Saturday, November 29, 2008

My City Will Bounce Back

It has been more than two days since my city has been under siege. Its very foundation has been attacked by a group of terrorists. We are frightened but we will not be cowed down. Our heroes are protecting us and the message they send is, ‘You can’t be harmed on my watch’. Yet I tremble and shake for the places attacked are places I have spent my life. These are the places I frequently visit. These are the neighborhoods I grew up in.

This attack has dampened the soul of the city. People are panicking and running at any sound remotely similar to a gunshot. Today I witnessed an entire street shut down in a matter of minutes because someone started a rumour about hearing a gunshot. I heard someone say, ‘this is not Bombay anymore’.

I silently pray for my city to heal. It will take time and it will need more heroes. I urge people to stand up and fight back. We will not bow down to these terrorists. The time to be afraid has past; the time to be resilient has arrived.

I do not know these heroes personally, but I have grown up reading about them in the newspapers. It saddens me that they are no more, but I stand up and salute their bravery. I can safely say that the city salutes you; Hemant Karkare, Vijay Salaskar, Ashok Kamte, Prakash More, Sandeep Unnikrishnan, police constables, NSG commando’s, army jawans, IAF, Indian navy, Marcos team of the navy and all others involved working behind the scenes. We are proud of our protectors.

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