Bombay- My City of Dreams, and Resilience

Around the same time when I was writing my last blog, yesterday, Bombay was rocked by series of blasts, which butchered about 200 people to death.

I was numb. It could have been me among those 200s. I have lived in Bombay for three years and have used those ill-fated suburban trains, nearly everyday of my living- many times a day. I do not have to stretch my imagination to see myself as a torn piece of flesh, lifeless and sacrificed on the altars of a stupid notion of political reasoning.

A few days ago, on the eve of Deepawali- New Delhi was rocked by another series of bomb blast, one of them in the crowded market of Sarojini nagar- this time I left the place ten minutes before the blast- and no sooner I had crossed the road. I heard a loud thud and then within minutes sirens of Police vans and ambulances. Again, I could have been ten minutes late in the market.

But, despite this hide and seek, of death- I am not shuddered. Not that I am not afraid of death. At times, I imagine what will befall on my seven-month-old kid if I am killed in a car-crash or if I accidently fall from the balcony of my flat on the ninth floor of my building. For me that is fate, a scheme that is divine – which I cannot question. However, I am not afraid of a stray bomb of an even strayed individual, because that is not fate- it is a murder, a well-planned murder- to subdue me, to terrorize me- and by not subduing myself, by not getting terrorized, I defeat him even in the laps of death. I am not murdered, I am a true martyr. And I am not alone; I know out there every Indian shares the same feeling. Every Indian is a living martyr, living to embrace death anytime for the country.

I heard a few experts saying that perhaps, the Islamic militants were behind it. ‘Islamic Militant’ is a word that is an invention to simplify and generalize our understanding of global terrorism as a phenomenon. I have a very serious reservation to this invention. By inventing this nomenclature- for the sake of simplifying and generalizing our academic database on global terrorism, we do not only demean the religion of Islam, but also create an idea of significance for an otherwise peaceful adherent of Islam, and a majority belongs to them- despite the prevalent notions, elsewhere.

First and foremost, no religion teaches this mindless violence- when targets are not even remotely connected to the perceived grievance. I have read the Holy Koran- and am yet to find a verse, which propagates such a heinous idea. On the contrary I feel, that it is a message, if followed- will lead to nothing else but peace, tolerance, compassion and universal brotherhood, same as a Bible would, a Guru Granth Sahib would, as a Ramayana would. The message of every religion is the same. Therefore, those who perpetrate such an evil cannot derive their doctrine from the holy book. And they are least Muslim. I claim to be a better Muslim than them, despite being a Hindu, despite praying in front of an idol. The truth lies not in rituals but in the spirit; I have a spirit that is more innocent, more humble, and more compassionate than anyone of them may ever dream to have despite their rituals.

Secondly, those who claim to fight for a just Islamic cause- would do nothing but disfavour to the same community for which they claim to wage a war. What are the chances that a blast in suburban train would kill their own brother, 1 in 5 or even larger. It is not as if Muslims do not use the suburban trains, it is not as if they do not shop at sarojini nagar. They do, and the perpetrators know it rather too well. And yet they choose to ignore them because they are not fighting for Islamic cause, they are just fighting a political battle, where they will be the beneficiary- where they will convert their listless existence into an elitist one, of power owners. And simply to camouflage their narrow interest and a teething inferiority complex, they claim to derive their ideology from a noble and compassionate religion, thus demeaning it.

Their idea is far too simple- create terror, so that a normal man lives in its shadow, and two severe the centuries old bond between Hindus and Muslim, largely secular in spirit and create grounds for proliferating themselves. They may choose to ignore it, but my best friend is a Muslim, her parents were the happiest person when I was blessed with a baby. They may never like to believe, that in India a Hindu marriage is not completed without specific rituals by Muslim barbers, and mine had the same ritual. They may fret and frown, but Sarojini nagar returned (and not limped) back to normalcy in a matter of hours. They may bang their heads against wall, but no communal riot broke out, when the holy city of Varanasi was targeted by them. They may cry in despair but Bombay will be normal by now, the suburban railway system was back into chugging in seven hours.

And I saw images people helping people, people solacing people.

A few days ago, a poll said that Bombay is the most selfish city in the world. I laughed at them. Today I pity them, for being awefully wrong in understanding the spirit of Bombay. Selflessness is not about asking how are you and saying I am fine thank you. Its about being there in times of need, like the mumbaikars.