I would have liked to review “Superman Returns” that I watched at the IMAX Dome on Monday night. I would have liked to talk about how absolutely gorgeous Brandon Routh is, how delicious his eyes are, how similar he looks to Christopher Reeve (which to me is obviously the prime reason he got the part).
I would have liked to comment on the defacing of Bal Thackeray’s wife’s statue on Sunday. How something comparatively trivial like that can make the Shiv Sena rile so many people into committing unbelievable acts of vandalism, destroying so much property, injuring so many people and creating so much havoc. How instead of trying to diffuse the situation, the RSS created more communal disharmony by stating (TOI) that incidents like these are caused because of the Muslim community and because churches were built by the Portuguese and we should get India back to being a land for the Hindu.
On Monday there were so many things I would have liked to say, to comment upon, to rant about.
But Tuesday has left me, and everyone in the whole of Mumbai city, a different human being.
The people of Mumbai suffered yet another grave tragedy, one which was so eerily reminiscent of the tragedy on 12th March ‘93. Then, 13 bombs strategically placed all over the city went off one after the other leaving people in a state of confusion and panic. This time it was 8 bombs on the busiest railway line, the Western Railway during peak hours, just when everyone was returning home tired after another long day’s work.
I got to hear of today’s blasts through a phone call before the lines got jammed. I sat with my mum and watched, our hands shaking ever so slightly as we changed from one TV channel to the next, as the blasts increased in number from 3 to 4 to 5 and so on until it numbered 8. We watched in horror the bloodstained compartment walls of the blown up railway stations. We stared in compassion and anguish at the ones who had been injured, blood flowing freely out of their head, legs, everywhere; the repeated footage doing nothing to ease our angst.
Hundreds had died. More who had been injured and possibly would succumb to those injuries…
The tragedy of today’s bomb blasts has left everyone in our city of Mumbai shaking. There are so many questions, so much pain, so little sense to it all.
And yet through the insanity of it all, there is one small ray of hope – the reaction of the people, the common man of Mumbai.
The common man found the strength to call his family and friends and warn them about the situation before the lines got jammed. The common man got out of his home and helped those who were injured, bleeding, many whose limbs had been blown up. Each TV channel had a different set of people at the railway station all saying the same thing – the railway staff & the police may not have come to their rescue, but the common man did.
If you asked me on Monday who the new Superman was, I would have said “Brandon Routh”. Ask me today and this is what I’ll tell you:
* Superman is the man who got bed sheets from his train-side slum home and carried half-dead first class passengers into ambulances.
* Superman is the man who didn’t realize his own bloodstained shirt while he helped his other more seriously injured fellow travelers.
* Superman is the man who stood on the roads in the dark partially rainy night and offered water and biscuits to people stranded in hours of jammed road traffic.
* Superman is the man who donated blood at the hospitals.
* Superman is the man who rushed to do anything, everything, for anyone he saw. He wasn’t wondering what community the injured were from… he subconsciously realized that there was no distinction between Hindu or Muslim or Catholic or Parsi; that all lives are equally important.
In the movie ‘Superman Returns’ the character Lois Lane wins a Pulitzer Prize for her article titled “Why the World doesn’t need Superman”.
I’ll tell you why Mumbai doesn’t – because the Common Man on the Road in Mumbai is Superman.
If any city can get over the tragedies we have faced one after another, be it natural disasters, politically created disharmony or brutal acts of terrorism, we can.
We can Mumbai. We’re a city of Supermen.
Edited, 12th July, the day after:
* My heartfelt condolences to the family of Mr. Jitendra Nagar, Taj Land’s End, Engineering Manager whose life was lost in one of the blasts.
* I also thank my close friend K. Battiwala of Yashmun Engineers Ltd. – when I spoke to him today morning I found out that he had already sent nearly 100 people from his company to donate blood.
I was so touched and inspired by his initiative that I spoke to my boss and got our company to encourage everyone to do the same & offered a small monetary incentive to each of our employees who give blood. I’ve also called up a couple of other friends who own their own businesses to encourage employees to donate blood. I believe each of us can make a difference in our own way if we try – do try.
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July 12th, 2006 at 4:23 pm
And they said Mumbai was rude!
July 12th, 2006 at 4:27 pm
July 12th, 2006 at 8:21 pm
Well, and today’s Economic Times reported that the opposition has done the expected. In the midst of the riots they are blaming the government and asking it to resign.
Talk about politicians even making use of suffering for their own personal gain.
July 12th, 2006 at 11:03 pm
Will this madness ever end? But I salute the spirit of Mumbai
100% attendance at my office today
~Noojes
July 12th, 2006 at 11:48 pm
The images on TV were too painful and disturbing to watch.I can only imagine the nightmarish conditions on the trains.I was at Andheri st. at around 6:35 …kind of surreal being there and scary.
But the people of Bombay showed exemplary kindness and generosity even in the face of extreme adversity.
As you so rightly put it,Supermen.
I only hope that our government tracks down the terrorist org responsible for these despicable acts.Under no circumstances should our beloved India become a “soft” target for terrorists!!!
July 13th, 2006 at 12:22 am
Amazing post. And more amazing the spirit of Bombay.
It’s really heartenin to see the city get back to its feet so quickly (no thanks to the local politicos… Boo to them)
My condolences to all the people that suffered through this tragedy.
July 13th, 2006 at 12:25 am
Btw, I hear the Western railway is up and running already? The spirit of the Mumbaikar at work. Fantastic.
July 13th, 2006 at 5:07 pm
well said, Mel. lovely post!
July 14th, 2006 at 1:40 am
Happpy Birthday Girl!!!
*Prays that all the research that went into determining the date was not in vain*
Have a great day….and here is wishing you a great year ahead!!!
July 14th, 2006 at 9:01 am
Wishing you a bounty of blessings on your birthday and throughout the year. Happy Birthday Melody.(thank you Alex for the heads up)
July 14th, 2006 at 9:03 am
Wishing you a bounty of blessings on your birthday and throughout the year. Happy Birthday Melody.
(thank you Alex for the heads up)
July 14th, 2006 at 9:04 am
Wishing you a bounty of blessings on your birthday and throughout the year. Happy Birthday Melody.
(thank you Alex for the heads up)
July 14th, 2006 at 10:04 am
and they call it the spirit of mumbai.. its more the lack of spirit in the administration which binds the cities denizens together, in a way i dont think any other city binds its ppl.
and if indeed today be ur bday.. happy bday.. one more year older
July 15th, 2006 at 4:32 pm
Birthday! Wow! Happy BirthDay!
July 15th, 2006 at 7:35 pm
Awww.. one year older, are we?
Happy b’day Mel!
July 16th, 2006 at 1:49 am
Hiyo ..was it ur birthday?.. belated happy bday melody.
July 17th, 2006 at 9:47 am
innocent lives lost..ppl returning home from work to be with their family…loved ones…
God where are you??
July 17th, 2006 at 6:00 pm
@ Noojes: Thx again for the call darling
@ Andrew: Praise God you’re alright. Know a lot of people who didn’t make it. Know what you mean about the images on TV being too gory to watch - it was knowing it was all real and so close by that made it quite unbearable.
@ Dev: Glad you liked the post. And yes, the spirit of Mumbaikars has shone even through the disaster. And YES, though I’m late in replying to your comments, early morning the next day (12th)- one day before you asked, the trains were up and running.
@ Saltwater Blues: Thx dear. Hope you’re doing good.
@ Alex:
Thx darling… glad I got you to pray even if for such a silly reason 
And yes, you’re absolutely spot on with the date. Will post next why I haven’t been around.
@ Mario: Thx so much
@ gps: Perhaps… but the citizens deserve a pat on their back (at the very least) whatever the reason they’re bound together. And thank you for the wishes!
@ Vijay: Merci merci!
@ Dev: No claims on becoming wiser, but older, yes
Thx!
@ Reshma: Yup, t’was! Merci!
@ Mehak: It is a tragedy - but I don’t think we can or should blame God… the people behind such deeds - even if they think theyre doing this for holy reason are definetely not working on the prompting of God
July 17th, 2006 at 8:27 pm
well i am not blaming God…
just asking HIM…where are you ??
July 26th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
a very touching post …
July 26th, 2006 at 10:37 pm
@ Aparna: Thx.. I sent this post as an email to everyone in my address book (about 200 ppl at least) and so many of them forwarded it to everyone in their books (many including me, so I know) and I think this post has definitely made it’s way around the world. Probably faster than Superman would have..
October 7th, 2006 at 2:50 am
Brandon did a pretty good job in Superman Returns! But I don’t like the movie. The original was much better.
October 7th, 2006 at 11:11 am