“Mumbai Under attack …’ this is was the title of the big known newspapers and what was appearing on TV screens for one whole week starting from November 26th 2008. Yes, Mumbai was under attack, but mostly it is the whole world that was under attack. It is the entire world that was under attack because as humans we have failed to live with each other peaceful, because attacks like those have connections and need networks in order to be successful, and more than ever because despite what has been happening all around the world in terms of terrorism we continue to make the same mistake. This is the purpose of this blog if I understood well, to not focus on the terrorism but on the ERROR done and correct.
The attack on Mumbai – on its tourist area of Colaba by the attack on some 5 Star Hotels Taj Presidents and Oberoi, the famous Café Leopold … and the Mumbai CST (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) the busiest railway station and one of the UNESCO World Heritage site, that sees millions of people using it on a daily basis … People lost theirs, innocents died into this Red Wednesday 26th November 2008. Something I have realized as a foreigner is the way people - Mumbaikars -have managed the situation by their known spirit. “You are half dead no longer alive if you allow anybody to guide your life”. Of course as human beings, being scared is part of our emotions, but the way life started again after the attack as if nothing had happened, shows determination and that willingness to not give a chance to terrorism. The purpose of terrorists and something they have in common, is that they want to frighten others and set up a state of panic and scary among the people … and in some cases they succeed for various reasons: free advert from the media while TV channels compete to each other on who’s gonna keep attention of a big audience once they don’t filter on what they pass on their antenna, for some support from states/countries, big companies or personalities … and most of all when we allow the situation to get worse by sitting without doing anything, when we accept the situation as something normal that was supposed to happen in our lives …
This is why I salute the Spirit of Mumbaikars, that spirit of never giving up, and never allowing others (i.e. terrorists in this context) to decide on how life should be lived! I also support the initiative taken by young people, who don’t have TV Channels in order to start acting now, who don’t have an army under their control or power as some “leaders” of this world … but who found that there is always a way to fight the evil with the weapon they have, which is the spirit of the ancestors.
People become angry after such kind of atrocities, but what is very important is “the way this anger is channelized” (if I use the words of Sandeep Chagger one of the initiator of this blog) in order to rebuild what was destroyed and in building a strong foundation for a better future. It is the responsibility of each other to act, and it is possible.
While analyzing the Mumbai attack, some connections of the terrorists with “X” country were revealed and it was said that the “proof” could be availed. Without going beyond, it is true that from many years back, some governments have been and are still supporting terrorism and atrocities all around the world, bring fear and scary to millions of people who saw their freedom of enjoying life taken away. This has been happening in Europe, Asia, Africa … and as said above, it is however the situation still to several places. My message into this, is quite simple:
The said leaders whom I call more just politicians will never deliver to our expectations. Even some of them are opportunists who benefit from the “worse” happening to us as a part of he “media” does, the simple citizen is always the one to suffer from this, … being a victim is not only to be in a country that suffers the attacks from terrorists but it is also to be from a country that supports terrorists. This is why it is also very important to distinguish government from common people and never generalize while managing the after terror attacks at any time as it might have more consequences than what was expected.
Let me end on these words of one of the Guruji of Africa, the former president of South Africa, President Nelson Mandela Madiba: “Never be scared of falling down, be scared if you fall and never rise!” Saying no to terrorism and their atrocities don’t concern Indians or Pakistanis or whoever else in particular. It is the humankind responsibility to say “No” to terrorism and fight against it. It doesn’t require more as one sentence or even one word can change something. And the best time is “Now” in this battle “Next time’ is not an option. Stand tall and be the change agent the world needs, make the world better more than the way you found it!
All of you say “Yes, we can”! With Gandhiji, Nelson Mandela … and recently Barack Obama, what was ‘impossible’ before became ‘possible’. These are big names that were backed in their ‘Non violence” fight by the common citizen, simple people like you and me! It is just a matter of what you believe, what you want to have and see happening. Now it is up to decide on whether you have that willingness to go that extra mile that makes the difference and makes the world more peaceful and better than ever.
Contribute to this initiative and if you have any question related to my article, feel free to contact me at: gwasam@gmail.com
Sam
Proudly Rwandan and Mumbaikar
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