Comfortably Numb!!!

Disclaimer: The following post is not intended to hurt the sentiments or feelings of any people or religion. These are just the personal views and not intended to hurt any persons or religion feeling or sentiments there of.

It was 9.20pm on 26.11.2008 that I reached my room; I threw the bag on the bed and switched on the TV to watch India and England Match. India was comfortably heading towards victory with Dhoni and Raina at the crease. India was 200/3 at 9.40pm with Dhoni scoring his 50 and getting out the very next ball. Ads were being aired, and I started surfing the channels and stumbled on one of the news channels, to see the BREAKING NEWS which showed Gang Wars in Mumbai. There were gun firings at several places in Mumbai viz. Colaba, Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus and several other places. I was still wondering whether it is really a Gang Wars or is it some terrorists attack. Since no other news channels were airing the news, I switched back to cricket and India was on the verge of victory. At around 10.20pm India had won the match, but Terrorists had also stuck their victory over Mumbai. All the news channels were airing the news of Terrorists striking Mumbai.

Terrorists had stormed Mumbai through sea, taking hostages at The Taj Hotel, which symbolizes Mumbai and the country as well. At Several other places, the terrorists had fired indiscriminately at innocent people, killing and injuring several people. There was also a blast on a national highway near Ville Parle. Several thoughts were going through my mind; suddenly phone started ringing concerning over my safety. I also made frantic calls to my friends ensuring their safety as well. The buzzing of the calls happened till midnight and I dozed off with the thoughts still on the terror attacks.

Everyday the day starts at 7.30am but the dawn of terror on 27.11.2008 started at 6 am, terror had still gripped Mumbai and the news channels airing the toll at 80 and injuries over 100, the toll included the top Cops of Mumbai including Anti Terrorist Squad Chief Hemant Karkare, Encounter Specialist Vijay Sulaskar and Commisioner of Police Ashok Kamte. I was still in the bed surfing the news channels which were airing the live footage of the The Taj, Oberoi Trident from different angles, which was taken over by the terrorists. Again the phone started buzzing; it was from a friend from Bangalore who was concerned about my safety. When I made a call to one of my office friend who is from the south, he reactively said “what is happening!!!” He was furious of the fact that these terror attacks had become a weekly affair. He was even asked to put down his papers and head back to his home town. Adhering to the warning issued by the police, I decided to stay indoors. As I walked out to have breakfast, the streets lay silenced with sporadic vehicles moving quickly and people seemed to walk briskly.

I returned to my room planning out my day, but there was some other disaster waiting at the office, the data had got corrupted and I had to rush to office. I took a quick bath and headed towards office with sandals and office bag on, but I quickly realized that I must wear shoes and relinquish the bag. No doubt terror had engulfed my mind. I joined the firefighting that was happening at office, the phone started ringing throughout the day concerned over my well being and safety, and whoever called asked me to head back to Bangalore. Half my mind was concentrated on work and the other half hovering over the calls. I finished my work and headed towards room, my mind was pondering over all the happenings of the day.

Laying in bed, the urge to surf the news channels never ended. As I surfed the channels, the politicians, the ministers were urging the people of the country to maintain harmony, expressing their condolences for the bereaved family and also applauding the bravery of the security personnel. There were messages and address to the nation saying ‘we will fight back and we won’t be bogged by such attack’. The politicians had reached Mumbai and some others were about to reach, giving an additional task of ensuring the safety of the politicians to the security personnel. The blame game has started and the news channels will do their 6 W’s and 1 H (who, what, when, why, which where and how) analysis in the coming days. The whole week or the week after this will be covered with stories related to the terror attacks, The family of the bereaved will be interviewed, the mumbaikar’s experience will be asked, the politician’s will be interrogated, assurances will be given, post mortem of the chronology of attacks will be done, the deceased will be compensated, the ‘shahid’s’ (martyr’s) will be given medals, the victims will be compensated with money, Memorials will be constructed, the spirit of Mumbai will be applauded and the war on mumbai will be over and remembered until the next one happens.

As all these thoughts hover, my mind is ‘comfortably numb’ thinking to get Life insurance asap!

At the time I wrote this post, there were over 125 people dead, over 350 people injured. The operation with the terrorists at the Taj, The Oberoi and the Nariman House is still on. Also, 2 Jawans and an NSG Major Unnikrishnan died in the shoot out, and some terrorists have also fled the scene, with their whereabouts being still a mystery.