Filed under: Cynthia Chandran | Tags: attacks, Mumbai, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, terrorists
“I no longer want to see India as I feel it is unsafe anymore”. Randeep Hooda, a British born Indian and an undergraduate student in University of Westminster had never been to India and were planning to visit Mumbai during Christmas holidays.
Mr.Hooda’s sentiments clearly bring out the frustration about the 26/11 attacks. Like Mr.Hooda, there are several Indian students in the University of Westminster’s Harrow campus appalled at the terrorist’s attacks in Mumbai. Majority of them criticised the Indian government’s failure to pre-empt the attack and the time taken to flush out the terrorists.
The 26/11 attacks have killed more than 170 people and scores of people injured. Two of Mumbai’s best five star hotels, Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi Trident, a posh café, Leopold and a busy railway station were the few places the terrorists had struck.
Anxious moments at the Oberoi Trident Hotel.
Photograph with special permission from Indiavision News Channel.
One of the Master’s student who is doing Public Relations in Westminster, Misha Bothra were literally on tenterhooks as her close friend who was working as a jewellery designer with Thribhuvandas Bhimji Zaveri (TBZ) showroom in Taj was trapped for more than 24 hours.
“Nidhi Thakker was getting married next week and the day the terrorists struck was her last working day at the shop and she escaped from the gallows of death very narrowly”.
Nidhi had to hide under a jewellery display table until the National Security Guards (NSG) stormed in to save her and her colleagues.
Nidhi and her friends were led to the front of the hotel and put in a bus safely. She had severe leg cramps due to the crouching posture and was glad to take in fresh air.
Venting out the frustrations
Sanjay Singh, a computer animation undergraduate student echoed his sentiments, “No matter what the terrorists do to terrorise people, I being a Mumbaiker will move on with my life. I want all terrorists to be shot dead without giving them a chance democratically”.
Meanwhile, Mumbai returned to normal track with markets and schools opening and heavy traffic on the streets.
The violence, which began on Wednesday night, finally ended on Saturday morning, when Indian troops killed the last of the gunmen at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel.
Filed under: Cynthia Chandran | Tags: 'Border', Anand Patwardhan, attacks, Indo-Pak war of 1971, Kargil war, titles, Vilasrao Deshmukh
The whole world was glued to their telly for almost 60 hours of watching the Mumbai attacks last month which killed at least 170 people. The news channels in India and abroad had marathon running of the attacks.
The viewers were literally punching on their remote control of the television sets to watch the best liveliest action. India’s film makers are well known for re-adapting true incidents in to films. According to BBC, 20 film titles are waiting for approval for possible movies based on the Mumbai attacks. This is not the first time that movies based on terror are being made.
Bollywood film industry was reeling under poor records at the box office for the films that were made earlier. The 26/11 attacks has come as a fresh lease of life to at least some of the film makers.
BBC reports that the possible film titles are ‘Taj Terror, ‘Operation Cyclone’ and 26/11- Mumbai under Terror’ et al. However, some might feel that it is inhuman to recreate the tragedy, which have affected hundreds of people alike.
“It always happens. People jump on every tragedy. It is like ambulance chasing,” says Anand Patwardhan, well known documentary film maker to BBC. Mr.Patwardhan is famous for his controversial documentary film, ‘Ram Ke Naam’ (In The Name of God).
The documentary brought out the gruesome reality behind the Ram Janma Bhoomi-Babri Masjid issue, which unfolded during BJP (Bharathiya Janatha Party) leader, L K Advani’s ‘rathyatra’.
When the Kargil war (1999) had taken place between India and Pakistan, there were hundreds of casualties. Then people realised the hardships of soldiers guarding the borders against enemies from across the border. The Kargil conflict was also made in to films in different languages in India.
J.P.Dutta, a Bollywood film maker came out with ‘Border’ in 1997, a well enacted film on the Indo- Pak war of 1971. It is feared that the misery of the people affected by war or the terrorist attacks are exploited, which is true.
Grave Mistake
The former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh had run in to controversy during the Mumbai attacks. He was accompanied by Ram Gopal Varma, a Bollywood film maker and his own actor son, Riteish Deshmukh, to Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi Hotels.
The citizens of Mumbai and the political brass could not digest this and finally, he had to tender his resignation.
It is not known whether Ram Gopal Varma is having any plans to make any film on the Mumbai attacks. His films are synonymous for slick thrillers like ‘Satya’ and ‘Company on the underworld.
Ten terrorists had struck on 26th November at Mumbai’s Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Oberoi Hotel, Leopold Café and other important places, which went on for almost 60 hours of battle. Several foreigners were also killed in the attacks.
So, will the cash box in the Indian theatres be piling? Will these films bring good news for the Bollywood film industry? Let’s wait for the drama to unfold…..
Filed under: Cynthia Chandran | Tags: attacks, BJP, Elections, Kashmir, UPA
In India, counting of votes for State elections is scheduled to take place on 8 December, except in Kashmir where votes will be tallied on 28 December. State assembly elections were held in six States over the last few weeks.
Critics and media pundits are looking forward to the results. Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Mizoram had gone to the polls.
Parliamentary elections are due in the first half of next year and the state polls are expected to give a sense of how the electorate may vote then.
The ruling Congress government at the centre and the main opposition party, Bharathiya Janatha Party (BJP) were equally confident of getting majority of the seats. But post 26/11 attacks; it is doubtful who will have an upper hand.
Only Chattisgarh had gone to the electoral fray before the Mumbai attacks. After the attacks, Indians all over the country had held large demonstrations directing their anger at the politicians. The politicians had come under fire from the media and the pubic alike, regardless of whether they were from the ruling Congress or the BJP.
I feel skeptical that the public outcry would not spur any change in the political establishment. The voting percentage was badly affected, even though the government took extra efforts to have the citizens cast their votes.
Jolt from the blue
The Congress government was literally taken aback by the Mumbai attacks and their inefficiency in tackling the attacks were bared before the public. This had ruined the image of the government very badly.
Hence the ruling party was very desperate to put the fault on across the border, even before concrete evidence could be known. In a way, the government is trying to put the blame on Pakistan in order to have face saving measures.
Even before the attacks, the people were disappointed with the government due to inflation. The price of fuel and other essential commodities were hiked without any logic.
The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had cut down the fuel price only few days back and the rate were not controlled even when the international price had decreased drastically. All this factors are going to be affected very badly in the electoral fray.
The BJP will also be having a tough time as it had created anti nationalist sentiments during the enquiry of Malegaon bomb blasts. However, the BJP has been campaigning for a tougher anti-terror law in response to the terrorist attacks.
It is very unlikely that the BJP can have some stakes on the results.
Polling in Kashmir
Kashmir had a heavy turn out of voters as the people there were keen to see a change in the government and wanted to eradicate militancy. It was held in seven phases. They wanted a stable government, which would be tough towards terrorism.
The people of Kashmir have to wait longer until the end of this month to know about the electoral results. Now it is a matter of few hours to know the outcome of the six state elections.
Photograph with special permission from Indiavision news channel
The dreams of both the parties are going to be shattered very soon. Now both the political parties would have to toil extra hard to get back the people’s confidence and to motivate them to vote them back to power again.
But are the politicians able to understand the change of mind of the voters?
Filed under: Cynthia Chandran | Tags: 1903, attacks, CNN, guests, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
A visit to Mumbai is never complete without a photograph taken underneath the Gateway of India monument. The next best attraction would be posing for a photograph just opposite to the landmark Gateway of India; the imposing red domed The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.
The view is panoramic as it is just opposite to the Arabian Sea. Among the many skyscrapers, Taj was the best in all its grandeur in Mumbai and always had an iconic status among the Mumbaiker’s.
I was shocked to see how the hotel looked after the terrorist attacks. From the television footages, I could see that the carnage was beyond what I had expected, with dead bodies strewn around. The fourth and sixth floors of the hotel have been completely confined to the flames.
It is reported that now the hotel smells of gunpowder and burnt human flesh with blood stains everywhere.
Taj was built almost 105 years ago by a Parsi Industrialist, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, on protest against his entry being denied to the Apollo Hotel, which had a strict Europeans –only policy. According to news agencies, it was built on 1903 to commemorate the arrival of British King George V and his Queen Mary, which had 565 suites.
It had an architecture imposed with grandeur and the Tata group of companies who owns the hotel has sought the help of archeological experts to bring back the old glory.
The bold and the beautiful
The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel had attracted tourists from all around the World. India’s and the World’s elite stayed at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, which was a palace in all means. Notable guests who had stayed there include Queen Elizabeth II, Jackie Onassis, Beatle star John Lennon, Mick Jagger et al.
Visiting overseas cricket teams used to stay at the Taj during international matches in Mumbai. The England team had stayed there at the beginning of the current series and was expected to return back to Taj for the now cancelled Mumbai test match.
According to the Tata group of Hotels Chairman, Ratan Tata, it will take more than one year to bring back the past glory of the hotel. The damage caused to the hotel is beyond expectations and the loss estimated is five hundred billion rupees.
In an interview with CNN, Ratan Tata shared the details of the meeting he had with the general manager of the hotel who lost his entire family in the attack. When Tata conveyed the sorrow for the great loss the reply he got from his general manager was ‘Sir, we are going to beat this. We are going to build this Taj back into what it was. We’re standing with you. We will not let this event take us down.’
I was speechless with grief towards the gentleman’s brevity.
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