Public Memory is Short

 Public Memory is Short 

2006 Serial Terror Blasts in Mumbai .

11th July  2006 was Guru Poornima, like every year I was fasting. I had a client meeting at the Lower Patel Area in Mumbai. My colleague and I decided to travel by Train instead of driving. 

We finished our meeting at about 5.30 pm and were wondering, whether we go to Lower Parel Station and take a Train or go to Dadar and take a fast train to Jogeshvari .

We decided on the latter,  and took a cab to Dadar Station West. It was 5.40 pm. I was eagar to  break my fast and have a bite. Panshikars at Dadar Station is famous for upavas / fast related stuff, we had a bite.

It was  5.55 pm.

My colleague left and I got up to walk across to the Station, and I met a friend of mine Mr.Kamdar after 10 years who has a Raymond Showroom and we got talking, my mind was racing with getting back to office and constantly peering at my watch .

It was 6.05 pm.

I told Mr.Kamdar I got to rush but he insisted on me having a Tea and ordered too, which I sipped and headed to the station. 

It was 6.15 pm.

Dadar Station in the evenings is a mess with too many people and unboardable Local Trains, there is a Train once every 3 minutes, it was impossible to get in,I left about 3 /4  Trains.

The time was 6. 25 ! 

I received a call, and people started rushing out of Dadar Station, I cud not hear anything. I just heard my friend saying "Blasts in Trains !

It was chaos.

7 Blasts Ripped apart the back bone of Mumbai between 6.24 and 6.35 pm ! leaving over 200 dead and 170 injured.

Phones were shut, there was a maniacal panic all around. I ran back to Mr.Kamdars Shop as he was pulling the shutters for safety. I was numb.

He told me 'Tu bach gaya Ram ", naseeb wala hai .....

It struck me , I could have boarded any of those 7 Trains !  Mumbai was shut, there was no electricity, no mobiles,it was raining . It was chaos, unimaginable chaos.

The entire local train passengers clung on to any ride they got to get closer home , private taxis, cars, tempos, trucks, buses were jam packed.

I told Mr.Kamdar at 7.30 pm, I have to leave and started walking back home to Santacruz were I lived, as I passed Matunga Station, I got to know the a Blast had happened there at 6.30, there was immense chaos ,Ambulances , a stretcher with multiple bodies,blood all over, and being carried away.

I  puked by the road side and wept like a child, and walked all the way back home. Next morning I got a call from my friend to come to Khar Station for some help. They had lost a member and were trying to identify him by his limbs. 

There were discussions

 " body mila idhar, hum log ko 3 /4 haath mila aap dekho kaun ka matching hai ", it was disgusting.

Half Corpses were in stretchers covered, family coming grief stricken, crying and returning back.

My office was at Jogeshwari in a complex near the Station, and I heard the 2nd blast had happened at 6.25 at Jogeshwari.

I went to office,  heard we had lost 2 peons who worked there. The crowd with Police around  were discussing how they had to assemble their bodies, with one guy saying with a glee,

" humlog station ke ass pass dhoond rahe the, dekha toh  iska haath station se baahar door pada hai .I felt like slapping the....

The enormity of the Terror Attack orchestrated so well,  struck me . A part of me  died that day only to die even more in 2 years. 

The spirit of Mumbai was back to normal in 48 hours ,the debris were cleared, the local trains nonchalantly  buzzing away over the blood stains , may be a limb some where, every 3 minutes.

End .