Mumbai...

all of India is shocked...i heard some British "counter-terrorism expert" on the news yesterday talkin abt how wat has happened is nothing special...because its happened in spain too...and UK..and USA...

how many times?

they have dates...9/11, 7/7, etc. how many dates do we have? can we keep a count anymore? wat has happened in mumbai isnt a terrorist attack...its a war...our security forces were especially targetted...foreign elements came from offshore...landed on our coasts and went on to create mayhem...

i was going to write something about all this but nothing that i write will sum it up better than wat my friend Ameya Prabhu wrote on his facebook profile...so i reproduce it here and i hope he does not mind...

"
Mumbai, our city of dreams, our home, was brutally attacked by an unknown number of terrorists on Wednesday, 26th November, 2008. They attacked the institutions that have predated our grandparents, they brutally killed the people we knew, the people we loved. They entered the Taj and shot dead the security guards at the entrance. The guards were always stern, often even annoying, as they persistently frisked us. But they stood no chance against young brainwashed terrorists with assault rifles. The lovely pretty lady who always stood at the entrance was shot next. Following that, I heard reports of them gunning down the entire reception staff, the executive chefs and almost anyone who walked around the lobby. These brutal maniacs had no value for human life. Men, women, the elderly and the young alike were mercilessly slaughtered.

At the Oberoi, several servers and captains at Tiffin were shot dead by the terrorists. People whose names I did not know. I did not know whether they were married, had kids, whether they were happy, depressed or pathologically ill. But I loved them. They were all a part of the Mumbai I loved. The Mumbai I grew up in. I moved back home 4 months ago and most of my friends were no longer here or had moved on.These faces were a constant in my life. They provided me with stability and a sense of belonging, a sense that, this was Home. But in all probability, they are now no more.

There are stories of the extreme bravery displayed by the security and staff at the Taj and the Oberoi. They did not desert their duty in this hour of crisis despite not having a single weapon on them. The only weapons in the Taj were those in the hands of the terrorists. The General Manager lost his entire family to the terrorists. Yet the captain did not desert his ship. True heroes one and all. These are the heroes of my city. They are the one's who make me proud.

Finally, our brave police force and security services need an a rapturous applause. My fathers Mumbai Police bodyguard came last night after having spent the previous 24 hours at the Taj fighting terrorists. His friend was shot dead next to him, having had 34 rounds shot into him. Another friend was shot dead the Cama Hospital. Good officers all. And Mr Karkare. I knew Hemant during his stint in Vienna. He was a good officer. Hemant Karkare once said to me that he wanted to always be a hero. Hemant, you have achieved a lot more that mere heroism.

Hemant, Salaskar, Kamte, the unknown officers from the NSG, the MARCOS, the Mumbai police, Taj & Oberoi security guards and every staff member and hostage involved with this crisis needs to be commended.

These terrorists believe that their actions in the false name of Islam will send them straight to heaven. Islam does not preach that but it does preach that true heroes such as those who have emerged from this crisis, will surely be right on top of god's list when he makes his decision on judgement day.

The terrorists have no religion. This is an attack on every Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Jew, Atheist, straight, gay, bisexual, transvestite Indian. This is an attack on India. And I promise you, those who perpetrate this, those who fund this, those who encourage it, actively or tacitly, will not go unpunished. A new India will emerge, and this India will no longer be a weak state.

Jai Hind.
"