Anniversary to forget

Today is exactly a month since the Mumbai terror attacks, as they are being called. On the 26th of November this year, ten men armed with grenades, guns and, reportedly, explosives, landed on the shores of our city and went about randomly killing people at the Victoria Terminus (yes, we like the old name) train hub, at Cama Hospital, full of newborns and recently delivered mummies, at the Taj Mahal hotel, about which more than enough has been said and written, and the Trident-Oberoi, which people spoke of with as much respect and far less emotion. There were killings on the street, on the high seas and goodness knows where else. And for now, India and our neighbour, Pakistan, are busy slugging it out in a silly game of tit for tat that no one will win but citizens of both nations stand to lose out in.

Who did it, why and how is all old hat now. So much has been written and said and agonized and analysed about the horrific three days of killing. Whether anyone will ever take responsibility and how long the games between the two countries will continue remains to be seen. But in the mess, the people directly affected, be they families of the dead or those who experienced the mayhem in person, on television or as bystanders cannot do anything but recover and recoup. They will survive, yes, as individuals and as inhabitants of this wonderful city, with a little help from everyone who wants to give – not just money and materials, but an arm to lean on, a shoulder to cry on, an ear to talk into, maybe just a friend to depend on when you need one. All the guff about the spirit of Mumbai and getting on with life is just drivel, often written by journalists and celebrities who should know better. The people who should teach lessons on how to go on with life are those who are doing just that, never mind that they have been traumatized by some kind of loss.

And the most common wish for the new year, just around the corner, is a simple one: joy and peace to us and everyone else. Mine has a kink – a wish that no one has to celebrate anniversaries like this one, ever again.