60 hours of terror Grief and grit as Indians remember

Some moments are seared into the collective consciousness of the nation -- like 26/11. The utter helplessness came back to haunt us on the first anniversary of India’s most wounding terror strike, but with it was a sense of resolve as thousands prepared to gather in various cities to remember the dead and also hope for a terror-free tomorrow.

It was a day of vivid recall, of remembrances public and private, of recrimination and also resolve as India, a year later, paused in its tracks to rewind to the traumatic night in late Nov last year.

The fear and helplessness of that day was never far from the minds of Indians across the country and the world mourned the dead in India’s most wounding terror strike that had left behind scars perhaps never to be healed.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was away in the US, spoke in Washington about “remembrance and homage to all the innocent civilians and our brave men in uniform” who died in the attack.

In the national capital, parliament began with two minutes silence and a resolution in the Lok Sabha to wage a united war against terror. In Kanpur, the cricket Test between India and Sri Lanka began with a similar homage. Tributes to the brave who died - and those who survived - were held in many cities with citizens collecting at designated places holding aloft lit candles and pledging for peace.

And all thoughts were with Mumbai, India’s thriving commercial capital that was ravaged by 10 terrorists who came by boats from Pakistan on the night of Nov 26 to begin a bloody siege that ended only on the afternoon of Nov 28. Only one terrorist was caught alive, Pakistani Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, whose trial is far from complete.

As crowds gathered at every place the terrorists had left a bloody imprint - the anger was palpable. “We want Kasab to be hanged,” said a young teen outside the Gateway of India.

Thousands of commuters rushing to their offices halted to pay respects to those slaughtered in the blaze of bullets at the CST, Mumbai’s oldest and largest rail hub.

The newly created elite Force One, created on the lines of the elite National Security Guard, made its first public appearance when it marched through parts of the affected areas in Mumbai. Also on display were security forces displaying an array of sophisticated weapons, bulletproof vehicles and amphibian boats.

“We shall leave no stone unturned to protect Mumbai and its citizens,” Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said, as everyone - from celebrities to the man on the street - relived the trauma.

The 1.5 km wall at Marine Drive was full of messages by 5am, and thousands more came to read them.

Some moments will stay on forever - even for somebody like little ‘Goli’, or bullet, who was not even born at that time. Viju Chavan, a worker in Mumbai who was shot in the stomach, said with a smile at the oddities of fate: “I was pregnant at the time of the attack.

After that incident, people told me to name my daughter Goli. Even today, my daughter is referred to as Goli, not by her real name.” Remember but move on undeterred, the extraordinary story of Goli may epitomise the spirit in which Mumbai - and Indiaobserved the 26/11 anniversary.

The day after: A city moves on

The flurry of memorial services, blood donation camps, the moments reliving that terrible carnage a year ago, were all done. On 27 Nov, Mumbai was its usual self, buzzing with activity and a confidence that no terror attack can quell. Most students returned to their colleges, and workers were back to their routine schedules.

At the sites that were attacked in the 26/11 carnage last year - Taj Hotel, Chabad House, Leopold Cafe, Chhatrapati Shivaji railway terminus, Oberoi Hotel and Cama Hospitalit was back to work the day after.

At the Leopold Cafe, one of the first sites to be attacked by the terrorists, a candle-light memorial service and a musical program were held on on the 26th. But, the next day, it was business as usual. The regulars were back for their coffees, snacks and banter at their all-time old favourite.

For Eliran Russo, a member of the Chabad House and a close friend of the Rabbi couple who were killed last year by the terrorists, the memorial service at the Jewish centre was especially painful.

“Yesterday was our way of showing the world that we are here in Mumbai - to stay. The memorial service was broadcast live on Jewish TV and at all the Chabad centres around the world. On Friday, we are planning a quiet, private memorial supper with the family of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg.”

Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and union minister Shashi Tharoor were in attendance at the Chabad House for the memorial service. It was attended by other members of the Chabad House, the Mumbai Jewish community and several people who flew in from abroad.

Bharat Kapoor donated blood at the Hinduja Hospital as a tribute to the victims. “Instead of lighting a candle, donating blood is my way of showing I care. I made it a point to mark my tribute.” virtually laid siege to the city.

Meanwhile, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower is ready to focus on the times ahead.

“Yesterday was a very solemn and dignified memorial service where Ratan Tata unveiled the new memorial. A staff interaction was held at the banquet room, to which only members of the staff, their families and the Consulate Generals were invited,” Nikhita Palat, public relations manager of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel, told IANS. “At the Taj, we’re always looking forward, and our focus is to concentrate on the revival of the hotel,” she added.

Among the restaurants, the Golden Dragon was re-opened to patrons on the eve of the 26/11 anniversary (Nov 25), while the Harbour Bar and Wasabi are scheduled to open on Dec 2.

“It was overwhelming to remember the tragedy which struck this place a year ago. We were all glued to our television sets at this time last year and the gory battle between the terrorists and security forces went on for a full 60 hours,” Priya said with a shudder.

A regular visitor to the Taj, Manisha Bulchandani also made a special effort to pay her respects at the hotel. “It was heartening to see the security force in all its strength in Mumbai Thursday. As citizens, we should stop complaining and appreciate our police force, who are often on their toes round-theclock when required,” she said.

The 26/11 terror attack left 166 people dead and 244 people injured.

***

London charity raises Rs.1.15 crore for 26/11 victims

Over Rs.1.15 crore ($246,000) were raised in aid of the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai of 166 innocent civilians, including two Canadians.’’

Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg, father of Rivka Holtzberg who was killed in the Mumbai terror attacks, looks at the bullet infested walls of Nariman House, the Jewish centre, on Nov. 26, 2009. Rivka and her husband Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg ran the centre for the Orthodox Chabad Lubavitch movement. Their two-year-old son Moshe survived.

He said, “Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and with the survivors of this terrible tragedy.

He said, “Canada has designated June 23 as the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism which aims to denounce terrorism and honour the memory of its victims such as those who lost their lives in the deadly attacks in Mumbai.’’ Various Indo-Canadian cultural and business organizations also remembered the Mumbai victims. The Indo-Canada Chamber Commerce (ICCC) held a commemoration meeting to pay tributes to the victims. Various temples in the city also held candlelight vigils and prayers in the evening for the victims.

Gujarati business Hemant Shah, who has played a key role in promoting business ties between India and Canada, said, “All my Canadian business friends and bureaucrats called me this morning to express their condolences for the Mumbai victims.’’ He said, “I am watching Indian TV networks right now, and I am overwhelmed by the unity displayed by Indians. I am proud that India today is united like never before.’’

With its blood, terror, valour, 26/11 spawned books, movies

Blood and gore, fear, good versus evil, acts of valour, moving tales of survivors, grief, a dash of high society... 26/11, perhaps more than any other single event in India’s recent history, had all that it takes to spawn books and movies.

“26/11-Mumbai Under Terror”; “Nariman House”; “26/11 @ Mumbai Operation”; “The Fidayeen”; “Dahshat Ka Halla”; “Shootout at Taj”; “Shootout at Oberoi”; “Shootout at CST”.

A group of 20 school kids has already shot a film titled MH (Muslim, Hindu) 26/11Mumbai Under Attack, which was premiered early this year. Made by children aged between 11 and 14, the film highlighted how the images of the attacks - that were shown live by the media - affected children. The project had been funded and supported by the Ryan Foundation.

Plenty of books have already hit the shelves.

So far the books in English already include: Who Killed Karkare? (by S.M. Mushrif, ex-Inspector-General of Police, Maharashtra); 26/11 - Mumbai Attacked (Edited by Harinder Baweja, Roli Books); 26/11 The Attack On Mumbai (Introduced by Vir Sanghvi, Penguin Books); War Zone Mumbai (Mrityunjay Bose, Pentagon Press).

There are more: Investigating The Mumbai Conspiracy (by Wilson John and Vishwas, Pentagon Press); Mumbai Under Siege (by Nikhil Dixit, Jaico Publishing House); Mumbai 26/11 - A Day of Infamy (by B. Raman, Lancer Publishers); Piercing The Heart - Unheard Voices of 26/11 (by Simran Sodhi, Rupa & Co).

There are books in Hindi and Marathi as well. While Dahshat Ke 60 Ghante - 26/11 and Aankhon Dekhi are in Hindi, Jitendra Dixit’s 26/11: Woh 59 Ghante is in both Hindi and Marathi.

Virginia varsity runs serial blog on 26/11

“Sixty Hours of Terror: Ten Gunmen, Ten Minutes”, a serial blog covering the Nov 26 terror strike in Mumbai, began running on a Virginia University website to mark the first anniversary of the worst terror attack in India.

terror attacks at a charity event in London attended by Bollywood stars and members of British royalty. The event was organised by DVK Foundation whose founder Deepak Kuntawala was one of the survivors of the attack on the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel.

A press release issued by the organisers said that the function held at the Royal Kensington Palace was attended by members of the British royalty and celebrities from India and Britain.

“More than Rs.1.15 crores were collected during the event, which was hosted by the acclaimed Indian film and television actor Kabir Bedi and his actress-daughter Pooja Bedi,” said a press release.

The money was raised through the fundraising dinner and auction, which was conducted by actor Boman Irani.

The items on auction included a weekend on the luxury yacht which went for 11,000 pounds to British musician Newton Faulkner.

Another item on the list was a ticket to the movie premier of Avatar with Hollywood actress Sigourney Weaver, which went for 10,000 pounds.

“The event is an affirmation of the human spirit that rises above dark tragedy and reaches for the light of compassion,” Kabir Bedi was quoted as saying in the press release.

Besides, a poetry tribute to the victims of Mumbai terror attacks by film director Shekhar Kapur and a musical performance of Phantom of the Opera were some of the attractions of the night. ***

Candlelight vigils, prayers for Mumbai victims in Canada

Canadians joined the million-strong Indian community in their country to pay tributes to the victims of Mumbai. Candlelight vigils were held at temples and commemoration ceremonies organised in Toronto and elsewhere.

Deepak Obhrai, who as parliamentary secretary is the highest-ranking IndoCanadian in the current government, paid rich tributes to the victims of India’s worst terror attack. Speaking in the Canadian parliament in Ottawa, Obhrai said, “Today Canada remembers the victims of last year’s deadly attacks in Mumbai. A year ago, cowardly terrorist attacks took the lives

A year on, while over a dozen books on the Mumbai terror attacks have been penned, Bollywood has registered over two dozen film titles, besides several documentaries and short films.

In one of the most acclaimed projects, megastar Amitabh Bachchan featured in a documentary on the subject. For this India TV venture, he recorded a poem from his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s works that talks of building our nest again with fortitude and pride.

Several private documentary filmmakers are making short films on the terror attacks and international news networks and television channels are also doing special programs, commemorative series and shows.

Actor-politician Vinod Khanna plays an important role in a Star Plus telefilm on 26/11, titled Unn Hazaroon Ke Naam

“I play a father whose son and daughter-inlaw get shot at CST but his grandson escapes miraculously. The movie is about people who lost their near and dear ones in the siege,” Vinod told IANS.

Nearly 30 movie titles have been registered with Bollywood’s two producers’ associations IMPPA and AMPTPP. These include “Total 10”; “26/11 Taj”; “Operation 5-Star Mumbai”; “Bird’s Point of View: Taj Terror”; “Mission Taj”;

The four-part blog by Virginia University alumnus Jason Motlagh, a multimedia journalist who covers conflicts around South Asia, on Virginia Quarterly Review (VQR) website ran all day on 26 Nov this year Motlagh made multiple trips to Mumbai, interviewed survivors, pored over pages and pages of police records, reports in the Indian media and transcripts of intercepted phone communications between the gunmen and their handlers, and watched video from closed-circuit security cameras, VQR said.

The online report is more than 19,000 words long and features 24 unpublished photographs of the attacks and aftermath. Motlagh’s work fills in the absence of “a single, thorough accounting of what exactly had happened on those fateful days”, editor Ted Genoways writes in the introduction. Genoways said publishing Motlagh’s “amazing piece of original journalism” was a milestone for VQR

“We soon hit upon the idea of something that would be closer to literary non-fiction than traditional journalism - or even ‘new journalism’. This would not be the story of Jason’s journey in the wake of disaster, but a straightforward narrative of what happened in Mumbai,” Genoways said.

The first instalment recounts the attacks at five sites in the city and describes the Lashkar-e-Taeba (LeT) or the “Army of the Pure” behind these and other fatal incidents where dozens of people have been killed and hundreds injured.

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Festivals in Oct/Nov 2009

October

Aswin Purnima - 4th Oct

Karva Chouth – 7th October

Dhanteras - 15th Oct

Deepavali, Kartik Sankrant – 17th Oct

Bhaidooj - 19th Oct

Annakut – Gujarati New Year – 18th Oct

Vishwakarma Puja - 20th Oct

Chhat Puja - 24th and 25th Oct

Tulsi Vivah – 30th Oct

November

Guru Nanak Jayanti 2nd Nov

Kartik Poornima 2nd Nov

Sankrant 16th Nov

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