Breaking It Down

I’ve stopped watching the news. I can’t handle all that flashes across my TV screen. The Taj burning, Leopold in pieces and the stories – the stories are the worst. I don’t know the latest on the Mumbai attacks because I’ve just stopped watching.

The news still trickles in though; everyone’s talking about it. And the emails keep coming. I read this piece by Suketu Mehta, author of Maximum City. He talks about the spirit of Mumbai and how, if we really want to help our nation, we must stand up and keep walking ahead.

It may be deemed courageous to move on with our lives but may seem apathetic as well. And after the many bombings in the country this year, apathy we cannot afford.

Tensions between the archenemies have heightened. Retaliation seems imminent. However, if the past has taught us anything, a war with our neighbours is not the solution. Yet, to do nothing is not an option either. Congress has an election to win next year and needs to retaliate to avoid a BJP victory.

But the question is, are we attacking the real enemy? Who is the real enemy? And what do they want?

Who – the answer remains unknown. What they want - to destroy our economic success and our political acclaim. And they want to instill fear. Fear. That’s the centre of this whole attack. That was their goal, to make people fearful so that business activity slows down and India falters during this already difficult economic time.

And the only way to retaliate is to defend that. If we want to help the country, said Mehta, don’t cancel your flights and don’t stay indoors out of fear.

It’s easier said than done. Nobody wants to risk their life; nobody wants to lose their loved one. It’s a tough call to make. I saw the fear when my sister reconsidered her trip to India. I’m scared to travel alone now, she said. Another friend cancelled her flight. The English cricket team cancelled their tour. Many must have cancelled business trips.

I would take a flight to the city that landed at three in the morning and then take a bus to Pune. It’s Bombay, it's safe. There are people on the street at all hours! The terrorists changed this. They chased everyone indoors leaving the streets bare, an eerie sight for the city that never sleeps.

So what does all this mean? Have we let the fear in? Have they won?