Although I am an Indian born outside my country, I have retained strong ties to my family and homeland. Relatives always ensured I stayed true to my roots by encouraging me to engage in Indian culture by, for example, memorizing the national anthem among other things.
Watching the live television coverage of the Mumbai attacks broke my heart. Suddenly Mumbai, normally a place where people can walk freely and safely until the early hours of the morning, was a haven for terrorists and looked like a warzone.
These attacks proved to be the worst kind of terrorism, claiming lives of civilians unprepared for death and uprooting anger and pain for the families left behind with the victims. When the militants took hostages, in reality they were taking most of us hostage with the word "terror".
What constitutes terror is really in the eye of the beholder. When my car stops at a red traffic light, I am instilled with fear knowing that my side mirror could be stolen again. I fidget, watching out restlessly for those non-discriminating "terrorists" who could at any moment rush my car and seize their prize.
Parking in a street controlled by unofficial tukang parkir (parking attendants) can create terror if they are not paid the right amount. If you do not give them a tip, you can bet your car will undergo a minor makeover.
And if you happen to drive your car in an empty street and get a flat tire, be prepared for a little dose of terror.
It is common to find nails deliberately thrown onto smaller quiet roads and have your tires blow up. Within seconds of this occurring, you've got unwanted company who claim to be experts on the matter.
My friend calls the Lehman brothers the *financial terrorists'. Their tactic was unique because they did not have to use bullets or bombs to inflict pain upon their victims. All they needed was numbers on a piece of paper.
With the markets in turmoil and poverty on the rise, will this draw more recruits into the chaos of the world?
The men who burst in at the Taj and Oberoi hotels with their AK47's must have agreed to the job for a more than a decent price.
I wonder if their sacrifice was for the sake of family or something more sinister.
The future has a big question mark hanging over it. I think we should ponder about who the real enemy is. Is it a neighbor or a group with a common enemy, trying to steal peace and harmony in our world!
--Aruna Harjani
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