Aftermath: Mumbai grapples with the pain and the loss

In the aftermath of the gruesome terrorist attack over Mumbai which only left in its wake, bodies, wounds and inconceivable loss, families of the victims as well as the rescued, recount the hours they spent fighting the ordeal. Will Mumbai recover?

Sixty hours of bloodshed, terror and violence runs amok in the city, reducing the city to a state of shock. Lives are lost, tears are wept. Mumbai burns! After having fought a bloody battle, which ran way post what was expected, the terrorists were finally defeated but at a terrible cost. Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, which once stood as an icon for a city known for its wealth and the rich elite, is disaster-struck and reduced to a state of rubble. The 105-year-old heritage wing, which was built in the year 1903, was victim to fires, grenades and the thousands of bullets shot maniacally by terrorists in the name of God. The once unparalleled beauty of the hotel lobby -- which had a touch of Moorish, Oriental and Florentine architectural styles -- had turned overnight into a graveyard with a stench of half decomposed bodies. Similar was the story with the Trident Oberoi Hotel, a favorite among business travelers. One day later, 195 people are dead -- 22 are foreigners, more than 300 are injured. Around 610 people were rescued. Ten terrorists were killed and one captured. More than 477 NSG (National Security Guards) Commandos led operations. In its aftermath, the city struggles to get back on track, people are scared, tourists fleeing back to their own countries, business is put on hold. Politicians are running the blame game, some even using the massacre as part of an election campaign. The atmosphere has an air of confusion, chaos, disorder, all expected, but the question is, ' Will Mumbai return back to its former glory'? Probably the worst act of terrorism since 9/11, the world pays its condolences to the victims in Mumbai and prays for peace, since lives were lost from all around the world on these last few fateful days. Leaders around the world offer support to the Indian Government which continues to fight the war against terror since before terrorism was even a commonly spoken tell-tale and in the process suffers at the hands of Jihadis who consider their work an act of God, probably one of the worst interpreted ideals of the 21st century. Now, the nation is making amendments, investigating, correlating with intelligence around the world, getting to the picture. As we speak, ministers responsible for the highest levels of security, are being replaced followed by state of the art infrastructure related to coastal security, one which has proved to be very porous over the last couple of days in spite of three different kinds of federal as well as state level special forces manning the region. The terrorist captured, Mohammad Amir Qasab, 21 yr old from Faridkot, Pakistan who is also responsible for killing a celebrated hero, Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad Chief, Hemant Karkare, who lost his life in a fierce gun-battle with the terrorists, reveals shocking details of the planning and implementation of the plan to blow up the Taj and to render several major economic centers of the country's financial capital, dysfunctional. He also revealed he was part of a larger group who shipped themselves down to the city from across the border a fortnight ago with the intention to kill at least 5,000 people. He showed not a hint of remorse for committing the acts of terror which claimed the lives of more than a 100 people, while recounting his training in Pakistan. Police records show evidence of an intercepted call made to Pakistan more than a fortnight ago to a mobile phone number which is known to have been used by a Lashkar -e- Tayeba ( LeT) terrorist outfit, one of the oldest organizations with its terror span ranging in involvement with dozens of attacks carried out on Indian soul. Believed to be partly funded by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the outfit is known to have valid links with the Al-Quaeda. The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh promised to take up the matter seriously with the neighbours, even asking his Pakistan counterpart, to send the ISI Chief to India to take up the issue, which Pakistan initially approved and offered full cooperation but later reversed its stand. A country with a struggling economy, one of the newest civilian governments, who took the cue from the military, have already made mistakes in the effort to appease India or prove its stand of innocence to the world media. What remains to be seen is whether India has the inclination to address the issue strongly or let it pass in viewing the long efforts of peace and cooperation between the countries over a period of four years. Meanwhile, the country is yet to make a comeback post the 60-hour terror ordeal which has crippled business and tourism industries for now with many tourists returning to their own countries. In an interesting out-take, some of those rescued from the fateful ordeal, recount their stories with fear and grief, but still promise to return back to India, giving force to a much needed stand against terrorism and acts of violence against humanity. So will Mumbai truly return and get back on track to retain its title of one of the leading financial capitals of the world? Or is it a long journey ahead recounting the shadow of the fateful Thursday evening when it all started to end...? *May peace be with the souls of the hundreds who lost their lives...*