This is the second time that I have been caught up in a major disaster and to be honest, I am feeling very shaky.
Inspite of the massive difference in surroundings there have been uncanny similarities with the bomb explosion at Ganeshguri Market, Dispur few years back where I was shopping on that fatal day.The same bewildered _expression_ of innocent people stunned by sudden horror. The same creeping realisation that people are dead and dying.
I can't believe that such barbarism should come the day after the national euphoria at winning the Olympics. It is desperately sad. And especially when G8 Summit of world leaders gathered for its mission to make poverty history.Terrorist on this earth don't care about anyone. Their killing is indiscriminate. Edgeware Road is full of Arabs, Aldgate has many Asians and predominately Muslims. How our earth anybody can really believe that God is pleased with this, that killing innocent people will earn them a place in Heaven. Every act of terrorism in the name of religion is wrong and does damage to those practising it.
Walking down Oxford street you feel like you are in Park street, Chowringee, Kolkata. The Salwar Kameeze is as ubiquitous as the cropped top jeans ensemble and you can hear as many snatches of Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi and Bengali as you do of English. This is an example of that much vaunted British multiculturalism.It is not just holidaying that appeals. When rich non-resident Indians -- whether it's L.N. Mittal or Naresh Goyal -- have to choose a baseout of where to operate it's always London that makes the cut.
Partly of course it is that our easy familiarity with English makes it much easier to work and live here. But also the pace of life here is much more civilised when compared to say the frenetic energy of New York.Small wonders then that London has become the spiritual home away from home for most of us. It's the Indian punters who are the high rollers and it's their money that keeps the tills ringing. The British may have colonised us for several centuries. But it's taken us only a few deceased to take over their capital and make it our own.
British are the most tolerant nation in the world. And it is the best country to live in. We knew after 9/11 then Madrid and next us but do not know when.For a few blissful hours we were the envy of the world, the place to be. Britain was the double winner that had staged the inmensely successful Live 8 concert and became the winner of hosting the 2012 Olympics. Thursday atrocities in London once more brought out the best of Britain.
I salute the heroes of the Ambulance Services, the paramedics, the police, the fire brigade, doctors and nurses who gave of themselves to save life.Rini Kakati
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