The Resilient spirit of Mumbai ??

  Image source : New statesman

My dear Mumbai is hurt again. India's commercial capital was rocked on Wednesday by a series of 3 blasts at 3 major hotspots of the city. Read the full report here .
Growing up in a city which was such a favorite terror target wasn't exactly easy, every now and then the incidents would remind us of the dangers lurking around us. I still remember the very first time my city was injured 12th March 1993, when a series of 13 blasts rocked the city to it's core, as a school going girl then, I couldn't fully grasp the gravity of the situation or why it had happened, but the tension was palpable.
Then in the years that followed, Mumbai has seen around 13 attacks, some worse than others, but each one a hole in city's spirit, the worst one being in 2008, when the city was literally hijacked for days, at the whims of some lunatics, from across the border .
Yet it was always somehow, seen that Mumbaikar's had a tough exterior, they could bounce back from the worst travesty and resume life as they knew it. This was touted as the 'resilient' spirit of the city.
During the aftermath of the 1993 series of bomb blasts, Mumbaikar's showed an outpouring of love, people were lining outside major hospitals to donate blood, helping the blast victims anyway they could, this was hailed by all as the humanitarian side of the otherwise cold and indifferent city , and then the very next day people resumed work, as if nothing had happened. People refused to be affected by the event and resumed life as they knew it just a day earlier.
In the years since, Mumbai has faced multiple terror attacks, some targeting the train network of Mumbai (also known as the lifeline of Mumbai, as it is the primary mode of transport for many), with every incident the cynicism of the average person grows mainly because of the inactivity and ineffectiveness (and also maybe unwillingness) of the government to deal with the issue. Today people are questioning whether there really is such a thing as the resilient Mumbai spirit ?? I mean too much is talked and praised about it, but does it really show anything other than the helplessness of the average joe(or jagdish)??  Helplessness that the economic considerations/repercussions  require one to shove aside the fear for life, and resume daily activities, as if nothing had changed.
The only ones whose life forever changes are those who lose their near and dear ones in such terrible tragedies. They cannot resume life as it was, because life as it was ceases to exist, their home, their life, their family has changed forever, and nothing can undo the damage done. Those are the people that will have to find a new normal, a new routine, and also a new life, in order to move on. The rest just go on with their own struggles, and hope that they're not next.

By now, there's such a famliar pattern in the aftermath of such an event, the cynic in me can almost predict what will happen next :
The government will start with it's usual blame game across the border (without actually giving any evidence that this was indeed their doing).
Pakistan in turn will refuse all allegations, strongly condemning the attack, and US will urge India to be patient and maintain peace in the region. The government will use stern words to condemn pakistan, telling them that this won't be tolerated for long (but it will), possibly even a committee might be set up to research a stricter law, or other methods by which to tackle terrorism. If public outcry is huge, than some minister will be made the sacrificial lamb and sacked.
Media will go into a frenzy of 24*7 coverage of the aftermath of the blasts, nonstop interviews of bystanders, onlookers, actual blast surviors, and anyone else they can get a hold of, describing their harrowing ordeal, all to garner maximum trp's.
Facebook/twitter will go on a crazy rampage, with every second person, condemning the attack and blaming the government's uselessness (while forgetting that majority of urban population doesn't even show up to vote). There might even be a candle light vigil or walk or some other show of solidarity, which will also be covered end to end by the media.
Then begins the blame game between ruling party and opposition, protests inside the parliament, not letting the session of parliment continue, even disgusting tactics like violence inside the houses of parliament.
The news channel will cover all this endlessly, until the next big story comes along, after which this incident will be forgotten by all, and nothing will change...
Except for those who lost members of their family, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, etc, who will forever be missed, and can never return, they will have a hole in their heart, which cannot be filled, by any candle light march, any committee, any false and empty promises by the government. They will just have to learn to live life, without the beloved member.

I really hope I'm wrong in what I've predicted will happen, but I doubt I will. Indians are weak at fighting terrorism, and it's easier to just accept and resign to a fate that these incidences will keep on happening, and we just have to hope that we/our family continue to be safe from them. I feel lousy thinking this way, but all the years of no results, and no changes, have made me cynical about the future of India when in comes to terrorism....again I hope I'm wrong here, and this is the incident, which proves to be the catalyst India needs to make herself more secure, and fight terrorism head on. I guess only time will tell, until the next time then.......