World | India

Mumbai joins hands in show of solidarity

Thousands of people, including many children, link together around the sites of devastating terror attacks.

  • By Pamela Raghunath, Correspondent
  • Published: 14:05 December 12, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: AP
  • The chain, broken at several points, made its way from the Taj Mahal Hotel in south Mumbai.
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Mumbai: A city hit hard by terror again came together to show a united front against violence, forming a human chain for peace across the length and breadth of the troubled city, with the young participating in large numbers.

Hundreds of schoolchildren came out of their class rooms to join the show of solidarity. The human chain, held for 12 minutes at 12 noon on the 12th day of the 12th month, gave clear message to the government to pull up its socks.

Eighth class students Anaisha Shah and Mitali Shroff from St. Gregorios High School in Chembur said how, they were scared and shaken seeing the horrific images of the attacks on TV.

Students' views

Standing along the Sion-Trombay Road, it was obvious the human chain was not just a break from lessons for these youngsters.

"This is a peace chain to awaken the government and tell authorities how protection of our lives and security is important for all citizens," said Anaisha. Her friend, Mitali added, "Even after all this has happened, the government has not pulled up its socks."

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Siddhant Bansal, 13, was determined to be part of the human chain to "show people we care for peace. We must raise our voice against what happened during Mumbai's siege." The youngster believes "there should be unity amongst people so that they can work together for peace."

His friend Dhaval Mohandas, 14, is convinced that "we children can do something for peace. Why can't we?" he asks. Though disturbed by the scenes of violence on TV, all of them feel the terrorists have been brainwashed. "They don't know what is right or wrong," says Dhaval. In Mitali's view, "They are not born terrorists but wrongly influenced by some people." Anaisha joins in, "That is why there should be a clamp down on these camps that train terrorists. That is the only way to stop them."

Peace

The children are grateful that their school regularly holds peace activities and projects. On December 5, the school held a peace march. The school's prinicipal, Ranjini Krishnaswamy, says, "We want our students to become ambassadors of peace.

"We must put a closure to the activities against terror. We don't want to constantly talk about terrorism."

Over 100 non-governmental organisations, as well as school and college students, teachers, office-goers, housewives, young mothers, elderly men and women as well as the staff of the terror-hit hotels, linked up from South Mumbai where the terror attacks took place to the fishermen's colony in Cuffe Parade where the terrorists landed.

Amidst the demand for aggressive action, the human chain represented the voice of the silent majority wanting nonviolent options to tackle terrorism.

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