Helping the victims and their families

We just got this email from the kind folks at the Bombay Community Public Trust (BCPT) who we are working with to raise funds for the victims/their families. Please click here donate.

"Dear Sir/Madam,

It was heartening to receive the responses, queries, promises of support (via email, letters, telephone calls, personal visits) from individuals and companies from all over India and abroad.

BCPT has now compiled the complete list of names of victims injured and deceased and the details of next of kin with addresses in many cases. This has been compiled from different sources.

Many other NGOs and agencies are contributing in the relief and rehabilitation work with the victims and families. In order to avoid duplication of efforts, we are focusing on 70 families of the deceased and 82 injured persons. Of these, we have already contacted 56 families of the deceased and 41 injured persons and are continuing to contact the rest.

Many .of the affected persons were young adults working in the city with their families in the villages. For example, Mishrilal Morya was an auto-rickshaw driver. He lost his life in the gun fire at CST. He leaves behind a wife and three young children, the oldest 7 years old, and the youngest only 9 months old. They now have no source of income as Mishrilal was the only earning member of the family. His elderly parents were also dependent on him.

Ashfar Ali Sheikh was a daily wage labourer. He died of a gunshot injury. He was just 21 years old. Young and unmarried, he was working in Mumbai to support his family at home. His father is a labourer on a farm in their village. He also leaves behind four siblings. The eldest works on a farm, two others are in the 9th and 6th standard respectively and one brother is blind.

In these and similar cases we have decided to give an ad hoc grant of Rs. 2 lakh by way of a monthly income fixed deposit scheme to add to the compensation given by the government and other agencies.

We estimate that finally 25-30 families of the deceased may need support and about 50 injured persons will need medical and other support. At this stage, we estimate that Rs. 70 - 80 lakh will be required to support those mentioned above.

We seek your support and trust you are able to contribute in our work.

Thanking you,

Harsha Parekh"

Reflecting

I was just checking out our friend Janera's website/blog - an online destination for global opinion and writing - and came across the post about the vigil we held in the wake of the attacks. Remember you can still light a candle for remembrance, it is never too late.

Mumbai Vigil in New York

This week has been another one of change, for the world and for me. While the terrorists attacked the Oberoi and the Taj in Mumbai, I was packing boxes, purging belongings that no longer served me. And as I was schlepping my stuff up five flights, the Indian special forces raided the Jewish Centre exterminating the remaining terrorists. Though I followed the news on NPR, I must admit that I was preoccupied with adjusting to my new environment.

Last night however, I went to a vigil for those who were killed in Mumbai, organized by Benita Singh and Shruti Ganguly. I went to pay my respects and to mourn the victims. A small group gathered at the Jivamukti studio on Union Square. Except for myself and one American who had come with his colleague, all were Indian.

We exchanged stories. One guy mentioned the power of globalization. His mother, who lives in New York, had seen what had happened in Mumbai on the news and phoned her brother there to warn him not to take his usual train. She had known before her brother what was happening in his town.

Click here to continue reading

The President is Coming

There are few places in the world these days where George W. Bush is welcomed with open arms rather than projectile loafers. India is definitely a last-standing outpost of We-Heart-Bush sentiment (thanks in no small part to his giving us our nukes), and that excitement over our lame duck is captured in the new film The President is Coming, about Bush's 2006 visit to India and the fierce competition to be the representative "young Indian" to shake the presidential hand.

Among the hopefuls: a pretentious and cutting female Bengali novelist, a South Indian IITan who speaks almost exclusively in proofs, India's top accent trainer whose dream is to return to America after being unceremoniously deported several years back, a weasel-y new-money stock trader, a pro-Hindustan social worker, and a rich Delhi daddy's girl who proudly claims herself to be the Indian Paris Hilton.

The film was written by Anuvab Pal (of Loins of Punjab fame), again based on his own hit play, and is shot in the similar mockumentary, Christopher Guest style. I've had the pleasure of spending some time with Anuvab during my current sojourn in Bombay, and I've officially labeled him the Indian Ricky Gervais.

In a time when Bombay's glitterati is concerned only about their own personal safety ("oh my god, yaar, what if I had been at Harbor Bar the night of the attacks!") or the thudding sound of their pay rates falling to the floor, Anuvab is a breath of fresh air. His film serves the same function on a slightly more macro level.

It's interesting to note that The President is Coming was having it's premiere on November 26th, the night the attacks broke out. The film was halted mid-screening and the high-profile audience ushered to the safety of their gated Juhu bungalows. The release of the film was subsequently delayed until January 9th (in India only for now, but stay tuned for a US release date).

Personally, I think it was a blessing in disguise. What better time to commemorate the out-going President than during his final few days in office, when he concievably can't do any more harm. If you're in India, go see this movie on the 9th, and if not, keep a close eye out for its release.

What do we do now...

One of our readers posted this as a comment but we felt that it deserved it's own post and discussion.


-Get together with the people in your building and neighbouring buildings and form a group, because only together can we all fight this battle.
-Join the local area office of any party that you support or think will work with you(BJP/Congress/MNS/Shiv Sena etc..) in your area. Help them in whatever work they are carrying out. Try and attend all the meetings possible that they hold and make sure to voice your opinions where ever possible. Start off with doing the work they have underway and then ask them to do things you want them to.
-Visit your local area police stations and fire stations. Enquire about the safety measures they have in place there. Find out about their 'in case of emergency' drills. Through the party that you are working with, make sure that the police in your area get all the ammunition's, safety jackets etc.. that they need.
-Start an NGO with the help of people in your society/ locality and create awareness among the people about why and how to bring about change.
-DO NOT DONATE IN CASH!! Make all the donations in kind, if we give cash then thats only another reason we'll have for our next protest rally!
-Get the BMC to clear up all the garbbage in your area that has been lying around for sometime.Make them visit the area regularly. Get their help to remove illegal pan shops and bidi wallahs from the area.
-Do all of this POLITELY , force will not get us anywhere.

We welcome other suggestions and comments.

Filling the Big Empty by Rahul Bose

I came across this piece by my friend Rahul and wanted to share it with you all:

Standing at Anti-Terrorism Squad Chief Hemant Karkare’s funeral, I was struck by the people who had gathered to pay homage to one of the most upright, secular and committed officers of the Mumbai police. Politicians, college students, leaders of the Muslim community, activists, and other members of the police. And then the questions. Why does it take such an immense tragedy to unite us? Why does this sentiment snuff out seconds after the occasion? What is it in our DNA that allows leaders to walk into our rooms, rape us, leave and come back again when the need arises?

This is the greatest psychological blow that the city has received. People say the country, but I disagree. The fall of the Babri Masjid and the Gujarat riots have left deeper wounds. But as far as Bombay is concerned, 60 hours of television have brought the beginning, middle and end of this tragedy into our living rooms. We have seen guns, shoot-outs, murders, fires, commandos, traumatised survivors and destruction of every kind. And so have our children. My belief still remains that the practical effect of the attacks will be less than the effect that the 1993 and 2006 bombings had on the common Bombayite. Then it was a direct connection to fear: “Should I go back to work in Zaveri Bazaar? “Should I send my children on the trains tomorrow?” Now those fears are more general — anything can happen in this city, be careful. The psyche of Bombay will take a generation to recover.

Click here to continue reading

Disaster Tourism

I couldn't help myself. Today, while strolling in Colaba in search of a new pair of shoes, I stopped in at the Cafe Leopold for a fresh lime soda and a macabre look at the remnants left behind by the terrorists who shot up the place on November 26th.

Imagine my disappointment when the place seemed business-as-usual. The square tables were packed with locals and firangis, drinking beer and chowing down on veg Manchurian. No extra security protected its doors. No somber tone amongst the waitstaff or the patrons. No heaps of flowers lay where bodies might have slumped a couple of weeks ago.

Except for five easy-to-miss bullet holes in the glass and a sudden run on Cafe Leopold t-shirts, not much has changed at the hangout, which reopened its doors less than 48 hours after the start of the attacks, while the terrorists that had shot it up were still sending sprays of gunfire throughout the Taj hotel, a couple of blocks away.

A European couple at an adjacent table shared my disappointment. "It's like nothing happened," one said glumly to the other. They resigned themselves to taking a photo of a bullet hole in the glass panel and buying a t-shirt before going off in search of a venue with a better sense of post traumatic stress.

I watched, bemused, as I sucked down the last of my soda. Welcome to Mumbai, I wanted to tell them, where yesterday's disaster is today's opportunity for entrepreneurship. Instead, I bought a t-shirt, too.

Where in the World is Arundhati Roy?

While jogging today I realized something. By now, every two-bit politician, actor, police chief, even yours truly has gone on television and radio to give our two cents about the recent Mumbai terror attacks. But why haven't we heard from India's Dissident Laureate, the anti-corporatist, anti-colonialist, anti-everything Arundhati Roy?

Fear not, dear readers. We looked under every soap box in the land and found the following reactions from Ms. Roy. I warn you, in true Roy fashion, the author picks quite a few fights with her views (just read the comments posted below the video), but I have to say I'm leaning more towards her judgment than Sukhetu Mehta's call for us to retaliate to the attacks by spending more money at the Oberoi Shopping Arcade (for those of you who favor Mr. Mehta's approach, the Arcade reopened this week).

LISTEN: "India has become a more cruel country."
(Start at around minute 2:45)

INDIAN CELEBS SPEAKS OUT AGAINST THE ATTACKS

Shah Rukh, Preity, Sachin, Aamir, Priyanka...these are a few familiar and famous Indians featured in this PSA. 

Check it out and let us know what you think.

Personally, I was quite distracted by the dramatic music in the background, which I thought took away from the piece quite significantly. 

Lord of the Flies

I just saw this article in the Huffington Post (see below. This, along with the the attacks in India, reminded me of the book Lord of the Flies.

Greece Riots: Anti-Police Violence Spreads Across Athens

ATHENS, Greece — Rioters rampaged through Athens and the northern city of Thessaloniki Sunday, hurling Molotov cocktails, burning stores and blocking city streets with flaming barricades after protests against the fatal police shooting of a teenager erupted into chaos.

Youths wearing hoods smashed storefronts and cars in Athens. Riot police responded with tear gas while the fire department rushed to extinguish blazes. Several bank branches, stores and at least one building were on fire on a major street leading to the capital's police headquarters. Clashes also broke out near Parliament.

Streets quickly emptied as word of the violence spread. Local media reported several people sought treatment for breathing problems.

Violence often breaks out during demonstrations in Greece between riot police and anarchists, who attack banks, high-end shops, diplomatic vehicles and foreign car dealerships in late-night fire-bombings that rarely cause injuries.

Click here to continue reading

The Hate March

Last night, the streets of south Bombay (so eerily deserted last week) were packed with Mumbaikars young and old marching in peace to honor the dead from last week's attacks. They wore white. They lit candles. They signed petitions. They sang "Vande Mataram." And then, the added "Pakistan besharam." Or, "Shame on you, Pakistan."

As the march surged forward from the Gateway of India to the now-infamous landmarks of 11/26, the riot calls became more and more violent. "Shame on you, Pakistan" soon became "Kill Pakistan," "Declare War on Pakistan," and even worse.

This is what happens at a peace march? Calls for violence and songs of hatred? Were all those white candles glowing to commemorate those who died last week, or those that would die if India and Pakistan went to war? Or, more immediately, if religious divisiveness led to riots in the streets of Bombay?

Though most people (rightfully) directed their anger at the corrupt and insensitive politicians, a large and vocal minority used a peace march to spew hatred for an entire nation and it's people. If you were there, tell me what you thought.

Nothing Compares 2 U

Though we are all still collectively grieving for the loss of life and liberty during last weeks terror attacks in Mumbai, relatively few of us know what it feels like to get that fateful call that a loved one was amongst the dead.

My good friend Amita Jivrajka Ramesh, sadly, experienced that sinking feeling last week. Amita's cousin Rita and Rita's husband Sanjay were killed by terrorists at the Oberoi Hotel. In trying to make sense of her loss and honor her cousins lives, Amita wrote a touching piece for CNN's iReport describing the feeling of frantically waiting days to hear whether your loved ones are dead or alive, and dealing with the tragic news.

Amita, thanks for sharing this moving tribute with us. We will keep Rita and Sanjay in our prayers, and remember that politics and finger-pointing will never be as important as remembering the loved ones we lost.

READ: Amita Jivrajka Ramesh's tribute to "Gudu"

Mumbai Attacks Hit Home For Young South Asian Americans

A few of us were recently interviewed by the New America Media - here is an excerpt from the interview. Click here to see the full interview.

Living here in the United States, do you feel detached from violence in India?

Urvi Nagrani, 21, Student, UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA
Maybe I'd be able to feel detached if I lacked personal ties to the situation, but I've been to all of the sites that were attacked, I have family members who live very close to all the sites. I was unable to enjoy the luxury of apathy.

Shima Khan, 24, High School Teacher, Austin, TX
I'm definitely upset with what has happened. Clearly, there was an internal glitch as well. Why wasn't security tightened after the 2006 blasts?

Shivani Mehta, 28, Fashion Designer, New York, NY
Bombay is so fresh in my mind. When they attack the train stations, they were attacking working class. When they attacked temples, they were attacking the middle class. Now they attacked the Taj and Oberoi, so they're targeting the upper class.

Taz Ahmed

Since I'm the only Muslim blogger on Sepia Mutiny, I didn't want to post anything because I knew there would be a bunch of attacks against me. I primarily identify as South Asian American, but I think situations like these literally force my Muslim identity to be brought out.

Yagnesh Vadgama

When I was in India, I would hang out at Leopold Café because my Marathi and Hindi aren't great and people spoke English there. When I heard Leopold got attacked, that news hit me really hard. And when I heard the train got attacked as well, that news hit me hard, too. I never had a personal driver when I was in India and I only took local transportation like the train. I felt this wave of burnt out disappointment and exhaustion from these acts of violence constantly happening. It hurt even more this time because the memories of these attacked landmarks kept replaying in my mind.

Muffadal Saylawala

The American media kept mentioning that India suspected the source of the attacks to be from an "external force", which is a code name for Pakistan. I watched the Pakistani news channel and they showed footage of complete chaos in Pakistan, with troops assembling in Kashmir. India and Pakistan were supposedly going to strengthen peaceful relations at this very historic time, potentially ending 60 years of strife and suffering. And it all fell apart in two days.

CALLING ALL PAKISTANIS

An article from Thomas L. Friedman:

On Feb. 6, 2006, three Pakistanis died in Peshawar and Lahore during violent street protests against Danish cartoons that had satirized the Prophet Muhammad. More such mass protests followed weeks later. When Pakistanis and other Muslims are willing to take to the streets, even suffer death, to protest an insulting cartoon published in Denmark, is it fair to ask: Who in the Muslim world, who in Pakistan, is ready to take to the streets to protest the mass murders of real people, not cartoon characters, right next door in Mumbai?

After all, if 10 young Indians from a splinter wing of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party traveled by boat to Pakistan, shot up two hotels in Karachi and the central train station, killed at least 173 people, and then, for good measure, murdered the imam and his wife at a Saudi-financed mosque while they were cradling their 2-year-old son — purely because they were Sunni Muslims — where would we be today? The entire Muslim world would be aflame and in the streets.

Click here to continue reading

ANOTHER TYPE OF...PROOF

I just saw this article on NDTV's website, which was pretty upsetting. 

Faulty jackets killed Mumbai bravehearts

Several innocent lives were lost in the Mumbai terror attacks and 14 of them were policemen, including Anti-Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare, who were killed in the line of duty.

However, now investigations have revealed that some lives could have been saved if the police had been better equipped.

The question that has come up is that did out of date bulletproof jackets fail to protect the lives of Mumbai's cops as they took on terrorists?

NDTV tried to investigate why the outdated jackets hadn't been updated. A shocking fact uncovered that even with something as life saving as bulletproof jackets, there has been corruption.

Click here to continue reading

Our tax rupees need to go towards protecting our forces - How can we, this booming nation, on the verge of supposedly upgrading from the third world, not be able to afford bulletproof jackets for our police officers?!

MUST READ: Why They Do It

I just came across this extremely enlightening post on the New Yorker's Think Tank blog, written by Steve Coll. Steve spent time with senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (the group allegedly responsible for last week's attacks in Mumbai) officials, and even took a tour with their charity arm, Jamat-ud-Dawa. Charity arm of a terrorist group?? Yep, that's right, and they're not just providing free arms training, either. According to Steve, Jamat sets up hospitals, schools and provides earthquake relief in the most remote regions of Pakistan. The Pakistani government, though they denounce LeT, support Jamat. The US government says Jamat is just a front for LeT. That may be the case, but Jamat is still the one delivering aid to Pakistan's most needy. 

So, based on this information where can we assume the loyalty of these needy folks lies? I don't claim to be an expert here, but Coll's post brings to mind one of Marlon Brando's most famous lines from The Godfather, "One day I may call upon you to do a service for me..."

READ: Steve Coll's post at the New Yorker blog Think Tank.

Thoughts?

-S

NOTE TO ALL POLITICIANS - GET WITH IT!

Women may wear make-up, even high heels, but that doesn't mean that they can't protest.  Mr. Naqvi, what world do you live in?

What I just saw on the Indian Express website:

Naqvi lipstick remark leaves BJP red-faced

BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has come under a severe attack from women parliamentarians, cutting across party lines, for suggesting that “women wearing lipstick and powder” have taken to streets in Mumbai, “leading marches against the political class”.

“Some women wearing lipstick and powder have taken to streets in Mumbai and are abusing politicians, thus spreading dissatisfaction against democracy. This is what terrorists are doing in Jammu and Kashmir,” Naqvi told television channels, leading to a barrage of protests from women parliamentarians, many of them from his own BJP.

Click here to keep reading

The Mumbai Spirit

People who are from Mumbai take pride in the fact that they are strong enough to take a beating, fall and then stand right back up and move on forgetting or letting go of what hit them.
But is that why we get attacked so many times? Should we be strong enough to not take a beating?

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1862893,00.html

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER...

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by Thee to ever-widening thought and action -

Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake.

 - Rabindranath Tagore

If We Don't Shop, the Terrorists Have Won?

That seems to be the prevailing sentiment within Mumbai's chic boutiques. Buy expensive stuff, or the terrorists have won. Eat in fancy restaurants, or the terrorists have won. Sleep in over-priced hotels, or the terrorists have won. So, we drain our bank accounts on useless crap and--we win? 

I get the idea that fear tactics shouldn't break our spirit, yadda yadda, but how has courage suddenly been equated with consumerism? 

The terrorists, and, to a less violent degree, the disenfranchised people they claim to represent, take issue with our free-market, unabashedly consumptive lifestyle. But maybe they don't just begrudge us our Louis Vuittons simply out of evil.

As Sameer Reddy points out in his fantastic piece for Newsweek, the deep divide between rich and poor in India (with most of the country's Muslims leaning heavily towards the poor side) is a petrie dish that grows resentment like bacteria. And resentment taken to a bloody extreme leads to violence, such as the kind we experienced last week. So maybe, instead of trying to defeat terrorism by frenetically swiping our credit cards, we could think more about how to close the gap between the have and the have nots, giving more people access to opportunity and bring them into the fold of society? Sure, it may cost us a pair of Jimmy Choos here or a summer home there, but isn't the prospect of world peace worth it?

Read: The Two Faces of India, by Sameer Reddy