‘We hope that change in Mumbai post 26/11 is transformational’

Mumbai: An old man whose son and daughter were killed. An American lady whose husband and daughter were gunned down inside the Oberoi hotel. A young girl who was badly injured by a bullet. A police officer whose life was forever changed. All of them tied together by the terror attacks on 26th November 2008 that left a city shell shocked, and irrevocably changed. All of them sharing their stories at an event to commemorate the third year anniversary of the attacks.

“Destruction is always the seed of some change, but what remains to be seen if that change is transitional or becomes transformational. We can only hope that the change in Mumbai post 26/11 is transformational”, said Julio Ribeiro, the Chairman of the Public Concern for Governance Trust which had organized the event titled “Transforming our way of living: remembering 26.11.2008″ that was held at the NCPA at Nariman point on Wednesday.

Organised by the Orchid Room Experiment, the event featured film, first person accounts, speeches by various industry leaders, and live performances. The theme of the evening was ‘Transforming our way of life: Containing corruption and having good governance’, based on the idea that corruption reduced public and government efficiency, making the nation more vulnerable to the threat of terrorist attack. “We have to demand good governance from our leaders. So many of you came out that night to Gateway of India holding candles asking for better governance. We have to sustain that momentum”, said Praful Vora, a volunteer with Anna Hazare‘s “India Against Corruption” movement.


The other events of the programme were more emotional. There was a film that followed the lives of a mix of Mumbaikars – some from affluent South Bombay, others from the slums of Dharavi – all of whom had lost loved ones or suffered injuries as a result of the attacks. Divided into four parts and interspersed with other items on the program, the film covered four themes – “Prayer”, “The power of positive thought”, “Hope”, and “Dreams for the future”, which when taken together, followed the journey of the films protagonists from how they first dealt with what had happened, to where they are now and where they want to be in the future.

Kia Scherr, an American lady who lost both her daughter and husband to the attacks, recited a touching haiku detailing her experiences from the time she dropped her family off at the airport to the time it was confirmed that her loved ones had been killed. Renown Hindustani singer Dhanashree Pandit Rai sang thumri as a symbol of hope in the times to come, accompanied by a tabla player and pianist.

The performances were well received and the audience was appreciative. But what the programme also did in many ways, was bring people face to face with that night again. And what it revealed, was that although Mumbai has mostly moved past 26/11, it has left behind many still-raw wounds, a lot of sadness and even trauma. And it was important that there was an effort to include the experiences of people from all walks of life, because this was an attack that did not target people based on income, religion or social status. And perhaps, in keeping with that theme of inclusiveness, the event should not have been an exclusive, invite only affair.

Remember The Day........... 26/11/2008

In Memory Of 26/11 "Hotel Taj : Icon Of Whose India ?"

Watching at least four English news channels surfing from one another during the last 60 hours of terror strike made me feel a terror of another kind. The terror of assaulting one's mind and sensitivity with cameras, sound bites and non-stop blabbers. All these channels have been trying to manufacture my consent for a big lie called - Hotel Taj the icon of India. Whose India, Whose Icon ?
It is a matter of great shame that these channels simply did not bother about the other icon that faced the first attack from terrorists - the Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station. CST is the true icon of Mumbai. It is through this railway station hundreds of Indians from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Tamilnadu have poured into Mumbai over the years, transforming themselves into Mumbaikars and built the Mumbai of today along with the Marathis and Kolis. But the channels would not recognise this. Nor would they recognise the thirty odd dead bodies strewn all over the platform of CST. No Barkha dutt went there to tell us who they were. But she was at Taj to show us the damaged furniture and reception lobby braving the guards. And the TV cameras did not go to the government run JJ hospital to find out who those 26 unidentified bodies were. Instead they were again invading the battered Taj to try in vain for a scoop shot of the dead bodies of the page 3 celebrities.
In all probability, the unidentified bodies could be those of workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh migrating to Mumbai, arriving by train at CST without cell phones and pan cards to identify them. Even after 60 hours after the CST massacre, no channel has bothered to cover in detail what transpired there.

The sacrifice of the commandos or the police officers who went down dying at the hands of ruthless terrorists is no doubt heart rending but in vain in a situation which needed not just bran but also brain. Israel has a point when it says the operations were misplanned resulting in the death of its nationals here. Khakares and Salaskars would not be dead if they did not commit the mistake of traveling by the same vehicle. It is a basic lesson in management that the top brass should never travel together in crisis. The terrorists, if only they had watched the channels, would have laughed their hearts out when the Chief of the Marine commandos, an elite force, masking his face so unprofessionally in a see-through cloth, told the media that the commandos had no idea about the structure of the Hotel Taj which they were trying to liberate. But the terrorists knew the place thoroughly, he acknowledged.
Is it so difficult to obtain a ground plan of Hotel Taj and discuss operation strategy thoroughly for at least one hour before entering? This is something even an event manager would first ask for, if he had to fix 25 audio systems and 50 CCtvs for a cultural event in a hotel. Would not Ratan Tata have provided a plan of his ancestral hotel to the commandos within one hour considering the mighty apparatus at his and government's disposal? Are satelite pictures only available for terrorists and not the government agencies ? In an operation known to consume time, one more hour for preparation would have only improved the efficiency of execution. Sacrifices become doubly tragic in unprofessional circumstances. But the Aam Aadmis always believe that terror-shooters do better planning than terrorists. And the gullible media in a jingoistic mood would not
raise any question about any of these issues.

Incredible India ( Andhra Pradesh )

Trip To Andhra Pradesh:-..........  

Andhra Pradesh, known as the "Rice Granary of India" is the favourable tourist state in India, which has a coastline of 1000 kms with eight of its 23 districts having direct access to the sea. Located in South India, Andhra Pradesh is bounded by Tamil Nadu in the south, Maharashtra in the North and North-West, Madhya Pradesh in the North-East, Karnataka in the West, and by the Bay of Bengal in the East. The medieval city of Hyderabad is its capital. The main languages that are spoken in Andhra are Telugu, English, Urdu, Hindi.

It uniquely combines history, beaches and mountains into a great travel destination. The state of Andhra Pradesh is recognized variously-for its legendary dynasties; for its most revered temple, Tirupati; for its beautiful language, Telugu; for its lacquer toys and beautiful weaves; rich literature and the vibrant Kuchipudi. The Places to see in Andhra Pradesh are Sri Venkateswara temple at Tirupati, Charminar, Salar Jung Museum, Golconda Fort in Hyderabad and Buddhist viharas at Nagarjunasagar. Andhra Pradesh had been an important seat of rich Buddhist heritage. Andhra Pradesh has also the largest IT park and largest Film City in Asia. 

There are three main regions in Andhra Pradesh - (1) Northern Circars or coastal Andhra comprising Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Ongole and Nellore districts; (2) Rayalaseema or Ceded districts comprising Kurnool, Cuddapah, Chittoor and Anantapur districts; and (3) Telangana comprising Khammam, Nalgonda, Warangal, Karimnagar, Medak, Nizamabad, Aadilabad, Mahbubnagar and Hyderabad districts. The Circars or Coastal districts are well developed and enjoy a greater degree of affluence than the other two regions; Rayalaseema is close to the coastal districts and here rainfall is less than in the coastal districts and drought conditions prevail sometimes, and the Telangana region is of the former princely state of Nizam's Hyderabad, which is close to Maharashtra's Marathwada region and some parts of Karnataka.  

    Climate of the state: 

                                       Andhra Pradesh receives rainfall from the southwest monsoon as well as the northeast monsoon. The first begins in the second week of June and lasts till September while the second occurs in October-November. The state's coastal areas receive heavy rains during the northeast monsoon and are also subject to cyclonic conditions, which cause enormous damage to residential accommodation and to standing crops. The rainfall decreases from north to south. The Nizamabad district in Telangana receives about 87.5 cm of rain while Anantpur in Rayalaseema receives only 31 cm. The state has a really hot summer but after the rains begin in the middle of June, there is a decline in the heat when humidity takes over. There is a mild winter in December but the temperature does not go down below 16^o Celsius. While the southwest monsoon is comparatively heavy in the northern parts of the state, the northeast monsoon brings more rain to the southern areas like Rayalaseema. The hot season causes the mercury to rise to troublesome proportions in the months of April and May when it could shoot upto 40 degrees and more.

Places To Visit : 

1. Hyderabad : -  

                            Hyderabad is the fifth largest city in India with an ancient civilisation and culture. Hyderabad and Secunderbad are twin cities, seperated by Hussain sagar which is a man made lake. Hyderabad occupies a unique position on the map of India. With its confluence of cultures and traditions, the city is often described as a link between the north and the south, and a meeting place of the east and the west. The city is nearly 400 years old and is noted for its natural beauty, mosques and minarets, bazaars and bridges, hills and lakes. The name itself brings up visions of a vibrant city of minarets and modern high - rise buildings. A natural and sophisticated blend of old and new, an old 'Nawabi' culture with a new pro-active approach and hospitality. 

                                                                     

The teeming bazaars of the old city, in the midst of which stands the 400-year-old Charminar, the modern shopping complexes and ultra-modern malls in the newer areas of the city add to the charm of Hyderabad.

The Golconda Fort, capital of the kingdom by that name, is today very much part of the city, as is Cyberabad (means Cyber City), a new local area created to keep pace with the zooming Information Technology & Tourism sector.