Three blasts tried to scare us. No, I dare not say that three blasts rocked Mumbai. We are now seasoned veterans, we have been through 26/11, the serial blasts on 7/11 and so on.
As for me, in the words of Shakespeare, "I let this pass by me as the idle wind which I respect not".
My friend Santosh, the encyclopaedia that he is, tells me that yesterday was Kasab's birthday. I trust him to be a fairly authentic source, so I will take the liberty of using this information.
Many of my colleagues including Shalinee, Dignesh, Joseph, Binsy, Sunayana and yours truly were around when Kasab wrecked havoc on innocent people, we are all there when his friends decided to give him this equally 'bloody' birthday gift.
What did the blasts mean to us? As a first reaction, anxious phone calls to and from our family, relatives and friends; surfing on the net to authenticate the veracity of the things we heard; cautionary sms's to all we care for and then leaving for the safety of our homes.
Most of us reached home at the stroke of midnight and did not have time to do retrospection.
It was "A Wednesday" and all of us had to get back to work on the next day.Talking of the above film, the protagonist there thinks of the society and embarks on a purging exercise. However, that is a film and the reality is a stark contrast.
Most people could not spare a minute to think of such details as to how many innocent people died, how many were injured, how many were rendered homeless and the overall damage it may have caused.
If anyone did worry about these things, that is great. I do not blame anyone for not doing so, it is just that we are so busy with ourselves that we do not have time for such finer aspects of life.
When we woke up this morning, we did not have fear in our minds as we left home. We were not worried as to what might happen today, it was the incessant rain that was more of a concern for us.
It is as if we have learnt to throw caution to the wind, we have long resigned ourselves to our fate, we are prepared to take life as it comes.
To summarise, we have become tough. We are not overly perturbed by anything happening around us, but the bigger question to be asked is "Are we losing our human virtues in the process?"
Reminds me of the song
"Ei Dil Hai Mushkil Jeena Yahan
Zara Hatkey Zara Bachkey Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan
Be Ghar Ko Awaara Kahtey Log Hus Hus
Khud Katey Galey Sab Ke Kahey Isko Biz Nas (Business)"
That is what is Mumbai.
I have become a part of this system. After four long and gruelling years, reality is far from my expectations, better to say, I have decided to lower my expectations.
I have often read that Mumbai embraces all who come here; there is a living for everyone here. The fact is that while there may be a living but there is no home.
Needless to say, I have to go back to the great man
“Diney Diney Kothin Holo Kokhon Bukero Tol
Bhebeychhilem Jhorbey Na Amar Chokhero Jol"
(Never realised how gradually I have turned into a stone and my tears have deserted me.)
They all say, Mumbai is a very professional city, I would say more of a heartless city. Professionalism has nothing to do with shunning normal human values.
Did I not read any where that Mumbai was voted the rudest city in the world? As they say “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”.
I have lived through a blast, probably I will live through many more. I have learnt the art of ignoring the pain of the people who have lost everything, I am too insensitive to feel it.
I will worry about increments and bonuses because I will never realise that all these are important only as long as I am alive and how long I am alive is something I do not know.
I will worry more about the inflation than a bloody inferno because for me an inferno is a temporary scalding for some people; inflation is a permanent hole in my pocket.
I will not die in fear of a resurgence of the blast, I will live on because I am already dead and you cannot kill a dead man.
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