“Seven blasts in 11 minutes in Mumbai's jam-packed local trains brought India's financial hub to a standstill on July 11. Suburban trains along the Western Line were targeted and more than 200 people were killed and countless were injured.”
7/11, a day which most of the Mumbaikars will never forget. Serial bomb blasts in first class coaches of the local trains on the Western Line in Mumbai (local trains which are known as “lifeline of Mumbai”). The first blast was near Khar station and then series of six more blasts within few minutes all at different locations. The timing of these blasts was perfect, in respect to the terrorists. Telephone lines were also jammed, creating chaos amongst the citizens.
I was in office that time, when I received a mail stating about the blasts. Soon I saw chaos there too. Everyone was trying phone numbers of their near and dear ones. Even I was trying my Bua’s mobile and residence number’s by two different phones at the same time. We reached home by 8 o’clock and kept swapping between the news channels till 2 am in the morning.
Even though I’m living in Mumbai only from last 8 months but I’ve heard a lot about the spirits of Mumbaikars… This time I too witnessed it, news channels showed clips where people were distributing drinking water, tea and eatables to passengers who were struck due to this mishap. Common people were first to reach even the blast spots to help the injured passengers. They took out the dead bodies, ferried injured to the hospitals and rescued others.
This was not the end; even the hospitals have to discourage the blood donors after midnight because their stock was full. Mumbai faced some major communal riots in the past but at the time of this type of crisis, common Mumbaikar doesn’t think of his or her religion. And I don’t need to give any illustrations, to prove my point. The situation was improving steadily and slowly around midnight as mobiles started working, there were no jams on the road now and even the slow local trains were started again on the Western Line.
12th July was a new day. The first thing I did in the morning is to watch the news. It said that all school, colleges and offices will remain open. These efforts were made just to make things normal. Outside everything seemed normal, as it was another Wednesday morning with nothing special or abnormal in it. Small kids were going to their schools, people moving towards their respective offices, housewives busy in their daily routine. The only difference was that at the back of everyone’s mind was: what will happen now is it safe to travel today and lot of other questions. There was anger accompanied with terror and panic amongst the people.
I just wanted to ask these Terrorist Organizations’ that whom they were trying to target: The working class men who struggle for an inch of space in local trains? The working women who try to finish some of their daily work in trains on their way back home? Young and dreamy students discussing career, exams and love? The old aged retired people who don’t have any other means of commuting?
7/11, a day which most of the Mumbaikars will never forget. Serial bomb blasts in first class coaches of the local trains on the Western Line in Mumbai (local trains which are known as “lifeline of Mumbai”). The first blast was near Khar station and then series of six more blasts within few minutes all at different locations. The timing of these blasts was perfect, in respect to the terrorists. Telephone lines were also jammed, creating chaos amongst the citizens.
I was in office that time, when I received a mail stating about the blasts. Soon I saw chaos there too. Everyone was trying phone numbers of their near and dear ones. Even I was trying my Bua’s mobile and residence number’s by two different phones at the same time. We reached home by 8 o’clock and kept swapping between the news channels till 2 am in the morning.
Even though I’m living in Mumbai only from last 8 months but I’ve heard a lot about the spirits of Mumbaikars… This time I too witnessed it, news channels showed clips where people were distributing drinking water, tea and eatables to passengers who were struck due to this mishap. Common people were first to reach even the blast spots to help the injured passengers. They took out the dead bodies, ferried injured to the hospitals and rescued others.
This was not the end; even the hospitals have to discourage the blood donors after midnight because their stock was full. Mumbai faced some major communal riots in the past but at the time of this type of crisis, common Mumbaikar doesn’t think of his or her religion. And I don’t need to give any illustrations, to prove my point. The situation was improving steadily and slowly around midnight as mobiles started working, there were no jams on the road now and even the slow local trains were started again on the Western Line.
12th July was a new day. The first thing I did in the morning is to watch the news. It said that all school, colleges and offices will remain open. These efforts were made just to make things normal. Outside everything seemed normal, as it was another Wednesday morning with nothing special or abnormal in it. Small kids were going to their schools, people moving towards their respective offices, housewives busy in their daily routine. The only difference was that at the back of everyone’s mind was: what will happen now is it safe to travel today and lot of other questions. There was anger accompanied with terror and panic amongst the people.
I just wanted to ask these Terrorist Organizations’ that whom they were trying to target: The working class men who struggle for an inch of space in local trains? The working women who try to finish some of their daily work in trains on their way back home? Young and dreamy students discussing career, exams and love? The old aged retired people who don’t have any other means of commuting?
If we analyze then this week was not good for India; Sunday – Testing of Agni III failed, Monday – Launch of INSAT failed and Tuesday – Mumbai Bomb Blasts. Last few days were bad for Mumbaikars too… first the rains on Tuesday, then Shiv Sena Drama on Sunday and lastly these deadly blasts again on Tuesday. How long can an ordinary Mumbaikar maintain his or her spirits? But one question which always comes to my mind: Is this the spirit to fight back or the helplessness because we can’t to do anything else except for continuing our lives as before???
