Resilient Mumbaikars or ………….

It’s a few hours since the bomb blasts. Being a spectator at a blast site is nasty business, pain, shock, blood n mangled bodies should be traumatic, but I am not traumatized, shocked yes, didn’t expect a repeat of the blasts of course, realized I could have been one of the dead yes, but I am not scared. A bit apprehensive, I didn’t wait at the site for too long, watched people help each other, the crowd was too much, left as soon as the police and ambulance arrived, spent four hours in a crowded bus traveling back home, sharing seats and news with co-passengers, maybe being among the living gives confidence………..…….. News channels are once again talking about the resilient and helpful spirit of Mumbaikars. Resilient??....why not, when battling death is part of each and every Mumbaikars daily life, and struggle for survival has to be taken in its literal term, being resilient is not ‘an option’. Other than the occasional riots, bomb blasts and flooding, the Mumbaikar every day has to deal with possible train accidents, road accidents, ‘freak’ accidents and stress accidents. How many accidents, injured people and dead bodies have I seen in the last 10 years I have been traveling……. plenty; how many such chaotic situations have I been through……….plenty again. Resilience is supposed to be a positive trait, but I am worried. To walk away from a possible traumatic incident unaffected is strength, shows a strong character. But in our quest to be resilient are we becoming insensitive?...to pain, to suffering? We do help each other out when crisis comes……..so does that speak of our bid to grasp at whatever little sensitivity is left in us. Are we too complacent, too accepting of everything that happens to us?

So I add to my list of experiences in life, another bomb blast; 2 days ago I escaped being caught in the riots, a week ago I waded through water and trekked back home. Today’s newspaper reports astrologers account it to some conjustion between Saturn and Jupiter……aah now why didn’t we think of that…….quick inform ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation)...they should do something about it pronto!!! Shouldn’t they have warned us about this.