The 5 Star Blasts

Stopped at the Lawrence & Mayo stop on the D.N.Road CST I was told to leave my bus and turn away from the CST station from where I wanted to return home after my visit to Colaba Causeway, Leopold & Marine Drive. It was a confusing situation but I reached Churchgate station and finally reached home (long story short). All the while I was told by my family and friends about what was happening around the parts of Mumbai where I had just been and admired, out of awe for its grandeur, its hustle bustle & its beauty at night, and couldn’t really guage how far reaching effect it would have on me for a long long time.
My home had become a bastion for the entire news channels to telecast to me every detail of the on going process, analysis, stories of survivors, of slain protectors & limelight seeking politicians. It was an orgy of death that made me cringe every time I saw it happen. Three days it felt like the world around has stopped rotating, no jumping VJs, no motor mouth RJs, no kids on the street, no crowds in the trains, no hawkers shouting outside only TV which gave us some sort of a solace that something is been done to whoop the asses of those mfb terrorists. The TV viewing or more like News channels viewing had become synonyms for these 3 days. Times when my father left for work at RBI which unfortunately was very close to Taj Mahal Hotel family members called when some stupid rumors were afloat. This somehow became a drill for all of us at home and didn’t feel extra ordinary and I don’t know why.
The news anchors spoke for hours in length about the operations and it felt like I was personally standing a t the door of those 5 stars and was watching the events unfold. All the news channels showed us different views, different commentaries but a single message that ‘We are under siege’. I cant begin to explain how it feels when there is a element of doubt about safety of the people around me. It is a feeling of helplessness that engulfs me and want to run away from it. I can watch the news but I cant imagine to go through the same, I can voice my anger but cant really do much to make a difference, I can feel sad for the loss but couldn’t have saved them… I really want to break out of feeling of being helpless & useless.
‘I let governing & protecting of my country & its men to these politicians, but they seem to think their own protection is what is my concern of top priority’. Why is it that power corrupts these people beyond repair? I feel that the its to some extent that you are corrupt, its even ok that you sometime put yourself before the people but not always, don’t forget why you sit there in the first place.

- Ketan Kasabe