The Dark Days of November 2008...

I still remember that terrible Wednesday evening of 2008. Even though I’m thousands of miles away from Mumbai city now…

It’s vivid and it seems like just yesterday!

A split second, a minute and a few hours can change people's lives forever...

It was evening and not surprisingly I was busy on the computer writing and doing some intellectual chat online. Well, during those days, that was the one place where I got to do some intelligent and wise discussions!

After a light dinner we had just decided to go down and get some fresh air( one of the few benefits of living near the sea in that polluted city). Just then a message alert from a PR colleague said: "Terrorist attack in Mumbai. Gun fire and shoot out in several places. Ensure your own safety and don’t go out."

Of course as soon as I heard I decided to put on the TV and saw it all live- the chaos, one( probably a terrorist) lying lifeless on the street, a wing, almost a whole side of the grand Taj Mahal hotel burning, the police at work ,the chaos, an NRI giving an interview as to how the ones with British and American passports were held up at the Taj Mahal Hotel and so on.


A small time movie ‘A Wednesday’ had just released and I had edited the review for the website I was working for in September of that year. The movie told the story of a planned terrorist attack and this happened in real life just two months later…


Fact is stranger than fiction indeed!

Of course calls of a few well wishers came throughout the night. I thanked God I was doing okay and so were some people I cared about.

The next day it was all about reading the sad carnage in the papers and watching the live action. The terror would go on for 60 long hours making it one of the worst attacks of recent times.

Eight of the attacks occurred in South Mumbai: at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital, the Orthodox Jewish-owned Nariman House, the Metro Cinema, and a lane behind the Times of India building and St. Xavier’s College. There was also an explosion at Mazagaon, in Mumbai’s port area, and in a taxi at Vile Parle.

I remember visiting the Taj and enjoying the breeze near the Gateway of India with a few others only a month earlier- October 2008. Nariman House was visited the same month as well. Life really springs surprises at you!

I couldn't take too much of that kind of negativity. I was trying to stay away from most of the live coverages.Now I think I should have. Simply because it would have invoked more pathos in me and helped me to handle the situations after the incident better. One can't afford to shy away from the harsh realities of life.



Sad stories of some brave Mumbai policemen who fell while overpowering the terrorists, many innocent citizens and foreigners(who were largely targeted)losing their lives were all over.

A policeman was unarmed and took bullets to his chest, just to capture the lone surviving terrorist.It was an unthinkable self sacrifice to hold on, just to capture the man who was going berserk killing people.His capture could only prove the links to the attacks without which nothing would have been proved.

He is a huge hero- Shaheed Tukaram Omble.

http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/singly-political/2010/11/26/a-martyr-and-a-terrorist/

The lion of a man is one of the most talked about martyrs of the event today. He's being honored now. His wife and daughters will still feel the loss forever.One of the daughters said as an Indian she would be proud of what he did,but as a daughter she wished her father hadn't been so brave and saved himself.



People were still awaiting news from their loved ones who dined at the Trident hotel.

Later actor Ashish Choudhury wrote an open letter filled with anguish and anger when after a few days of waiting he found out his sister and brother-in-law didn’t make it.

I still feel pangs of grief for the young brave-heart, NSG commando,Major Unnikrishnan who gave away his life a day or so later in the course of the operation to protect the city and to save the hostages in the Taj Mahal hotel.

Net users later got mails with his happy casual pics from a personal holiday just a few months back from a social networking site.

He was a happy-go-lucky young man next door, our friendly neighborhood guy who was extra ordinary and whose selflessness and sacrifice seems so out of the world in this materialistic world. A truly great man, so out of the world.

No amount of compensation and tears are enough for a sacrifice like that. He didn't need to do that, he could have chosen to live life like anyone his age. Instead he decided to protect people he didn't even know. A kind of attitude which is hardly found anywhere around.

He still lives on in the memories of the ones who really care...

http://www.binscorner.com/pages/m/meet-the-hero-major-sandeep-unnikrishnan.html

He was the only son of his parents and they are ones in whose hearts the wounds would be fresh the most. His father carries forward his legacy and both parents look quite strong. But it's really hard to fathom the storm going on inside him...

http://www.defence.pk/forums/india-defence/81771-nsg-martyr-major-sandeep-unnikrishnan-s-father-cycles-across-country.html

http://current.com/news/92821001_we-see-god-in-our-son-mother-of-26-11-martyr.htm?xid=RSSfeed



Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor of France had once so rightly said,"It is the cause, not the death that makes the martyr."

"When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,
For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today"

The words are attributed to John Maxwell Edmonds (1875 -1958) and they are beautiful, profound and mean so much. Yeah, they do...

Well, they are the real heroes because they take harm upon themselves and are the protectors of the most important thing in life- life itself.

How many people would have the courage to do something like that?

Wonder why the majority still love to idolize celluloid heroes and celebs from other walks of life more than these real heroes from real life!

I'm talking about idols from the glam world, sports world, world of politics, and big shot industrialists etc here.I mean some of them do deserve to be idolized but then many are just media made stars.

The non conscious Indian citizen just keep themselves busy with these celebs as it works as a kind of intoxication for them and helps them to escape the realities of life.

When will this basic thing of life change? The aware citizens really need to make some changes and show this reality to the upcoming generations.

As of now the beautiful memories of the martyrs just live on...No words seem enough.



It's nice to see someone take a good initiative and a chance to check out the young brave heart in a digital avatar. A graphical comic book has been released and the true appreciators can look forward to the same.

A soldier can sacrifice his personal safety, his life for strangers and this is a good ode to that kind of bravery.

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2010/nov/251110-martyr-comic-book-Maj-Sandeep-Unnikrishnan-news-Delhi.htm

Major Unnikrishnan, ASI Tukaram Omble, Havildar Gajender Singh were honored with the Ashok Chakra along with a few other brave men and the other martyrs were/ are being rightly honored too.But it's so difficult to get over or forget such valuable losses.

Nothing that has already happened can change but let's try that their sacrifices never go waste. And something good comes out from this constant fight against terrorism in India and around the world.Let not the memories of the most heinous act of cruelty on innocent lives die. And let not these unsung heroes be ever forgotten.

They are not to be made just subjects of modern history books but their supreme sacrifices need to bear fruit.

A few conscious citizens have made it a point to use the media as a tool and educate the people. To never forget martyrs, such as the Mumbai Martyrs and the Kargil martyrs of 1999. May many more people take such initiatives in life.

http://wn.com/Sachin_Tendulkar_emotional_over_death_of_Martyr_Gajendra_Singh




A veteran food critic and writer was attending a wedding and couldn’t make it out of the Taj Mahal hotel safely. An elderly cleaner at the CST railway station became a victim.A railway employee was shot at the station on Nov 26 and his son who was turning a year older that day says he'll never cut a cake for his birthday again.A cab driver's wife now says she'll not rest until the surviving terrorist's death sentence is carried out.

And yes, there were three fishermen of the hijacked Kuber ship which the the monsters used to enter Mumbai. Recently I heard many say that the ship seem haunted.

The rabbi from Israel and his wife were greatly mourned and the nanny who saved their baby son Moshe showed exemplary courage and presence of mind as well.

The poor little boy doesn't yet fathom the seriousness of what happened, where his parents suddenly disappeared...He just kept crying for mommy.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/26-11-best-revenge-will-be-moshe-returning-to-city-as-rabbi-68763




An elderly German couple's dream just ended in the so called city of dreams at the Leopold cafe frequented by intellectual conversation loving people...
http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/25/slide-show-1-anniversary-26-11-dilip-dsouza-on-a-dream-that-ended-sadly.htm

Innocent lives got lost just like that due to the demonic natures of a few.

There were other such heart wrecking stories which kind of brought some people together. Many expressed disgust and sadness also at the administration's failure to protect citizens.

But only for a while…
Just a few days later, without much remorse they seemed to carry on with their lives. Okay, some say it’s the spirit of the city-to carry on bravely after a disaster.

That’s fine but what’s with the vices and nastiness of the majority?

The chief minister of Mumbai resigned but most people in politics and in power remained the same. Later it came out in the news that the bullet proof jackets worn by the ATS( Anti terrorist squad) chief were faulty. Can anything justify that? The administration totally failed the citizens with this event which will always be fresh in memory.

The chief minister of Kerala decided to act and talk cheap when Major Unnikrishnan's emotional father had protested against the politicians'(from Kerala, their home state) irresponsibility and false show of concern.

Corruption in the country is still rampant.

Since it's a huge, huge topic with millions of people involved, we can talk a little bit about on the micro -level.

I personally saw that kind of apathy in a few so called friends who I was forced to be close at that time. They just forgot 26/11 clean and happily showed off their dark side, that too within just 2-6 months!

So did the brave NSG( National Security Guards) men and the Mumbai policemen give away their lives to protect most of these thankless people? While the harmless ones who just do their duty and the protectors suffer and get annihilated, the one who harm innocents for their selfish reasons and for survival go on happily. Sometimes I too wonder what kind of justice the world has?

Maybe the harmful ones get annihilated too, but till then a lot of damage get done.

Some people did have genuine concern but not the majority...

They had seemed to show concern for the people who lost so much in the attacks but later I realized it was just a show. There was no genuine concern or trials to imbibe the noble qualities of the special few.

They were only concerned about themselves( that's okay till a point as it's self preservation but why does that attitude harm others in the process). But they were ready to stoop to any level and harm if there’s a need for them to fulfill their needs.

The terrorists act out of hate and many like that around us do so the same though in a smaller way! They can't control their various vices of envy, greed, ingratitude,arrogance, lust, selfishness, manipulation , ignorance and so on.
And if given a chance they would make the demons in them rise high and take over to make poor innocents suffer! After all, the terror and the violence like the values, start in the mind itself. Once all that is cultivated, it can really become dangerous.


The young major had put hypocrisy, sycophancy, apathy and lack of compassion as turn offs on one of his social network profiles. And majority he sacrificed himself for are still ruled by these terrible vices.It's really so very sad.

Here was a young man(and a few others as well) who gave up his precious life to shield strangers. And the so called normal people around can't even be a little humane and kind to people they know and are supposed to be close to! Just look at the contrast...

By the way, one might wonder why I speak of Major Unni more than anyone else in this post. I do sympathize and feel for the others a lot too, but this young man was so much like the middle class Indian youth that others of his like know of- convent educated, cosmopolitan, from a simple but cultured family, one with ambitions, one who loves to travel, enjoy the movies, life and so on. He seems so much like the guy next door.The difference was that he was far too giving, selfless, patriotic...

The song picturized on Johnny Walker in the 50s has defined the spirit years ago-

Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke
Ye hai bombay meri jaan

Kahin building kahin traame
kahin motor kahin mill
Milta hai yahan sab kuchh ik milta nahin dil
Kahin building kahin traame
Kahin motor kahin mill
Milta hai yahan sab kuchh ik milta nahin dil
Insaan ka nahin kahin naam o nishaan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke
ye hai bombay meri jaan


The gist of song is that it's easy to find material things in Bombay but not a genuine good heart. It's a difficult city to survive in as you don't find too much humanity in here...

This song was written so many years ago. Yet it superbly describes the city. Wonder how the lyricist knew that attitude would remain the same even after so many years?

It's not too different in other parts of the world as well but Mumbai could easily be one of the front runners. It could also be because of the fact that the city has too many people.It's like in a city of 19.5- 20 million people,roughly 200 suffering isn't such a big deal.


Probably the average person in Mumbai is so caught up with living life that he/ she don't even think about the victims now.


Except for a select few and I really appreciate their efforts. It's good to tell them so and remind their about their special ways. They do stand out in the uncaring crowd.

There are prayer meetings and candle light vigils(even today occasionally) and encouraging words by President Obama some time ago and US secretary of state Hilary Clinton last year in their respective visits to the city. But not much has changed in the average person. Ratan Tata takes the credit for rebuilding the hotel and doing a great bit though.


Anyway, all of it kind of propelled my decision to move out of Mumbai six months after the attack. I so wish I could have moved out 2-3 months earlier only and didn't need to wait out that time period too.

So much of warmth was gone and the hope that human beings had some goodness in them got lost there...

Everywhere around the world there are problems but in a city like that it's worse. I shall explain some reasons which according to me make people so in some of my later posts.

It’s been almost one and a half years since I left the city and then I only went back for a short visit. Thank God for that. The memories remain, but only of the real heroes.When I visit Mumbai again, the Taj Mahal hotel is the place I want to visit to sign the memorial register.

My heart goes out with the ones who made us all(the thankful as well as the thankless ones) feel safe and sleep peacefully by risking their lives. Who did what the soldiers of a country do every day- protect the borders to ensure the safety of the civilians, so that the normal people can sleep peacefully at night.

The citizens just need to do their duties and show solidarity. Let's hope a few more people become sensitive to their environments despite being so caught up in their lives or worse still stuck in their dangerously selfish & ungrateful little worlds.

Babetude salutes the real heroes. Now and forever.RIP-the true heroes.

Maybe they will get justice someday soon as even the scriptures hint at the same...


Ezekiel 25:17
"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the
inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in
the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of
darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost
children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious
anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know
my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."



I still wish to keep hoping that the unneeded loss of innocent life will come to an end sooner than later in the world. Even when I visited Ground Zero in New York I had the same feeling.



P.S. It was nice to see some of B Town and some leaders remember that day after two years...
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/news/2010/bollywood-26-11-mumbai-terror-attack-271110.html
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_prithviraj-chavan-pays-tributes-to-26-11-martyrs_1471972
http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-92522.html


Babetude requests all readers to please light a candle to recall 26/11 and show that you remember.The link is below-

http://www.indiajaiho.com/LightACandle.htm