Comic books, art on Mumbai attacks

Mumbai: Fancy a painting depicting the horror of last November's attacks in Mumbai? How about a comic book with superheroes taking on the Islamist militants, or a coffee mug or music album as a tribute to the victims?

On the first anniversary of the attacks that killed 175 people, alongside the prayer meetings and candlelight vigils, are art shows, music launches, book deals and movies in the making, even tours of the sites by enterprising cab drivers and guides.

"Something changed, something was lost in those three days, and we wanted to capture that," Jasmine Shah Varma, who curated an art exhibition titled ‘Nothing Will Ever Be The Same Again', said.

Works at the gallery, near the Taj Mahal Hotel that was attacked, included an oil on canvas of a gun-toting silhouette in red, and photographs of sinister masks on a beach, a reference to the 10 militants who came in a dinghy.

"After November 2008, the romanticised notion of Mumbai's seafront has changed. Now it reminds us of the terror that came via the sea," said Varma.

There are other reminders that one can wear, carry or drink from — ‘Forever Bombay' necklaces, with shiny threads and beads twisted to resemble the dome of the Taj Mahal Hotel that was attacked, as well as Mumbai handbags, with tassels and prints.

No stranger

Mumbai is no stranger to bomb attacks, but the emotional and commercial outpouring since last November is unprecedented.

Enterprising cab drivers and guides, who once offered Shantaram and Slumdog Millionaire tours, when the book and movie were hugely popular with tourists, now hawk 26/11 tours, with commentary of the police officer who fought a gunman with just his baton, and the nanny who saved the child of a rabbi.

Paying homage

Starting from the fisherman's colony where the 10 militants landed, the tour takes in the Jewish centre, the main train station where gunmen killed the most number of victims, the Trident and Taj Mahal hotels, Cama Hospital and Leopold Cafe."

"All foreign tourists and even locals from remote towns come here. They want to pay homage," said Eric Anthony, manager at the cafe, where holes made by bullets still dot walls and windows.

At Leo's, as it is popularly known, visitors can buy a t-shirt or a book on the attacks.

Mugs made for the anniversary were taken off the shelf after a regional Hindu fundamentalist group protested what it called commercialisation of the attacks.

Lawyer accused of lying

An Indian judge Thursday accused the lawyer of the only surviving Pakistani gunman in last year's Mumbai terror attacks of lying in court and threatened to remove him.

Judge M. L. Tahiliyani said he would rule on the matter today after reviewing a written statement from defence lawyer Abbas Kazmi.

The accusations came exactly one year after the attacks on India's financial hub, which began on November 26 and lasted nearly three days, killing 175 people.

The militants targetted 10 city landmarks including a Jewish center, two five star hotels and a crowded train station. The prosecution says the attacks were masterminded by the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Kazmi represents Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, who is on trial with two Indian co-defendants accused of helping plot the attacks.