“…As long as communities feel marginalised and victimised, terror will breed in ghettoes around the world. Inclusion and integration is the only way forward. Just to clarify, I am not saying we can hug terrorists and make them change. But we can change the hearts and minds of ordinary people and take away the breeding grounds. / The enormity of the task is daunting, but I really believe there is no other choice. It is no use waiting for a 21st century Gandhi to do it! You and I must do it, if we are to change the world...”
-Deepa Krishnan, owner of Mumbai Magic (the guide company we used in Mumbai), in her blog at http://www.mumbai-magic.blogspot.com/
As the horrors of the attacks in Mumbai have unfolded over the past few days, I’ve remained silent in my blog only because I have no words to express the sorrow over what this wonderful city and its fine people are enduring, and over the fates of the victims of the attacks. But I cannot just continue to post about our adventures (which, yes, I will update shortly) without paying homage to the courage and spiritual beauty of the people of Mumbai.
Somehow, when you have visited a place—and particularly when the visit has been very recent—tragedies like this seem all the more vivid. You think of the people you met, and pray for their well-being, and of the people you saw or did not meet, but know how deeply their lives are affected. I may understand a bit, having lived in one of the target cities (Washington, DC) on Sept. 11, 2001. The emotions of that day are still raw, and I’d imagine that the people of Mumbai may be feeling much the same.
The stories of heroism are starting to come out—of hotel personnel risking their own lives to secure the safety of others, of police officers once again putting themselves in the line of fire, of people on the streets taking steps to secure the safety of others—and they are no surprise in light of the sense of the spirit of the people I felt in my short visit there.
To the people of Mumbai, my heart is with you in this troubled time. May you emerge even stronger and wiser from your ordeal.
-Deepa Krishnan, owner of Mumbai Magic (the guide company we used in Mumbai), in her blog at http://www.mumbai-magic.blogspot.com/
As the horrors of the attacks in Mumbai have unfolded over the past few days, I’ve remained silent in my blog only because I have no words to express the sorrow over what this wonderful city and its fine people are enduring, and over the fates of the victims of the attacks. But I cannot just continue to post about our adventures (which, yes, I will update shortly) without paying homage to the courage and spiritual beauty of the people of Mumbai.
Somehow, when you have visited a place—and particularly when the visit has been very recent—tragedies like this seem all the more vivid. You think of the people you met, and pray for their well-being, and of the people you saw or did not meet, but know how deeply their lives are affected. I may understand a bit, having lived in one of the target cities (Washington, DC) on Sept. 11, 2001. The emotions of that day are still raw, and I’d imagine that the people of Mumbai may be feeling much the same.
The stories of heroism are starting to come out—of hotel personnel risking their own lives to secure the safety of others, of police officers once again putting themselves in the line of fire, of people on the streets taking steps to secure the safety of others—and they are no surprise in light of the sense of the spirit of the people I felt in my short visit there.
To the people of Mumbai, my heart is with you in this troubled time. May you emerge even stronger and wiser from your ordeal.
1 comment:
Crystal, thanks for this piece on Mumbai. I can imagine what it must feel like having just been there. I too have been there, and can't imagine what they must be going through.
And thanks for such a thoughtfully-written blog, I'm really enjoying it.
Wendy
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