Sometimes it becomes so difficult to get the racist out from
inside of us. On Sunday was one example – I was standing by the road waiting
for Jasmine to pick me up. On the side of the road was a car standing. Oddly –
as parking isn’t allowed there. There was no one in the car and I saw that one
of the tyres had a flat. On the Back of the car were the words – Insah Allah. I
wasn’t going to stand anywhere near this
car.
Many years ago, when I was in 12th standard,
Mumbai faced the most devastating terrorist bombing ever. Some 13 bomb blasts
were set off in a span of less than a few hours. That was the first time that Mumbai
was hit thus and everyone now understood what RDX (the explosive used) was. I
passed through two of those spots just in the morning. I was trying to learn
magic with a local magician at Shivaji Park. So I passed Sena Bhavan and Plaza
Cinema that morning and the blasts were at around the afternoon. It was a lucky
miss I guess. One explosion was setoff at the Bombay Stock Exchange. It seems
that in a freak case, one person called up home to say he was safe after the
Exchange blast and that he was coming home, and he was caught in the second
blast at Worli. That was especially sad.
Mumbai has faced more attacks designed to cause terror
since. Once there were a series of train bombings. A friend of mine told me that
he was in the very compartment that was bombed. I felt that too as I used the train
network to travel to work and home. Then there was the really infamous attacks
by armed intruders on the Taj and CST station and The Oberoi hotel amongst others.
My office was in the building right opposite the Oberoi hotel and from there I travelled
to CST station to come home. That day I left at 6 sharp from work. It seems the
attackers were planning to reach CST at 6 pm to cause maximum impact. They were
stuck in traffic and reached by around 7.30. I missed those as well by a
whisker.
In hindsight, if I was around, and hopefully safe, it would
have been an interesting grandfather tale for the kids. Growing up in Mumbai and
witnessing these attacks as well as riots of 1991, a Mumbai man is possibly
hardened compared to most other cities. It hurts less and life goes on as
normal faster than what it possibly would to another. I grew up in interesting
times – riots, bomb blasts, attack and gangsters. Of course – the eighties were
when the gangsters rules. There was an interesting story in the papers or a shootout
or something or the other happening. Things are pretty much silent these days. I
think it was a Chinese Curse that said “may you live in interesting times”. Boring is good!
When I grew up I grew in charged times – the poor Muslim was
an obvious target of religious discrimination. The same way a black male in US
would face suspicion any Muslim male in India would face similar
discrimination. It was us peace loving Hindus versus the fanatical Muslims. It
has been a tough and long journey to conquer this racism and rise above. Its definitely
not easy. I try my best to tell myself
whenever I see myself behaving stupidly – DON’T DON’T . We can’t be propagating
it.
But when I see a car seemingly abandoned in the middle of
the road (especially worli) and it’s got allah written on it in bold. I would
like to wait a little further away. Nicely behind a tree. Ami being safe… Am I being
racist… am !?
