De-Spirit of Mumbai?

Bombay was bombed in 1993. I was three then. That set up the tone in which I would hear of the place for years to come. People talk of the so called Maximum City with a measured excitement and a palpable sense of fear.

Being a person on the otherside of the glass, I've always viewed Mumbai as a place of extreme possibilities and adventures, with constant fear for life thrown-in in good measure.

I've always wanted to go there, still do.

And nothing will change that.

Over the years, I have seen many a blasts, attacks on the city, and everytime, the politicos express their grief for families of the affected, and hail the Mumbai Spirit.

Mumbai Spirit....

I see the faces of people, children- crying, parents-shattered.

Is that what you call spirit?

I see people dragging themselves to work, affording a loose smile when they see the camera. It seems they come out in the open not because they want to, but because they have to.

I see people who seem to have realised that only they can help themselves and their families. I see people who have lost faith on people at helm.

Is this the spirit of Mumbai?

I dont think so. Perhaps it is the spirit of humanity slowly draining away from the hearts and faces of the people of the Maximum City....