The Spirit of Mumbai ...

I have been listening to this Slogan for quite sometime now, be it the 1993 bomb blasts where the city was up and running within a month’s time or the 11/7 train blasts;  either which way Mumbaikars were up and living their regular lives the very next day as nothing went wrong.

And this slogan is proudly been flashed all over Mumbai.. coming to think of it.. How far do we live up to it? Do we really conjure the spirit of Mumbai? How many of us really understand the SPIRIT OF MUMBAI?

The very next day when Mumbai was still under attack, many people were working, traveling by trains knowing the entire Mumbai is on high alert… Was that the Spirit of Mumbai or pure negligence or Chalta hai.. attitude? …I was confused.

People saw the disaster on television, felt sad and angry and helpless.. but there was so little they could do sitting at home.. so they left it at that.

But I still couldn’t understand the Spirit of Mumbai…

Today, when I was reading the newspapers, I read about the 3 Taj staffers who have been held hostages, were shot in the head. Why? Because when they were ordered by the terrorists to set fire in the hotel… they bravely said NO… while reading that I felt goose bumps on my hand... and then I was confused no more.

Another instance I read was when a relative of a hostage was desperately trying to contact him on his cell phone but was switched off, so called the hotel front desk itself. At 3 a.m. on Thursday morning five hours into the attack with gunfire and grenade explosions going on above her, the receptionist picked up the phone at the TAJ and said, “The Taj Mahal Hotel, Good Morning.”

And I thought that’s the Spirit of Mumbai : professional, alert, competent, world class.

 A Few men with guns cannot change the Spirit of Mumbai.

Jaago re...

It has been now approximately  6 hours after the last operation at the TAJ is over, suddenly I feel there is nothing interesting left to watch on television. I am amazed that I actually sat glued to the television to watch the “news channel”  24x7 for the last 3 days to keep myself updated about the unfortunate terrorist attacks on Mumbai.

What was appalling was that the State played ignorant to the tip off given by the International Spy Agencies that a “spectacular” attack has been staged on Mumbai, and thus putting so many innocent lives on line of fire. And a gullible  Deputy CM of Maharashtra admitting to the whole of India  that the Coastal Guards Security is very weak,  was rather disturbing.   

How can the State be so blissfully ignorant about such a well organized terror attack on the most elite area of Mumbai, “South Bombay”.

What was even more appalling was that when the crossfire was going on and thousands of people were dead worried about their near dear ones who were being held hostage at the Taj and the Oberoi’s; we had our top opposition party leaders making a rally out of the situation condemning the “Sarkar” and putting a platform for themselves for the next elections. This is a class example of Sub-standardization in the Government ideology.

Just a few weeks ago, it was Maharashtra V/S North India and where we had one “Hitler” who was “so called fighting” for the rights of Marathi Manoos, here we had a central state NSG Commandos rescuing the Mumbaikars from the terrorists, wonder where he is now …

Even though we got rid of the terrorists, we also lost some brave courageous men  who fought valiantly before they lost their lives saving so many innocent. They were declared “Shahid”. And amongst these Shahid was ATS chief Hemant Karkare. The state government declared Rupees 1 crore, as compensation to these Shahids’ families. This is the same ATS chief whose courage and character was being doubted by the State government  during the investigations of the Malegaon attacks. A classic example of hypocrisy, maybe now Karkare does not need to prove his diligence and loyalty for the country.

Amidst all of this a persistent thought  is trying to tell me “whether we have the right people to look after the world’s largest democracy ?”

Today, at many places People are lighting candles for those innocent killed and the martyrs slain.

I just hope and Pray that the “People of India” light up their minds and wake up into the real world. I wish and manifest that I don’t want these hypocrite, hollow people with shallow minds to rule my country. For this I make a Stand that I shall vote for the right kind of people and take these upcoming elections seriously.