Mumbai blasts

What a night of close shaves!
Thank you everyone for your messages of concern.

Every evening, I take the fast train- a Borivali local or Virar fast from Platform number 3 or 4 in Churchgate as Im too impatient to take a slow train. Yesterday, I took a slow train back home from work as I wanted to accompany a colleague travelling by the first class general compartment to the doctors.

I took the train at 6:10 to Andheri and it travelled normally to Dadar station where it halted. After a call from a journalist cousin to say that the first blasts had happened in Mira Road and Bhayendar- the phonelines were jammed.
My colleague and I got off Dadar station and tried to get a cab in the pouring rain for around 45 minutes. Finally- after a little extra bribing- we got a cab.
There were diversions everywhere and the news channels in action in the middle of the crouds.
Slowly the networks cleared- and calls and messages started coming in- 4 blasts, no 5..no 7, or was it 8- there was misinformation everywhere.

When we reached Mahim church at around 2245h hours, our tyres were punctured so we decided to walk. Finally, at Lucky restaurant in Bandra, we stopped for a meal. After that, we were hailed a rickshaw by some good samaritians.
What was really overwhelming was the outpouring of public compassion- there were little kids on the street, women, old men offering water, glucose biscuits, and food to the people stuck in the traffic jam on the streets.

While passing a fishing village in Mahim, the fishermen from the villages offered us dinner that they had made in large quanities for passengers stuck on the roads.

While my condolences go out to all those unfortunate people who were affected by this cowardly act,it really made me think,good and evil can coexist everywhere in such close proximity. Whoever orchestrated these blasts- Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Christian, terrorist- you can destroy property, life- but you cant destroy compassion and goodness- as much as you try.

What a week it has been for us in the city- last week there were the flooding rains, on Sunday- the stupid riots, and now this.But its not enough to break the spirit of the city.

For latest news on this situation, this is an up- to- date link:
http://www.ndtv.com/breakingnews/default.asp?refno=712200610911PM