Terror Tantrums | Flash Post 324

Button, why is it so gloomy today?

Is it going to rain? Anything is possible given the way our weather is going!

Also the way our world is headed. Remember 26/11 when hundreds of innocent lives were massacred by gun-toting men for no fault of theirs? I find that act very similar to the act of a child throwing a tantrum and finding peace once his wanton demands have been met. Only, with 26/11, the man-child manages to find a real gun and shoot dead whoever he encounters.

I remember that incident. I was very much there when it happened and I remember seeing the billowing smoke escaping from the Oberoi Trident. That was such a horrific act of inhumanity.

And insanity.

I agree.

Today marks the 10th year since it happened when Mumbai was held hostage by a group of ten terrorists. They opened fire and killed ten people at Cafe Leopold first before moving on to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the Oberoi Trident Hotel, the Cama Hospital and CST and shooting some more.

What was the name of that terrorist who was hanged?

You mean Ajmal Kasab? All the nine remaining terrorists were shot dead leaving him as the solitary man standing but later tried, found guilty and hanged.

Can that be a compensation for those who lost their lives prematurely?

I fail to answer that one.

16 Comments

parul hussain December 3, 2018 at 9:51 am

How can one ever forget that night? Only those who were in the city and at those very locations or even close, would’ve felt the fear we all felt. It still sends shivers down my spine. Thank you for this post author and for remembering.

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- author December 9, 2018 at 12:06 pm
  
  My dear Parul,
  
  This terror attack will go down in history books. None of us can even remotely forget that night. I can well imagine those who lost their near and dear ones. Must be totally disheartening to live the rest of their lives.
  
  Reply
elton golmes December 3, 2018 at 9:55 am

I still remember I was in Matunga when I heard the first rumours. My wife and child were in Dadar waiting for me to pick them up and I was running late at work. I called them and told them to catch the first train out of Dadar and head straight home and that I would meet them there directly. We were all shocked because none of us had ever had to deal with this kind of fear.

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- author December 9, 2018 at 12:14 pm
  
  Dear Elton,
  
  God is great. You were wise enough to act even though you thought it could be a rumour.
  
  That was a night that shouldn’t ever recur.
  
  Reply
Suchitra Bandekar December 3, 2018 at 10:02 am

Me and my husband were at the NCPA. When we heard we all just hid inside the theatre because the terrorists had already entered Oberoi Trident by then. They were so close and yet not but the fear and tension were palpable. Imagine those innocent people who actually faced these terrorists and lost their lives and their loved ones. Scarred for life.

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- author December 4, 2018 at 6:40 pm
  
  My dear Suchitra,
  
  I can well imagine the fear and uncertainty you both experienced not knowing what would happen next because it’s uncertainty of the unknown that’s scarier than the known usually.
  
  Reply
Bianca Gomes December 3, 2018 at 10:19 am

The fear and loss were so palpable that we could feel it all the way in Bangalore. I wonder what kind of fear the terrorists felt coming into an unknown city and holding it to ransom. We visited Mumbai a few years later and went to Leopold Cafe in Colaba. They have not removed the bullet marks on their walls and I thought that was very brave.

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- author December 4, 2018 at 6:29 pm
  
  My dear Bianca,
  
  We were residing in an apartment in Walkeshwar at the time and could clearly see the smoke billowing from the Trident. I remember that my daughters returned from work minutes before the terrorists struck and, with my husband away in Delhi, the family stayed awake the whole night praying for the safety of those caught in the wake of the attacks.
  
  Reply
Zarina Mistry December 7, 2018 at 9:52 am

Those lost lost their loved ones will be scarred forever. These are not things that happen everyday. But when they do, they are not easily forgotten. Remembering everyone who lost their lives or loved ones. Nothing can turn back time. But I wish you strength and fortitude to live your lives fearlessly.

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- author December 9, 2018 at 12:22 pm
  
  My dear Zarina,
  
  My husband was in Delhi for a meeting. He called to check if we were all at home. The fear we felt after seeing the smoke billowing from the Oberoi Trident still sends shivers down my spine.
  
  Reply
Poonam Mahapatra December 7, 2018 at 9:55 am

I want to make a documentary on a terrorist’s motivations and workings of the mind one day. I want to know why they do what they do. Do they want to be heard? Do they feel ignored and humiliated? Do they feel like they’ve been cornered and treated like minorities? What incites them to put their lives at risk and do this?

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- author December 9, 2018 at 12:34 pm
  
  My dear Poonam,
  
  What’s stopping you? That could be some revelation.
  
  Reply
Harsh December 9, 2018 at 6:18 am

I live in Pune but the terror and fear were palpable even till here. I remember I was at my grandparents house and stayed there for the next three days because I didn’t want them to have a stroke out of fear. My wife and kids were at home because we have 1 dog and 1 cat who could very easily sense the tension in the air.

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- author December 9, 2018 at 12:55 pm
  
  My dear Harsh,
  
  Do you know that our furry friends anticipate natural disasters? Dogs and cats can sniff out danger and our bovine friends actually move away and behave strangely when they sense danger is round the corner.
  
  Reply
Meet Shah December 9, 2018 at 6:22 am

This image speaks so much. That is the Taj Hotel! Can anyone believe that it was up in flames??! And then to glue it all back together and be operational again, just amazing! It shows our resilience to move past even the most traumatic experiences and cope with life thereafter.

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- author December 9, 2018 at 1:06 pm
  
  My dear Meet,
  
  Even now, when my husband and I walk down the corridor at the Taj, one of the horrors we remember is that fateful night that even time stood still.
  
  Reply