Attention Readers Digest!

another forward i got... thought it was quite a good read.... more later...

Today's Mid-Day edit begins by saying that you don't need to be a rocket cientist to understand that the chain of events starting from the Bhiwandiriots to the desecration of Meenatai's statue and what happened as anaftermath, to the serial blasts on the trains yesterday, means somebody somewhere wants Mumbaikar's to spill out on the streets and grab each otherby the throats.

Incidentally, these same somebody-- the faceless outcasts that they stillare-- have at least succeeded in one part of their plan. Mumbaikars have actually spilled out on to the streets.

The catch here is that they have failed to succeed in the second and mostimportant part of their plan: that of getting Mumbaikars to grab each other by the throats. Mumbaikars spilled onto the streets-- in a collective show of the middle finger to those who proposed otherwise.

I know very well that you are already aware of how Mumbai stormed onto the streets to help the injured, the stranded and soothe the injuries that werestill gaping along its life line.

There were capsules and capsules of streaming video that showed themoffering water and refreshments to people stranded on SV Road and theEastern and Western Express Highways.

There were captures of students of Sydenham and SNDT college, who camped at Churchgate station with the sole purpose of offering a bed to thosestranded at the starting node of the life line.

And there was also that memorable grab of people standing patiently infront of KEM Hospital-- all in a serpentine queue, to donate blood. Aresult of which has been a no-shortage syndrome, when it comes to blood atall the hospitals where the injured are being treated or are recuperating.But this is not about all that. And yet, it is about all that and more.

Itis about the sights I saw and the people I met with, while travelling alongthe Western Express Highway to Kandivali yesterday, between 7 in the evening and one in the morning.

It is about that little kid and his grandfather near Dadar, who, perhaps inthe absence of anybody else in the household, took to the streets withbottles of water and packets of biscuits to contribute in whatever way possible in managing the crisis. "Uncle, you must be thirsty," the kid toldme while offering the bottle. A parched me drank gratefully. And I saw inthose eyes no fear. So what did those terrorists think while planting the bomb? That was at least the silent way of making one statement-- "Terror,my foot.!"

It is also about those housewives in front of a housing society near SantaCruz, who were standing with pots of piping tea, water and God only knowswhat else to help those passing by. And they had this board beside them which read "Beyond Borivli, Can Stay'. I was lucky to get a cab, but therewere people who were trying to make it on foot. And they needed succor.Rest. Shelter. It was raining.

It is about the autorickshaw driver, who finally reached me home in theinteriors of Kandivali at 1 in the morning. And refused to take the nightfare, despite being legally empowered to charge extra. "Nahi saab, aaj kibaat alag hai. Aap thik thak ghar pohuj gaye, yeh hi kafi hai," he bade me goodbye at my doorstep.

It is also about the dabbawala who provides me with my dinner everyday. Hisshop is near the Borivli station, where there was one of the biggest blastsat 6:34 in the evening. Yet, at one o clock in the morning, the dabba was here.
waiting at my doorstp to be picked up. It didn't need a note. The piping hot food at such an unearthly hour said it all.

The terrorists succeeded in synchronising a series of blasts that stoppedthe Mumbai lifeline for somewhere around seven hours. That was all thatthey achieved on 7/11. The trains were back on track by 1:30 in the morning and they plied all through the night. I wonder if the masterminds willconsider this before planning their next attack. I would urge them to-- ifthis reaches any one of them-- to rethink. After all, what did a year of planning, six months of smuggling dangerous explosives, extensive netwroking and crores achieve at the end-- arond 200 lives and just seven hours of disruption? In the deal they united more than they dreamt to rip apart.

And by the way, I did not spot any member of the celebrated Readers' Digestsurvey team yesterday on the roads. Or perhaps they were there--reconsidering their statement.

I request whoever receives this, to forward it to as many people aspossible. At least that way, we will build an opinion against these aceless faces of terror--

Sudip Ghosh
Deputy Editor
Medianet
Times of India,
Mumbai