The Day After - Mumbai Is Back

As I came to office today, it was normal. Well, almost.

There was just a hint of wariness in people's eyes. Every time it would rain or every time it seemed like there was a traffic jam, the 'tension level' in the bus would rise distinctly.

But looking outside the roads, it didn't feel like Mumbai actually went through the situation that it did. The only sign of something having gone wrong was the number of abandoned vehicles parked in all directions, some in the middle of the road, some on the sides.

All of them in varying states of being stripped...stripped for parts by scavengers.

I got to office, and a few people had turned up. The general tone is one of dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction with the authorities, and with other people. Everyone seemed to say the same thing - the middle class and the upper middle class tended to stay away...away from helping others in distress. On the other hand, the so-called 'poorer' people went out of the way to help stranded pedestrians. They dispensed water, biscuits and vada pao etc to those stuck on the roads.

As if the torrential rains were not enough, rumours of a tsunami had a field day. People rushed out of their houses in the western suburbs after tidal waves started crashing in. To make matters worse, these people were totally cut off as there was no electricity and the phone lines/cell networks were down. So while various news channels kept flashing messages that the rumours were.. well, rumours, the people who needed to hear/see it didn't have access. The result - stampedes and more people killed... for nothing.

Things were not exactly better with the fire on the high seas crippling ONGC and India's crude production. More lives lost, more setbacks.

2005 doesn't seem to be a great year for India after all. Yet. Wonder what's next..