Cogito Ergo, Sum: July 2011

Of Terror and Twitter…#MumbaiBlasts #Here2Help

July 13^th, 2011. Dallas, TX

Another hot day began with morning meetings and humdrum. There are some days when you feel you are sleepwalking through your schedule. One such day, today was disturbed by a newsflash on my phone – “CNN: Atleast 13 dead as blasts rock Mumbai”. It was a jolt.

You must be thinking I am overreacting or making it up for the sake of writing a blog. These things keep happening. Not true. Not true for today.

I felt a jolt. I felt pain and anger and helplessness. Called up few close friends and family members … felt relieved to know they were fine. But the pain did not go away. I could not walk away laughing on this matter this time.

I instantly logged on to twitter. For quite some time now, I feel I prefer reading news and reactions, sometimes news-in-making, analysis, thoughts, provocations and brickbats on this social networking medium. It is interesting to see how powerful these 140 characters are and the connections they create. I follow several news channels, their reporters, media people, the behind-the-scenes people and sometimes their friends and of course my friends. It is an influential medium and you get to read first-hand sometimes politically ‘incorrect‘ views. For me it is a part of analyzing the society. It gives me the power to sit at the corner in a party with a drink and just observe people without being asked for a dance.

Not digressing any further, when I logged on to twitter today, it was full of information such as various hotline numbers for hospitals, blood donation camps, police stations, and individuals offering for help in anyway. Here are a few which I would remember forever –

“gsurya: Rare Bloodgroup A-ve, ready to go anywhere in Mumbai, call #### #Blood #Donor #MumbaiBlasts #Here2Help”

“@sidin : Taxi go off by midnight. Plan accordingly. #MumbaiBlasts #Here2Help”

“@JoyDas: People who need2b dropped plz mention area names ex Bandra to andheri Easier to coordinate #here2help”

“@gorakhargosh: You’d be lucky if you found my blood group AB-ve here.0.2% population.Please call if you need me #Here2Help”

“@Netra: if you cnt reach ur loved on call me on 022-22### I will read your msgs on air 107.1FM #mumbaiblasts”

“@localteaparty: plz RT google docs spreadsheet contacts of people willing to help #mumbaiblasts #here2help”

“RT @venkatananth:@davidleetandy needs help American family of 5 in need of car or taxi from S Mumbai to IC colony”

“@Sidin: YAY RT @RakeshTheKumar: @Sidin it has been taken care of. The American family is safe please read the timeline of @davidleetandy”

Tears roll down as I type this. These are the real humans. They did not need a ‘being human’ t-shirt and they were not doing it for popularity. They made sure they did not show their anger and lost their sensibility. The real heroes who were helping in such a great way, The real well-educated Indians using their education to make a change. It was this moment – the society was witnessing the power of social media and the change it brought in the society. I am proud that I live in the same time as these real people. I am proud that they are who they are. I am proud that they did not plan candlelit marches or shower twitter with abuses for the politicians at that moment. They helped. They were out there and they helped. They set an example and they made their lives meaningful. I feel even more small and even more insignificant now than ever. I bow down to people like @Joydas, @Sidin @localteaparty @Netra @GSurya, @PapaCJ and so many of you who were really out there today.

The so-called ‘spirit’ of Mumbai – was out there. It hurts me to talk about this spirit though. It is an insult to Mumbaikars. So what is the deal huh? They have this spirit so you test and crush it? How dare any Manmohan Singh, any Chidambaram, any Sushma Swaraj, any Sonia Gandhi, any Rahul Gandhi appeal people to keep a ‘united face’. How dare they speak? Isn’t it enough that they have collectively got us here -where our innocent civilians are losing their lives every single day?

Terror and the people who play the game of terror are cowards. No youth icon is going to change it. Icons are the people who were here on Twitter today and who I have been reading for a while now, who have the potential to bring in that change. I urge all of you to root for a cleanup in politics. To start afresh and to start rooting for real people who have suggestions and ideas to build the real India.

Thanks Twitter… Thanks Tweeple …. Thanks you real Mumbaikars and Real Indians who set a real example today…. Thanks for everything.

For all those of you who have been affected, if this can be any help –

@JoyDas Joy

Updated List of Area wise people offering help http://t.co/UfSqHzN . Accomodation / Drop / Hospital Numbers included

@PapaCJ Papa CJ

Hospitals: KEM (022-24136051), Nair (022-23085379), Harkishandas (23855555 / 30095555), Saifee (22 6757 0111)

PapaCJ Papa CJ

Police Control Room #Mumbai 22621855 22621983, 22625020, 22641449, 22620111 etx 100

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Of Terror and Twitter…#MumbaiBlasts #Here2Help

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