Prayers for Mumbai’s fallen heroes

Prayers for Mumbai’s fallen heroes
26th November 2010
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/11/26/prayers-mumbai%E2%80%99s-fallen-heroes.html

The second anniversary of the “Mumbai Massacre”, which led to loss of 166 innocent lives on Nov. 26, 2008, will sadden every Indian’s heart. This loss was caused by a deliberate attack launched by Pakistani terror networks to sabotage India’s march towards becoming a global power.
Whoever thought that this attempt would bring India to its knees was living in a fool’s paradise. Last year on the attack’s first anniversary, I was in India and watched the TV coverage on many domestic and foreign channels depicting the heroic acts of our security forces.
I heard the tapes of conversations of the terrorists and their handlers in Pakistan. Their handlers were telling the terrorists in the Taj and Oberoi-Trident hotels to fire at will and burn mattresses to create a “show of fire” for all to see!
Throughout the year, Ratan Tata stood tall as a pillar of courage and nobility. The hotel his group owns is back in business and recently hosted US president Obama who specifically chose to stay there.
Karambir Singh Kang, the hotel’s general manager, lost three family members during the massacre, but stayed put throughout the carnage. What a gem of a man when compared to the cowards behind this attack.
This year I am seeing the reactions of various people in commemorating this black day. The family members of some of the fallen heroes will also participate.
A Norwegian couple was injured in the attack is back in the city and has nothing but praise for the hotel staff and doctors who saved their lives. I read reports that relatives of Rabbi Gavriel and his pregnant wife, who were gunned down during carnage, have filed suit in New York against Pakistan’s ISI and the Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The suit alleges that ISI worked closely with the militant group and provided support to the gunmen! Parents of Sandeep Unnikrishnan are biking from Delhi to Mumbai to tell their fellow citizens how proud of they are of their son’s sacrifice.
The widow of Omble, a late hero of Nov. 26 whose extraordinary courage resulted in the arrest of the lone survivor of this carnage, has been so noble that she has refused to accept any monetary benefits from people to avoid contamination of Omble’s noble memory! Vinita Kamte has written a touching saga about her husband’s career and death.
She feels that the information about non-compliance of orders given by Karkare to the police was not conveyed to him in time and led to the death of Karkare, Kamte and Salaskar.
She is still struggling to find out the truth behind this.
We, all Indians, stand in grief with the near-and-dear ones of the fallen heroes. We salute the fallen heroes and pray that God grants peace to their souls. We also pray that God blesses their near-and-dear ones. We also pray that God Almighty guides the perpetrators of this ghastly crime to mend their ways.
K B Kale, Jakarta
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Post Comments | Comments (2)
K B Kale, Jakarta | Mon, 29/11/2010 - 14:11pm
How true, Mr Sethi!
We have allowed ourselves to be considered as a soft target because we think too "extensively" but never "intensively" which finally leads us to "paralysis by analysis".
Our beloved neighbor, though bankrupt, behaves like a bull in the China shop thanks to "pocket money he gets from his sugar-daddies. He does what he wants but we can't even complain!
This reminds me of a nice Urdu sher:
Woh katl-e-aam karate hain to charchaa tak nahin hotee
hum aahbhee bharate hain to ho jaate hain badnam!
(When beloved carries out massacre, there is no discussion, but if I (her lover) as much as let out a sigh, I am condemned!)
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harinder Singh sethi, India | Sun, 28/11/2010 - 05:11am
Yes sacrifice of our people is great but. I wish we should find out a way to punish hard the people behind and change our image of soft nation.
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