Author: Mansi Choksi
Publication: The Times of India
Date: September 28, 2008
Introduction: As Terror Strikes Rock City
after City, People In The Financial Capital Get Edgy And Vigilant
Hyderabad. Jaipur. Bangalore. Ahmedabad. Delhi.
Mumbai, which has probably been hit harder by terror than any other Indian
city, has this time around, watched in silence as bomb blasts killed and maimed
ordinary people in other metros. Though the city continues to go to work,
college and school, it continues to shop and go to the cinema, the city's
gut is uneasy.
Whether it is the railway commuters who stare
accusingly at those who put their backpacks on the luggage rack, the group
of card players who swiftly check under the seats before settling down, mistrustful
fathers turning up 10 minutes in advance to peep under the multiplex seats,
schools and offices contemplating a ban on tiffin deliveries, taxi drivers
carrying out their own little investigations into packages left behind when
a passenger hops off to make a purchase, or offices switching from WiFi to
the slow but safe dial-up, anxiety is palpable almost everywhere.
"I have lost more than 10 umbrellas in
the last couple of years. But as I was about to get off from a crowded train
last week, I was pulled back by others who gave me a mouthful for leaving
behind my umbrella,'' recounts a media professional. Another commuter said
a man who left behind an apple on the luggage rack was roundly berated. For
an apple? "Yes, how do we know what was inside?'' said the commuter who
lives in Vashi and travels to CST.
Children are worried about parents and viceversa.
Thirteen-year-old Rishi Desai does not like his family going
to the movies anymore. "He doesn't feel comfortable with us going to
a movie or any other crowded place because he is so scared after these bombings,''
says his mother, Rashmi. "If we go, he keeps calling every few minutes
to ensure we're safe. He has even tried to dissuade us by saying that the
movie has got bad reviews and isn't worth watching.''
Businessman Anish Shah says the Sunday outing
was an eagerly-awaited family tradition, but that has changed. "We'd
rather do our shopping on a weekday when the malls are less crowded,'' he
says. Shah also checks to see that there are no unclaimed objects in the rows
in front and behind them when they go to a theatre.
Sanya Shahani, who lives on Pedder Road and
studies at a design college in Bandra, used to be a regular train commuter.
But after the Delhi blasts, her mother has raised her allowance so that she
can take a cab to college. "Mom is really jittery about me travelling
by train because of 7/11. But it takes too long to go by cab and is way more
expensive, so on days when I'm in a hurry, I take the train anyway. But I
don't tell her until I'm home, otherwise she will keep fretting,'' she says.
On Thursday, Dahisar resident Neela Shevade
went to Bhendi Bazaar to buy sarees from a wholesaler. She noticed that many
shops were shuttered because of a subconscious fear in this predominately
Muslim pocket that it could be the focal point of a terror strike. "The
shopkeeper told me that most of them were worried that there would be a revenge
attack,'' she says.
Some schools now have policemen patrolling
the campuses. Other schools have CCTVs. Lunch deliveries have been discontinued.
The railways, one of the most vulnerable targets, tackles an alarming number
of hoax calls every day. After years of being polite, railway announcements
have become sharper and more urgent, warning people to be vigilant, even using
the word 'explosives'.
More than anything, Mumbaikars are fed up
of having to stand tall after being battered.
"We're always hailed as the resilient
city that comes out strong after an attack,'' says Anish Shah. "We talk
of 99% attendance at work after the blasts and trains going full a day after
7/11, but the fact is that it's a necessity. If we don't go to work, our pay
will be cut and if we don't take the train, we have to shell out more money.
The fear is still there.'' He adds that after bombs were planted at Ahmedabad's
hospitals and even in children's parks, it is clear that the terrorists will
stop at nothing.
