Also I am wondering, what if all these attacks had taken place in Udupi hotels across the city. But it is a good ( sorry I mean it in a different way ) that foreigners were among those killed, because this has woken up some people at least in the Western world to the reality of terror killings. Just look at the coverage it got in foreign newspapers thiese last few days.

Somebody read the comment by our very own Booker Prize winner, how he hopes the piano in the Taj hasn’t been damaged. !!!! One thing is for sure, I am not going to buy his book . He is writing an ode (dirge? ) to the Taj ‚which is dear to all Mumbaikars, but to ignore the murders?

First thing, withdraw all unnecessary security to the VIPs and provide security to the common man. Raj Thackeray has been getting Z– category security all these years — I am amazed . Don’t forget the chota MLA MP corporator, who is going to target them, unless it is a case of thieves falling out?

HANG AFZAL GURU in the next 24 hours.

Satish, I agree that unity is essential for survival. I hope people open their eyes and drop their blind support for self-serving politicians. At the same time, being united does not offer any magical solution for fighting terrorists; it’s just one step forward. This is war, no matter what they call it, and should be treated as such.

The role of the media needs to be examined. News is supposed to be unbiased– just present the facts. Facts seen by different eyes can be interpreted differently, but the media has no right to play up some elements of the tragedy to create the ‘masala’ for their reporting. A victim is a victim, irrespective of whether he is a foreigner or an Indian. Why does the media not headline the wait staff and the cooks of the Taj and the Oberoi who were killed and injured. Why not give high praise to the Taj civilian employee who risked his life tp guide the commandos through the maze of passages and rooms inside the hotel? Why is it that the lives of the foreigners alone is highlighted. The first images that came through on TV were of an ordinary man who was running in circles in panic after being hit by a bullet in his palm. A victim of terror knows no religion, no country, no language, no politics. This sort of attack is an attack on humanity, and denies every individual in this world the right to create his own destiny.

The media also needs to be warned to portray facts and not pass on rumors as ‘breaking news’ just to stir up viewership. Case in point today– IBN Live making a big stir out of ‘fresh gunfire at CST and in Fort’, which turned out to be a rumor. But, the news reader talks about panic in CST after the fresh round of gunfire, without having any verification at all. This is not journalism– these people should be banned from news media for creating panic. What people need in these times is just the facts. An ordinary citizen seeking to get on with the business of living needs no rumors, nor would they want a news blackout.

And in the name of ‘breaking news’, should the media be allowed to broadcast live images of commandos being dropped onto the building roof? Isn’t that playing into the enemy’s hands and giving them information? These commandos are risking their lives to rescue others. Shouldn’t they have a fair chance to sneak up on the terrorists and fight them. Whose side is the media on?