Adil Najam
I, too, am a Mumbaikar today.
I wish I could reach out and for just one moment hold the hands of the woman in this AP photograph. Maybe shed some tears on her shoulder. But I do not know what I would say to her. I do not think she would want me to say much. The expression on her face matches the feeling I have at the pit of my stomach and in the depth of my heart. I think – I hope – that she would understand how I feel. I can only imagine what she is going through.
And so, in prayer and in solidarity, I stand today with Mumbaikars everywhere. In shock at what has happened. In fear of what might happen yet. In anger at those who would be so calculated in their inhuman massacre. In sympathy with those whose pain so hurts my own heart but whose tears I cannot touch, whose wounds I cannot heal, and whose grief I cannot relieve.
The solidarity I feel with Mumbaikars is deep and personal.
The first time I ever visited the Taj Mahal Hotel was with my wife. We had been married just weeks and were not staying at the Taj but went to the historic “Sea Lounge” at the hotel for tea and snacks during a short visit to Mumbai. We went to the Oberoi Hotel the same visit in the naive and mistaken belief that we would find Bollywood bigwigs hanging out there. In later years I would come back and stay at the old wing of the Taj – down the corridor from where Ruttie Bai Jinnah and stayed – I would even present in the grand ballroom whose pillars, supposedly, had been brought from her father’s estate. Each time I passed through Victoria Terminus I stood in awe of the pace as well as its presence. In awe of the architectural structure, but also of the sea of humanity around me. I cannot hear of terrorists attacking these places without my own muscles twitching in anger.
But my feeling of solidarity with Mumbaikars is much much more personal than these few fleeting visits over many years. Deeply etched into me are the horrific echoes of 9/11 in New York and the string of terrorist attacks on Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and all over Pakistan whose reports have become all too familiar – but never bearable – on this blog. I know what living with terror feels like. I have thought too much and too deeply about what it feels like to be the target of violence propelled by hatred. I know the pain of helplessness one feels as one stands stunned in grief, wanting so desperately to do something – anything – but not knowing what to do. This is why I identify with the expression on the face of the woman in this picture. This is why, like so many others in the world, today I too am a Mumbaikar.
This is why I stand with Mumbaikars everywhere, in prayer and in solidarity. At a loss for words but with an urge to speak out. My words of condemnation will not change the actions of those who have committed such heinous murder and mayhem. Nor will my words of sympathy diminish the agony of the victims. But speak out I must. In condemnation as well as in sympathy. To speak against the inhumanity of hatred and violence. To speak for the humanity in all of us that we all must hold on to; especially in the testing moments of grave stress.
But, today, I have no words of analysis. What words can make sense of the patently senseless? I do not know who did this. Nor can I imagine any cause that would justify this. But this I know: No matter who did this, no matter why, the terror that has been wrought in Mumbai is vile and inhuman and unjustifiable. And, for the sake of our own humanness, we must speak out against it.
And, so, to any Mumbaikar who might be listening, I say: “I stand with you today. In prayer and in solidarity.”
Thank you Adil Najam. These are wonderful thoughts and are greatly appreciated.
We have hatemongers on our side as well as yours but I am sure that the majority of people on both sides think of peace and good relations.
I remember feeling like just what you feel when people have been dying in Islamabad in the bombs there. I appreciate your words tremendously.
Pakistanis are horrified by this disgusting act of terror in Mumbai. No amount of grievance or political dissatisfaction can justify murder or violence. I think what we need to realize is that there are extremist groups in Pakistan, no doubt about it but to say that “Pakistanis collectively” support them is not right. Our successive govts have NOT stopped these people who also have terrorized Pakistanis, pakistani police, military, and tribal elders who are meeting to discuss how to stop this sickness.We Pakistanis are mad at our govts that have harbored them, nourished them and now these groups are out of control. I pray for the day that around the world govts have the courage to speak out against extremism abroad and in their midst.
BTW, I forgot to mention, Adil, that I and many of us do appreciate your words of solidarity and prayer.
We too feel for the terrorist attacks that Pakistanis themselves have had to face, like the recent one at the Marriot.
However, India has to be shown to be deterring such attacks, otherwise they will continue forever.
I wish you, individually, well.
To all my freinds here
I am from Mumbai, born and brought up in Mumbai. My mother was born in Karachi.
I have been an avid reader of this blog and also of the dawn newspaper, just to have a balanced view of pakistan.
My mother’s father used to tell me that Mumbai was not that good for his business at the time and so he was living and doing business in Karachi.
But at the time of partition he left Karachi for living in Mumbai like many of his other friends and then they prospered in Mumbai also.
Myself having left Mumbai now for some years, living and working abroad, i have met many pakistanis, and they are some of my best friends.
Its strikes me how similar we are.
Now i am going to rant a little, i beg for forgiveness in advance in case what i say hurts any one’s feeling…
We indians and pakistanis are similar, we love our mothers and fathers, will do so much for our families, we love the same kind of spicy food, etc..
We are intensely protecive about our children and anyone who seeks our shelter. We may even give up our lives protecting those in our shelter.
Why then, all this fight ? I do not understand even a fig’s worth why all this fight ?
My thoughts are:-
1) Let a Hindu become the best Hindu and go back home back to God.
2) Let a Muslim become the best Muslim and go back home back to God.
3) Let a Sikh become the best Sikh and go back home back to God.
4) Let a Christian become the best Christian and go back home back to God.
5) Let a Jew become the best Jew and go back home back to God.
6) Let an Atheist or Agonistic person become a very good Human being and i being a believer ask for God’s full mecry on them.
And for the very limited time that we have this life here, a max of 100 years, let us all live happily together and help as much as we can to end suffering, hunger, malnutirition, slavery, etc…
If there is a God, would he like all of us his children to hate each other so much. Some of us are parenst here, ask yourself how hurt you would feel to see your children hate each other and ready to kill each other.
We may say, hey that is wrong, we do not personally hate any one.
But my next question is what are we doing collectively to stop this hate ?
Let us ask have we ever supported anyone who says my family is best, my tribe is best, my country is best, my skin color is best, my religion is the best, my God is best, and so on…
Can we not see that the above is just an extension of our childish false ego.
Change starts with each of us as an individual, then a family, then a tribe, then a nation, and so on…
Oh! how much potential is there is the people of south asia and how much is being lost due to this senseless violence..
I will end my rant here.
I also sincerely pray for the people of pakistan, the people of india, and also the people of the world.
I also pray that the terrorists give up their bad ways, by the help of God, they also help other souls to attain salvation and mecry of God.
Is this too far fetched, well as far as i know from history , it is difficult but not impossible.
There was a bandit named valya and it is said used to kill people and take pleasure in their suffering. Maharshi Narad took pity on valya, and some how tricked him into chanting the name of Lord Rama, He could only chant “mara mara” as that is what he had heard the most while killing so many people.
Maharshi Narada, understanding the situation said, ok chant “mara mara mara mara ” which when chanted together sounds like “Rama Rama Rama Rama “. He got so purified that after this valya would not even hurt an ant.
In the furture he became none other than, the compiler of the Ramayana, Maharshi Valmiki, by whose inspiration, millions of souls including great people like Sage Tulasidas attained salvation.
So may the evil intentions of the terrorists die, while may they themselves become humble souls.
Thanks to Adil for this post.
Nrsimha
I’m a Mumbaikar by birth and upbringing, and most of us are completely lost as to the motive behind this random killing done in the name of Islam – from 70-year-old couples to babies, from Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, atheists, why? I don’t believe Indians have ever done this to Pakistanis ever in history! And I think the illwill that Pakistan has earned now from the victim’s families will show up as a curse for Pakistan and Pakistanis going forward.
I don’t buy the ‘pakistanis are not responsible, it’s the extremists’ argument because Pakistan collectively is responsible for harboring and nourishing such people.
Karma’s effects will become evident as time goes by.