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.
“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.
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