Bruce Willis, make your way over to Mumbai, please.
The death toll from the attacks on Mumbai have crossed 155 and counting. How many bodies will yet be recovered? The horror is unimaginable. My heart goes out to the families still waiting for news – I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like for them.
The Indian media, surprisingly, is showing some sort of restraint in their reporting. NDTV deliberately switched off live images during an ensuing gun-battle where grenades were launched into the heritage wing of the Taj. With today’s internet phones and other wireless devices, shutting off cable tv is not the answer to cutting off people from the media. Hopefully, the terrorists didn’t have the time to check on updates – they were too busy shooting.
I mourn for the damage done to the Taj as well. The outer structure still looks fairly solid, although the interiors will have sustained severe damage and will require extensive repairs and restoration, which could take years. Will the iconic red dome survive? Only the coming days will tell.
Tomorrow is another day. As I write (10 pm India time), the battle still rages at the Taj. The CNN reporter finally put on a bullet-proof vest. The police are still focussed on clearing the target areas and have forgotten about the hundreds of curious onlookers outside each venue. India has a long way to go before we learn the art of mob/crowd control.
May this be the lesson we need.
