Mumbai, November 24: There is no outpour of public anger, no frenzied cries for hanging Ajmal Kasab, no towering hoardings of martyred policemen in street corners that aroused feverish patriotism as Mumbai prepares for the second anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks.
The outrage exemplified by shrill cries of “Hang Kasab” and “Death to Kasab” have given way to solemn acceptance of the tragedy despite an enduring sense of collective bereavement weakened in intensity with time.
This year again Mumbaikars will pay homage to their dead with prayer meetings, candle light vigils, a smart parade by the police force and renewed pledge to fight terror in the same undying spirit that saw it rise back to feet the morning after the 26/11 assault that sought to bring it down on the knees.
“Last year, the clinking of glasses was pretty loud here. This year it will be louder, trust me,” says Ratish, a corporate executive and a patron of Leopold Cafe, the backpacker’s favourite joint at Colaba.
It was here that fateful night of November 26 two years ago that the first bullet rang out from the Kalashnikov of a Pakistani terrorist that drowned the joyous clinking of glassware in cries of despair and death.
Within minutes, the bustling city of close to 14 million was besieged by fear as never before as its landmarks reverberated with gunfire and grenade blasts.
From the magnificent Taj Hotel playing host to the rich and the famous to the Cama Hospital tending to the sick and the dying, from little known Nariman House, a Jewish cultural and religious centre to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, an important cog in the machine that moves Mumbai –all witnessed in helpless agony the violence unleashed by Kasab and his band of terror merchants.
“At Leopold Cafe, though finding a vacant table will be as difficult as ever, we have not planned anything great. There will be a minute’s silence and candles will be distributed to our patrons to light in remembrance of those who left us on 26/11,” says Firang Jehani, its owner.
Last year, the Jehanis, who have not replaced the glass panels that have holes from bullets fired by the terrorists, had put on sale mugs commemorating the attacks.
The country’s hospitality icon, the Taj Hotel, whose flaming dome throwing plumes of thick black smoke skyward became one of the most enduring images of the 26/11 attack, has no special plans put in place for the day though Titan Watches is launching an exclusive collection of time pieces to commemorate the terror assault.
The proceeds from the sale of Eternal Mumbai collection launched two days ahead of the anniversary will go to the Taj Public Welfare Service Trust.
“We have not organised anything special for the day as we want to put behind the memories of the past. We want to move on in life,” said a top Taj Hotel official, who did not want to be named.
The Oberoi-Trident Hotel has planned a “small and simple” ceremony with the staff in the memory of those killed in the attack, said Communications Manager Gauri Kichulu.
–PTI