As a child I believed nothing could possibly go wrong in Mumbai. If something did, then the gargoyles at Victoria Terminus (now CST) would come alive, grotesque creatures of massive strength – to counter the evil befallen over the city. The angels would come to life, bright and strong and engulf the city in their protective embrace.

The bombs went off like clockwork. Eleven minutes. Seven bombs. Leaving behind a life full of mourning for some, extreme pain and sadness for the others. The gargoyles still were made of stone, the angels still stayed put, the lions still in their half snarl frozen for eternity.

But Mumbai will still bounce back, she has already. Indeed she is on her feet, strong again, not scared, not looking back.The families which have been destroyed, the limbs that have been lost, the fear in the minds of the children, and the images which will haunt us forever – about that we can do nothing.

Soon that will pass too, and after the forensic investigations, the damaged compartments will stay put in a car shed, perhaps in full view of the public as we pass by. So we will pass them by – lost in thought, lost in conversation, listening to our favorite radio stations, watching the city rush by from our favorite window seats, or hanging out of the train for cheap thrills – until terror strikes yet again.

So wake up people, before its too late again – switch off your televisions. Don’t let the 24×7 news channels make you believe anything. They are merely trying to make a quick buck by increasing their TRPs at the expense of your emotions. If you must believe something, believe it because you have seen it, because you know it. Do not pay heed to the politicans, they are mere opportunists trying to further their political careers on the shoulders of our dead. Do not blame a community, a religion for the terrorist activities for terrorism has no nationality and no religion.

Mourn the dead, but also plan for the future. This attack proves that we have lapsed, something somewhere has gone dreadfully wrong. And we need to see our shortcomings to come up with remedies. We must rely on nobody but ourselves. We must be the angels and the soldiers who will safeguard this city and her people. We must save our city from coming under attack again.

But how do you think we can prevent this from happening again? Any suggestions?