I Was There
It feels really strange to realize that in those few minutes when I was at CCD, just after having felt the bombs; I was there, between two bombed sites, joking, trying to preserve my calm, while people were injured, while they were crying, trying to find their loved ones, while they were witnessing violence, gore, and death. It is a tragedy of unknown proportions…
A tragic end to a day full of twists and turns. Sadness and sorrow fills me as I write this. As I began my day, I had never thought how it will end. I had no clue at all.
September 13th, 2008. New Delhi
8.0 AM
It started with me rushing to my Ahok Vihar office for the monthly strategic review meetings. Had to work on the Marketing Divisions strategic intent and planning and put it across the board. Had just updated Open Coffee Club Delhi in the morning that I shall be attending the OCC Delhi Meet at Café Coffee Day, Outer Circle, CP later in the evening.
At around 12:40, between the series of meetings, got a mail at the OSScamp Community mailing list about the offline Drupal Meet up at Srijan Campus, Nehru Place. God! I was going to miss it as my schedule was already overflowing. I didn’t want to miss it anyway. But that’s what short notices do. No offence.
3.20 PM
Started my presentation. Discussed the various aspects of our brand building exercises, problems we are facing and possible solutions and the ones the marketing team would recommend. A fierce discussion on a new brand identity that needs created. A lot of discussion I wouldn’t want to bore you with. Finally, I was free by 4.15PM.
4.20 PM
I left a note for my boss that I am leaving for the OCC Delhi Meet at CP; an unusual first for me. At the time it felt the right thing to do even when I have never really cared about updating my boss with my every movement. It’s like we have an understanding at OSSCube that if we are doing quality work in stipulated time, it proves that I am a good judge of how to utilize my time and we don’t question each other. My boss doesn’t question me and I don’t question my team. That’s the way it goes. So it puzzled me: why I wanted to leave that note. Obviously, now I can speak a lot about my intuitions and premonitions and other such myths. But that wasn’t it, exactly. Not very easy to understand what it was.
4.35 PM
Trying to get an auto for CP has always been a tough job for me at Ashok Vihar. Finally I got one and I called Satpal to update him about my being late. The problem with unconferences is that people generally don’t take the deadlines very seriously. Or let’s put it correctly, diplomatically: we all are busy people with overflowing schedules; unconferences are just flexible enough to accept such situations. Needless to say, moron me was not the only late guy. But that’s what the game is all about – people coming.
5.11 PM
Some problem at Ramakrishna Ashram. The road was closed. Had to take a detour through Gole Market for CP. A thick jam there due to all the vehicles detouring.
5.20 PM
Finally reached CP. Café Coffee Day, Outer Circle. A few hundred meters from Central Park and Gopal Das Building.
By 6 a lot of people had assembled. Shivaas, Rajiv, Ravi, Satpal, Amit were already there when I had reached. We were soon joined by Sameer, Mayank and Firaas. (I am sorry if I am forgetting someone or remembering the names incorrectly). The first thing I said after the His and Hellos was: “It’s so humid and crowded in here. It would be a better idea to move out to Central Park“. It was a light comment, made in passing and we popped a few jokes at the air conditioning at CCD. 20 minutes later, I was glad we hadn’t seriously contemplated it.
Rajiv was guiding Satpal and Ravi on entrepreneurship in India and feasible venues for such OCC Meets. Another topic of intense interest was bringing OCC Delhi/Gurgaon/Noida and Possibly MoMo Gurgaon/Delhi under a single umbrella. This was the third such idea I was listening to. Suddenly, a lot of people are concerned about the increasing number of events and how it is diluting quality content and feasible sponsorship budgets. Since, I am on both sides of the table, perhaps, I should be able to boast that I do understand the issue quite well. But this is the matter for another post.
Shivaas had been in the meanwhile receiving a series of call, which he was not answering out of courtesy to the discussion.
6.13 PM
Shivaas: “Sorry to interrupt guys. I have just received an SMS. There’s been a bomb blast at Ghaffar Market.”
Shivaas runs The Viewspaper (a citizen journalism attempt). Not that he received the message as a citizen’s contribution but from a friend. But it was symbolically befitting for him to break the news. This was before the channels had reported it.
All of us started discussing our options and it seemed wise to leave and cancel the event. We also planned to cancel our coffees. CP is a premier location in Delhi and a target with a huge bull’s eye painted on it. It was by then that Shivaas again told us that there’s been a blast at GK too. At that point of time it was clear to all of us that we are being subjected to a planned serial blast act. We were pretty sure that moving out in the open at CP at this point of time wouldn’t be the wise thing to do. So we decided to sit back at CCD a little while more and see how things turn out before deciding our next step.
A new discussion commenced, mostly light talk regarding how we are supposed to be scared about the bomb blasts (this wasn’t demeaning to the loss of life and material) and how it has become an integral part of life in India. It was then that I felt two muffled roar-like sounds followed by a very contained vibration. Something not many of us noticed. Ravi did, and so did Mayank. But all three of us didn’t want to think what it could mean. And all three of us were right. These were the explosions at Central Park and Gopal Das building. Yet again broken to us by Shivaas before the Indian Media. It was now that people were concerned. Sameer and Ravi had a few friends at GK M block. We all started calling near and dear ones to ensure everyone was safe.
I called home, my family gets real panicky at times I was quite sure they were trying to reach me on phone but the networks were jammed. And they’d be really concerned:
(Phone Rings)
Papa: Hello
Me: I am Fine! I am alright!
Papa: Eh?
Me: Are you watching the TV?
Papa: Eh?
Me: There’s been serial blasts in Delhi (in a gawd!-you-should-be-concerned-for-me tone)
After that, the conversation returned to its original panicky flavor.
All of us decided to sit at CCD and brave out the storm. I could see now the jam at the outer circle and Police Jeeps and Fire Wagons running about.
7.20 PM
A lot of people were concerned about the traffic scenario and other issues and so they left. Only Satpal, Ravi and I were left. Ravi was very concerned for his friend who was at GK and was trying to plan out the least inconvenient way to get her back home. We waited at CCD only watching the scenes unfold.
7.30 PM
The café started to close. The security people were closing everything. The street peddlers were already gone. We decided to take autos/taxis/whatever is available to get back home.
No taxi networks were available. Everyone had lost contact with the taxis. EasyCabs tried to help me with finding the nearest taxi but the taxi was at Nizammuddin. Not approachable. We decided to walk towards the nearest red light that was of Janpath meeting at Outer Circle.
By the time, Papa had a talk with Birendre uncle to pick me up and take me his home. He called me up and asked me to meet him at Janpath hotel. I was under the impression he was around and so would be picking me up. There was lot of miscommunication and confusion. I was told that all roads to CP have been closed. Borders have been shut and so has been the metro. On reaching Janpath I realized that uncle is driving from his home to pick me up and aunty is with him too. I advised him to return home back as he would face a lot of trouble in getting to this side of India Gate. In the meanwhile I got an auto and got back towards home. Reached Ghazipur red light at around 8.30 from where my father picked me up.
Recollections:
It feels really strange to realize that in those few minutes when I was at CCD, just after having felt the bombs; I was there, between two bombed sites, joking, trying to preserve my calm, while people were injured, while they were crying, trying to find their loved ones, while they were witnessing violence, gore and death. It is a tragedy of unknown proportions. And people will forget what it was like to be bombed in few days. We will be cautious, guarded for a couple of days and then we will move back to our silly habits that simply lend these criminals a weapon to use against us. That weapon is our meek acceptance of the fact that terrorism is a part of life.
No it is not. It is not natural. If terrorism was to be a part of life, nature would have made some provision for it. It is not natural. It is not normal for us to be bombed. It is not about the body count. Even a single death is a tragedy of immense proportions. It happens because we let it happen.
I was just reading some online articles at Rediff and I read user opinions that were filled with religious indiscretion. Stuff like its time a Hindu government rules this Hindu state etc. To such people, I want to highlight the fact the blasts took place at exactly the time when the Roza’s for the day were to be broken. A lot of Muslims were there too in those markets. Those bombs have affected everyone within their range. They did not excuse any Muslim in its vicinity.
Stop dividing India. Religion is not politics. Don’t make it.
Alas, it is people like me whose inactivity is the real cause of such excesses in India. We only talk. We only gripe. Only crib and blame. What useful have we done yet. You and me.
How are we solving this problem?
