Mumbai...

Shock that terrorists could just sail in one fine day and hold a city to ransom.

Disbelief that the siege could go on for 3 days!

Grief at the bloodbath that ensued.

Irritation at the insensitive TV reporting.

Anger at our incompetent leaders.

Through all these, a certain numbness was the overlying emotion. All friends and family were unhurt, that I knew of. Till today.

This morning, in office, was routinely going through agencyfaqs.com, when the heading leaped out at me. Obituary:Rohinton Maloo.

Who was having dinner that night at the Trident.

And then the numbness disappeared. To give way to an overwhelming despair.

Rohinton was my direct boss during one of my assignments with a TV channel. With whom I had worked closely, discussing and strategising... It could so easily have been me at that hotel. Rohinton and I had lunched at similar 5 star hotels at B'lore and Chennai during his visits. Where we had discussed how to bag which client.

Terror has stopped happening to 'them'. It is now 'our' life and security at stake.

Tomorrow what happened to that poor Israeli baby could (God please forbid) happen to Sonny boy.

There is nothing to guarantee that my husband and I return safely from our work tomorrow. Why tomorrow- today!

Why why WHY does God allow these kind of things to happen?

Stories were heart-rending. Each one more than the former.
A young couple who after 7 long years of courtship, were to marry. But now the young man was dead.
A brave, lean young man who tells his friend jokingly that he may finally be gaining some weight. Never again.

Parents who've lost babies.
Men who've lost families.
Families who've lost their father figure.
A country that's lost its heroes.
So much loss.

How do people learn to hate so much? So much that they can cold heartedly pull the trigger on fellow men and have no regrets at snuffing out that life? What kind of sick indoctrination do they follow? Which God do they worship that could possibly condone this kind of gruesomeness? Certainly not Allah who is said to be all Merciful

And knowing that there are such people, having had various examples and modus operandi to learn from, across cities, how do our politicians not learn from their mistakes and lapses? How do they maintain that in a big city such things are small? Why do we even need to have national leaders, I wonder? Just to go about uttering routine statements? And to go about offering money in exchange for lives so that they can claim their share of credit?

And why do we remain a nation of bloodthirsty vultures? WHY do we show ads in the middle of all this carnage? It is so incogruous and SICK. A reporter saying in the middle of an interview with someone- Sir, I'm sorry, but we're running short of time, so we'll just have to take a quick break. running short of time for what? There certainly was nothing worthwhile that she was rushing off to show. Just an advertisement. Which comes after a picture of the flaming Taj.

I seem to remember that during 9/11, none of the foreign channels covering the tragedy aired ANY ads during the time. They have a heart, they do.

Not like The Barkhas and the Rajdeeps of this part of the world.
One even went on to say that there were so many OB vans, so many cameramen, so many reporters gathered to bring the public the news, for over 24 hours now... yeah right.

one man's tragedy is another man's opportunity. To promote his channel. SICK.

God grant solace to all those who've lost loved ones.
And God set right the warped thinking of the terrorists. Teach them that killing doesn't solve anything. Certainly not of innocents.
And God keep us and our loved ones safe from such horrendous tragedies.

Please.