plain simple language.. no bollywoodisation happening to it. It is on days like these that the professionals are separated from the amateurs.

Personally, I wish the relatives weren’t asked questions like “what’s going on in your mind right now” or “how did u feel when u 1^st heard the new of your relative in this place” or “how are u staying positive”

There are so many questions that u would want answers for:

• Why did this happen
• Who are these people
• What were they told and sent here that they were so motivated and so brave at the rotten thing they are doing
• Could we have been more prepared
• Did the 3 bravehearts and the other 11 cops loose their lives because of the best they did or because our governments did not provide them with any protective gears.
• Now what?

Now what is something that can answered.

Now is the time to sit up and take notice

Now is the time to make sure that things happen and result in a better life

Now is the time to not rely on other people but do everything as citizens of this wonderful city called Mumbai

Now is the time to be a true mumbaikar, resilient, strong and for the 1^st time – take action.

There has to be something that people of this city can do to make things better in this city. To make it safer, not so vulnerable to mad psycho attacks. This time I know I am not the only one feeling this way.

You were not safe in a train or on a bus or in a popular building.. these u can avoid.. but the road, how do u avoid that, how do u go for a walk, get from one place to another. That’s saying like your home’s not safe. Not a good feeling and don’t want to live on with that. This city is too awesome to have this feeling about it.

What i as a mumbaikar am going to do is stay patient in malls when people are checking my vehicles, stay patient on the road when there is a naka bandi, stay patient when there is a line to get to a cinema hall and hope that they find what they are looking for.

What i will not do is NOT rely on the politicians to take action inspite of the fact that they were pre-empted abt this.

All i have to say to these cowardly terrorists in true mumbaiya style is: "Garden main ayela hai kya.. saale ch****, chal diye hamare shahar main aur aisi acchi jagah par aisa hamla kiya… Bombay main garden ki jahan nahi hai.. apne ghar jao and phir dubara nahi ana." *

Disclaimer: Pls ignore the language, it comes from the heart of a mumbaikar.