Four bomb blasts in just over a decade, coupled with rising tension over violence on separatist issues, politically orchestrated communal friction and a woeful lack of governance is a recipe for any city to descend into chaos. But Hyderabad is bucking the trend with admirable fortitude. Despite the deeply unsettling atmosphere that pervades the city following the bomb attacks last week, Hyderabadis remain united against the brazen attempt made to rip them apart. It is a remarkable rite of passage for this city which has witnessed decades of divisive governance and repeated attempts by political parties to use its demographics as dry kindling. As an IT hub of India, Hyderabad is also beset with a history that is as glorious as it is contentious, a fact wily politicians and communal villains secretly glory in. But with this show of solidarity, the city has shown that when the system fails, it is the people, rather than the polity, who lead the way in maintaining harmony and order. A lesson both Congress and the BJP need to learn faster than they can point fingers at each other.
