Madness in Mumbai

On Wednesday, Delhi Whispers spent a leisurely day at the International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan. It was a bright day in more ways than one: milling crowds, enough shopping to ward away the recession gloom at least temporarily, and a true microcosm of India on display—men, women and children across all income groups, all regions, spending a peaceful, happy day out. In short, all that can be good about India. That lingering good feeling was wiped out in an instant with the flick of the TV remote the same night. The carefully orchestrated mayhem in Mumbai brought the country’s financial capital to its knees. And as we write this, the drama still continues. One more addition to the maximum city’s litany of terrorist woes. And another glaring example of how our country’s security can be breached almost nonchalantly. As we mourn the death of innocents and the loss of a city’s pride, let’s not be under any illusion that this will be the last time, or the last Indian city that will be thus threatened. Many members of the Indian media have written derisively about America’s ‘Homeland Security’ initiative—its sweeping powers, its apparent paranoia. They may not feel the same way anymore.