[Assam] GE's Welch; & Mumbai: Business as Usual - murders notwithstanding

[umesh sharma]

Hi,
 
It seems that Mumbai is chugging along as usual - world media notwithstanding. While the hostage crisis was going on we were watching CNN-IBN online at 3am EST (India 1pm)and saw that outside a govt office there was firing. A childhood friend of mine had moved to Mumbai and he worked in one of its branches. I called his home - hoping he would have a day off (it was the first morning after the night attack). His maid servant informed that he was not home. Then called his phone. He was in his office. Business as usual. He works for India's treasury. Asked what was he doing while firing was going on outside his office. He replied - back to work as usual - like everyone else. Then he told others that a friend from the US is telling me that there is some firing outside our office. Yes , the TV report was about firing outside his office. They were all watching TV too - in the office.
 
15 minutes later the TV apologized that it was just rumor - no firing in trains or outside the office etc. 
I was shocked to see everyone going to work - in trains - while gun firing was going on - for next two days in the heart of the city.
 
Today, my brother called at 12 noon (10pm India) that he had just returned from Mumbai ( I think the last time he went was with me - to attend my Marathi MBA classmate's wedding in 2000 (I was the only one who attended from our batch though there were 3 others in the city). Then we had also boarded the ferry from Gateway of India outside the Taj Mahal Hotel - our first sea ride - to go to Elephanta caves.  I had taken along 1 teenaged niece and two nephews (both about 10). It was a memorable experience. Then we had some Chinese noodles at a Hong Kong eatery served by real Chinese guys. 
Today he informed that the younger of the two nephews (now 18) had been murdered. No not by terrorists. about 5 days after the hostage crisis (Dec2). My aunt's family seems jinxed - this is the third unnatural death in the family. One of my cousin's died in a car accident while partying with college friends. Then a nephew got struck down by a car while running out of his apartment complex. Now this. 
 
I think it was a prank gone wrong. He was tied up by his close friends (also from same community - same last name Sharma) and blindfolded. Told it was for a photo shoot for some movie portfolio. Someone struck him on the head - he died. Then tried to get rid of the body but got scared when they saw the police searching for terrorists. Dropped the boy's body alongwith the car and ran.
 
It seems Mumbai is getting back to its feet. Some citizens are emulating the terrorists. Some are doing their regular job - uderworld who supplied weapons to terrrorists must be busy with business as usual.
 
Perhaps civil society would rise above banners and posters and use Right To Info Act to take the security monitoring - about policing the police - and arming the army. Even in other cities.
 
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_50/b4112000702712.htm
 
 
Any comments?
 

Umesh Sharma

Washington D.C. 

1-202-215-4328 [Cell]

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info)

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info)




www.gse.harvard.edu/iep (where the above 2 are used )
http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/



http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/