Spirit of Mumbai….????

Nothing has changed in this country and this city and never will. I did not write about the attacks all this while as the TV channels were anyway giving a minute by minute account of the entire disaster. They only fell short of going in and being a part of the operation along with the NSG Commandos. It was getting on to me now. So i decided to pen down my views.

The four days that I was on field covering the attacks in this city, I for a minute never felt that a serious terror attack had struck the city and that the brave NSG commandos and few of our brave local police had put their life on line to eliminate these terrorists. With so many people out on the streets it all seemed like it was a film shooting. And the one thing that local police authorities could not do is control the Mumbai public while the operation was still on.
I get off the train at CST station early on Thrusday morning and i find the place absolutely normal. I did not seem like 50 people had died due to terrorists indiscriminately firing at the innocent people. The tragic attack had not left any traces.Trains were plying as usual. there were no barricades.. policemen were seen sitting lazily as usual and taxi's were running normal right inside the gates of CST. Yes but i must say that photographers of all those policemen and railway staff who had died in the attacks were put up but sadly the sacrifices of these people were camouflaged with the deaths of more influential and high-profiled policemen.
On thursday monring as i proceed towards Taj, my first halt, i find that public were on the streets as early as 9 am in the morning on Thursday outside Taj to get a first hand experience of what was happening. I found the same enthusiam outside Oberoi/Trident as well.. But at Oberoi and Trident the media as well as Public were kept far way at Air India signal and therefore nothing much was visible.
Finally not to miss the locals around Nariman House who had parked themselves on the terrace of their respective buildings to catch a glimpse of what was happening 24X7.
Alongside media there was public who was rubbing shoulders with journalists and camera man. At one point I could not figure out between news photographers and cameraman and the common man as the common man was out there with his handycam and their own cameras trying to capture the action.
To add to the confusion there were some celebrity journalists who had made their way from Delhi to cover the attacks.
Here is what I came across on Thursday night after I had surveyed all the three spots and finally came back to my office at Nariman Point (right next to the Oberoi Hotel).
I was waiting outside like every other journalist and cameraman on the road in anticipation that now this could be an end. But alas! No we were told there were two terrorists inside and several guests who were trapped inside and the NSG’s task was to first get the survivors out safely while they simultaneously tackle the terrorists. It was a long wait as we really had no clue where all this was going and what was actually happening.
Amidst all this action and distressed wait for many of us, I see this couple alighting out of their swank Honda City car. After parking the car I see them walking towards me. They come straight to me and with some authority ask me .so what’s the situation? I politely ask them who they were and they excitedly tell me oh well we have just come to see what’s happening”? The man’s reply completely cheesed me off and I told him he was being stupid to come all the way to risk his and his wife’s life. Then he tells me the other reason for him to be there was to actually see “Barkha Dutt”…we want to take her autograph. I was completely dumbstruck and boiling with anger from within . I had a good mind to slap that guy I just held myself back. The jerk then had the audacity to ask me to escort him to great Miss Dutt since I had a press card and that would make it easy for him get an autograph. All I did was just walked away from that man. I found many such idiots who had come into to town as though some kind of film shoot was taking place.
Is this the spirit of Mumbai? where people come all the way to be get photographed with celebrity journalists or take their autographs while there were people dying inside because some bloody terrorists had entered randomly and gunning down people.
I thought the next day things would be in control …but no it was even worse. There were more people on the street. I had a strange encounter with one guy outside the Air India Building where the survivor’ list from Oberoi and Trident was put up. He was a friend of a guy who was stuck inside the Oberoi on that fateful night. But he was lucky I was told that he had survived. While that friend who was stuck will never forget his ordeal.. here was this guy who was trying to get in one minute fame on TV. All he was doing standing outside the Air-India building was to figure out how many TV channels were there and who he could speak to in order to get that one minute of fame. He first came up to me and asked if I was from a TV channel and I said "Sorry to disappoint you.. no I am not from a TV channel". He then got his one minute fame with one of the hindi news channels and later had found out I was from India Today and came up again to talk to me to tell me about his friend and I categorically refused to speak to him. I mean imagine here is a guy who has probably miraculously escaped and on the other hand there is this friend of his who is trying to get mileage out of his dreadful plight. Is this the Spirit of Mumbai?
The worst was on the same day evening at Nariman House. The operations had not even ended that the locals from the area had gathered on the street cheering the commandos as though we had won a cricket match and not a war. They were shouting slogans and a huge mob had crowded. The best of this place was that while the local police was seen simply standing or waltzing around with their lathis with absolutely no agenda. They just could not control the mob. And when asked to control them one of them turns around and tell me ‘Jaane do na madam. Sab Khush hai’ aap apna Kaam karo na’. How was I supposed to do my work when I was almost being pushed around by the mob with no proper designated place to stand for media, we had a terrible time. To top it all were the TV journalists and their cameraman…( most who had come from Delhi) just as they see the DG General of NSG coming towards us everybody rushes towards him to get a byte as though it was an exclusive.. there was absolutely no self discipline amongst my fraternity.. as well..I am sure you would have all seen it on TV….I would have definitely died in a stampede if I had not moved out in at the right time.
Is this is the Spirit of Mumbai we are talking about? Where the general public had gone ballistic. It’s nice to see all these petitions and campaigns against Media. I am not saying the media was right …but the public and local authorities were no less as well. They added to the confusion to make matters worse. Anyone and everyone at each of these three location where I was covering the disaster had something or the other to say.
Finally on Saturday, the Mumbai public took the cake. Thanks to the TV media,which was giving minute by minute account of the entire operation. Just as when media had got an indication that the operation is more or less coming to end….it was announced on the TV channels and that was it..the public were out there at Gateway of India. The so called affluent and intelligent public of Colaba was out there as well trying to catch a glimpse of the last bit of operation in action.
Is this the spirit of Mumbai? I am not sure.. what’s the spirit of Mumbai as I have seen the worst of the Mumbai Public during the four days I covered the attacks. I am completely disappointed with the Mumbaikars at large. It’s all nice to have these peace marches and protests and raise our voices… against injustice… better late than never… But finally we lack self discipline and that according to me is a habit that will never die.

Why is everybody out on the streets protesting now?
As i see it.. it's because this time around the terrorists have gone into the so called second homes of the affluent class and hurt them. That's why the protests, rallies and all that jazz....
If the attacks would have once again been only on CST and Cama Hospital would we have seen so many people out on the streets protesting or raising their voices against terror. Would there have been such a public outrage? No... i don't think so...
Where was everybody when 300 people died in the Churchgate train blasts. Did people raise their voice or come out on the streets when people died in Ahmedabad and Jaipur? Five blasts in the country since May 2008 and it did not affect anyone.The attitude was life goes on. But when it happened to them (the elites in Five star hotels) the scare has set in.
Aam admi can die and no one cares..I hope all this activism was shown when the first blast took place in the country in Jaipur in May 2008. And hope the elite activism and committment is shown towards other public and civic issues in the city