I was far removed from any 'reality' when the bomb blasts happened. I was in the peaceful island of Bintan, in Indonesia, basking in the sun and the warm Chinese Sea. When the blasts in Bangalore were flashed on the internet, it gave us a heavy heart, but we continued partying. The next day, we logged on to follow up on the Bangalore investigations, but instead whet the screen was screaming at us was '17 blasts in Ahmedabad'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The feeling was nothing short of shattered. What is happening to our country?! Aren't we ridden enough with dirt, poverty, diseases, overpopulation, and now this? And why do such things always seem to moslty affect the common guy, out there to earn an extra buck, taking the train to go back to his family, or barely making ends meet. The guy far removed from any agenda other than what to put on his family's plates the next day... I know I sound populist and naive here, but I feel there is complete disconnect between means and ends, as misery is added to more misery. And human life seems to be so cheap...
People due to travel to India were scared... But honestly, today, this could happen anywhere, even in the most developed country. I was in London when the subway and bus blasts happened.
What personally scares me here is that when something similar happens in India, you never know if an ambulance will reach you or not. You don't know what hospital you will be taken to. I am scared of the fact that chaos breeds more chaos. Bodies are being lifted without concern for the kind of injury they have and whether this would make it worst. People are left to fend for themselves and do with whatever resources they have on their disposal. I am sure the police does a great job, but sometimes they just seem so archaic and so pathetically underpaid and undisciplined. Uneducated crowds gather immediately to stare or to help, which completely destroys a lot of evidence. Cameramen step all over each other to get this shot of a torn off leg or arm, or a splatter of blood, which channels will repeat in a loop again and again and again.
What also scares me is the sophistication and arrogance of the attacks - they did not even wait for a few days before hitting Ahmedabad!
