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Dubai: Appalled by images of the Taj Palace and Trident Oberoi Hotel burning, innocent victims being shot, and commandos and top police officers losing their lives, two Dubai-based Indian expatriates have decided to act instead of sitting glued in front of their television sets.
The pair resolved that they needed to do something to show their solidarity with those who suffered as a result of the tragic events in Mumbai.
"We decided to have T-shirts printed with the slogan 'Mumbai United.' This is one way of showing that we care and are with those who lost their lives," said Chitra Jayabalan, who works in a bank.
Jayabalan pooled her money with friend Prateek Chaudhary and others and printed T-shirts that have proved to be an instant hit.
"The initial 200 T-shirts were distributed free of charge but as the demand increased we have printed 500 more. We are not charging anything for the T-shirts," she said.
She and her friends said it had been extremely heart-rending to be powerless spectators as the horrific events unfolded.
Jayabalan said she got tired of either being perched in front of her television set or working the phone to stay up to date with proceedings.
"We have wondered why, with alarming regularity, our beloved city of Mumbai, the city that never sleeps, has been put to test time and again," she said.
Chaudhary's brother has also begun distributing the T-shirt in Mumbai.
According to Chaudhary, Mumbai is not a city to cower in fear or mope over its losses.
"It will take a lot more than spineless acts by a misguided few to break its spirit ... that is, if it can ever be broken at all," he said.
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