12.7.06

The Day After...

Traffic seems ok.
Rail services running just a little late.
Attendance in offices seemingly normal.
Life is back on track.
A day after 200 people die in 7 bomb blasts along the lifeline of the city.
Sometimes, i wonder.
Is it the never say die spirit of the city?
Is it the awareness that death may strike as and when it pleases?
Is it the hopelessness of living in a city that kills you every day little by little?

Don't get me wrong. i love this city.
But sometimes, i wonder about its "spirit".
Maybe the spirit is a certain amount of heartlessness.
Maybe we have all become emotionally dead.
Maybe that's why when a disaster happens, we do such a good job.
Floods, bombs, riots. We've seen them all. And we don't bat an eyelid.
No adverse reactions to seeing mangled bodies popping out of train compartments.
Years of getting pushed around in trains and buses. Coming back to cramped matchboxes called 'home'. Seeing unimaginable misery near every slum pocket.
Leaves no space for 'emotion'. Otherwise we would all be insane by now.

Salaam Mumbai. You have held your nerve. You have been brave. But there's nothing wrong with mourning.

2 comments:

Mumbai Guy said...

I think people have no choice. It is not thier "spirit", it is the only way.

My heart goes out for families who received the brunt. God give them strength.

Siddharth said...

amen