Fear, hatred, chaos, sadness – a heavy mix of emotions is all I can remember of this deadly, blood-boiling and ghastly episode in the history of our commercial hub – Mumbai.
I remember it was 5 in the morning; I was at Pune airport waiting to board my flight to Mumbai. The day before had not been the best in my life, I got the news that my dad was in the hospital, my niece hadn’t been keeping well – basically a day full of fear and apprehension for my family. In fact, I was on my way to be with my mom and dad.
It didn’t register. I sat there staring at the television set at the terminal. With an emotionally charged day – being emotional and trying to be brave at the same time, and with hardly 2 hours of sleep that night, it just didn’t register. My first fear was that the flight would get cancelled and I won’t get to meet dad. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. I reached Mumbai on time. Not once did the fear cross my mind that I had landed in the city where terrorists were brutally murdering the innocent that very moment. All I could think of was boarding the next flight and seeing my parents. I looked around; security tighter than usual, crowds staring at television sets with sad fearful faces. I asked the cleaning lady what the current situation was, she told me a taxi blew up a few hundred meters from the airport, and that we are still fighting the terrorists in the Taj and the Oberoi. The heart skipped a beat. Friends started calling up to check on me and to see whether I was ok. Some part of me was fearful, but not enough to overpower my thoughts of reaching dad’s hospital.
Boarded the flight, reached the hospital, met dad, wished him (it was his birthday). And finally I was at peace when dad said “Don’t you worry, I am absolutely fine now. These people just wouldn’t let me go home!”
Have a happy and healthy life everyone!
And a message to those who don’t think twice before destroying life – one earth, one life – why can’t we all live harmoniously? Isn’t life greater and above countries, religions and castes?
I remember it was 5 in the morning; I was at Pune airport waiting to board my flight to Mumbai. The day before had not been the best in my life, I got the news that my dad was in the hospital, my niece hadn’t been keeping well – basically a day full of fear and apprehension for my family. In fact, I was on my way to be with my mom and dad.
It didn’t register. I sat there staring at the television set at the terminal. With an emotionally charged day – being emotional and trying to be brave at the same time, and with hardly 2 hours of sleep that night, it just didn’t register. My first fear was that the flight would get cancelled and I won’t get to meet dad. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. I reached Mumbai on time. Not once did the fear cross my mind that I had landed in the city where terrorists were brutally murdering the innocent that very moment. All I could think of was boarding the next flight and seeing my parents. I looked around; security tighter than usual, crowds staring at television sets with sad fearful faces. I asked the cleaning lady what the current situation was, she told me a taxi blew up a few hundred meters from the airport, and that we are still fighting the terrorists in the Taj and the Oberoi. The heart skipped a beat. Friends started calling up to check on me and to see whether I was ok. Some part of me was fearful, but not enough to overpower my thoughts of reaching dad’s hospital.
Boarded the flight, reached the hospital, met dad, wished him (it was his birthday). And finally I was at peace when dad said “Don’t you worry, I am absolutely fine now. These people just wouldn’t let me go home!”
Have a happy and healthy life everyone!
And a message to those who don’t think twice before destroying life – one earth, one life – why can’t we all live harmoniously? Isn’t life greater and above countries, religions and castes?
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