The inevitable...

Well, this is the inevitable, nay, obligatory, entry post the latest round of Mumbai blasts. In this I'm probably joining thousands of bloggers who've undoubtedly all expressed their solidarity, horror, regret, pride, and so on.

It's strange how in times like this the usual platitudes and cliches are the only words that actually make sense. "Show must go on." "Pride in Mumbaikar's spirit." "Common man's courage." "Bloody but unbowed." "Business as usual." Even a cynical old sod such as yours truly is moved by the way this city bounces back and keeps on keeping on. Not that there really is such an entity as "this city" - it's you and me that does all the bouncing. And the being bounced, unfortunately.

It's close to two decades since I last regularly commuted by train, but it's an experience that is never forgotten. In fact, you don't even need to be a regular to savor that never-to-be-forgotten experience. Just one ride on Mumbai's trains and you have something to boast about. It's kind of like white-water rafting or bungee jumping: you need to do it just once during rush hour to understand the special skills and daring it requires. After that you can strut around with your chest thrown out with pride - and your spine probably mangled beyond repair, but that's another story.

In my callow youth I wooed in quick succession two Bandra girls and since I was (and still am) an avowed townie, I needed to commute on the suburban trains if I wanted to spend time with my beloved. I still have very fond memories of being crushed against the object of my desire on the journey to her house and then spending the return journey in a dreamy haze in the first class compartment actually sitting down. Ah, call me a roamantic.

Apart from the platitudes and cliches that such events (not the romantic journeys, the other events) throw up, there is also the phenomenon of the fatuous comment. This is usually delivered by a politician or bureaucrat, often with an axe to grind, but they don't have a monopoly on it. Some gems from 7/11:

Mumbai Commissioner: "This appears to be a planned event." You don't say! And here we were thinking what a horrible coincidence it was that seven trains blew up in quick succession, a few kilometers away from each other and a few minutes apart. By the way, the TV networks never made it clear which enlightened Commissioner this was.

Politician: "We need to learn from Gujarat. See how tough they are there and they don't suffer any terrorism while Mumbai is always a target." Ahem! Could that be because Mumbai is the financial capital, has over 17 million inhabitants, provides over 50% of the country's tax revenues, is a great symbol of Indian capitalism and the economy, has loads of public places with gazillions of people in them? Could you name even half a target in Gujarat that is even a quarter as attractive from a terrorist's point of view?

Misguided public advertisement (last page of today's Mumbai Mirror): "Appeal to all Terrorists! Please do not kill absolutely innocent people." Hello? It may be just me, but I always thought terrorism was all about killing innocent people. After all, if you only targeted "guilty" people such as (presumably) the armed forces and the police, where's the terror in that? And who are "absolutely" innocent people? Are there some who are not so innocent, and therefore acceptable targets? And, of course, terrorists are going to be swayed by advertising. Well, if we can be gulled by advertising into buying crap we don't need, hope could be said to spring eternal.

I guess crises do bring out the irrational side of humanity.