4 posts tagged “9/11”

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Sep 11: Tribute in Light







Tribute in Light


Originally uploaded by bharat_s_rao


The traditional twin beams which make up the "Tribute in Light" went up on the night of 9/11. It was a rainy day and I bore the brunt of it on a much delayed flight from Minneapolis. I landed past 12 am (so technically 9/12) and could see the tops of the beams on way from Newark airport on the Pulaski Skyway. This is a very dignified, yet poignant, way to remember 9/11. As far as I can recall, the tribute in light used to run for about a week until Sep 11 but this time it was only a day. The beams go up to the south of the original site and disperse among the clouds creating a bit of a halo. For those of us that saw the whole chain of events unfold on that fateful Tue morning, watching this tribute strikes a chord. 

Post a comment Tags: nyc, 9/11, "new york", "tribute in light", "9/11", twin beams

Nov 30: My heart bleeds for Mumbai

I have lived in Mumbai for 22+ years. It embraced, nurtured and educated me and made me what I am.  

I have also lived in the New York area for 6+ years. It has made me a better professional. 

I have seen the first terror attack in Mumbai in early 1993 up, close and personal. Over a dozen co-ordinated blasts (sophisticated plastic explosives) took hundreds of lives - all Indians as far as I know. Not too many know about that event. It happened in the pre 9/11 world and was, as far as western media was concerned, an event not involving any of its citizens besides being half way across the world. Something deserving a respectful and suitably brief mention - nothing more. The perpetrators of that event fled to Pakistan and are still living there as far as anyone can tell. There is hardly any ambiguity about that.  

I have seen 9/11 up close and personal. I had passed through WTC 10 minutes before the first plane hit and was in downtown Manhattan until the afternoon of 9/11 - when we were allowed to return to NJ and then gazed back at a skyline that would never be the same again.

And now, we have just seen 11/26 in Mumbai. The Taj and Oberoi have always been more than hotels. They have been landmarks - buildings that you gawked at and aspired to be in as a guest (no doubt, as a high flying executive of a blue chip company). This was long before the Marriotts and the Hyatts of the world showed up in India. Even among the Taj and Oberoi chains, the two properties in south Mumbai have always had a special place as flagships. When they are attacked, Mumbaikars take it personally regardless of whether or not they have dined there or even been inside.

The CST railway station is where you board 'local' trains and long distance trains (to various destinations in the north, south and east of the country). While I wasn't aware of the Jewish centre in Nariman house, the existence of an active Jewish community and synagogues was well known. I had a Jewish neighbor for a while in Mumbai. 

Preliminary 11/26 reports suggest some failures in connecting the dots and, at times, less than faultless execution. Heads have started rolling but that is not enough. It remains to be seen if meaningful, sustainable action will result. Past experiences do not inspire but this, hopefully, should be different. Policing levels need to get beefed up significantly as India comes up woefully short on the ratio of policemen / residents. Intelligence, motivation, equipment, fiefs - they all need to be tackled on a war footing

Those reports also suggest surprising similarities between '93 and '08 - in how the perpetrators arrived, where they trained and who provided logistical and financial support. Investigations are on, so it wouldn't be wise to prejudge, though the direction of the needle of suspicion cannot be ignored. Enough is enough.  This should logically end only when the underlying infrastructure has been uprooted in the lands that play host to it - unwittingly or not. This need not be a vague or knee-jerk reaction. Based on the evidence that shows up (and what is already there from '93 and, indeed, from 9/11), it shouldn't be hard to draw up a list of the top 10 perpetrators in chief and ask that they be handed over or eliminated to begin with. Then target the next level and so on. A

Post a comment Tags: mumbai, 9/11, pakistan, terror in mumbai, mumbai 11/26

9/11. Tribute to Light

The Tribute to Light is a particularly interesting way to remember 9/11. For those of us who were in New York on that fateful day, the skyline will forever feel incomplete. Though the twin towers of light do not go up where the twin towers stood, it is still a reminder of what the skyline once was.

Picture 069
Picture 069

Post a comment Tags: new york, 9/11, tribue to light

Bart's Musings - Sep 15 : 9/11 among other things

6 years later, it is still not easy to come to terms with 9/11. This is more difficult by the daily commute that takes me through the 'hole in the ground' everyday. But the recovery in the downtown area is equally amazing - perhaps best exemplified by the bustling Century 21 bang opposite Ground Zero. The twin shining beams on anniversary of 9/11 is a good idea (see the pic)

124-2466_IMG
124-2466_IMG

Fears of contamination / air quality etc. have abated. In fact, the "New Yorker" did an article which seemed to suggest that New Yorkers might be healthier than others - due to the walking, jostling (in the subway), clambering (up and down subway stations), darting (across streets)  etc. which is a part of evert New Yorkers daily grind. The talk is of more cheerful things - the new transportation hub, new penn station, new 2nd avenue subway, new downtown offices (Goldman, JP morgan are both supposedlt planning new buildongs).

Post a comment Tags: new york, 9/11, ground zero, twin shining beams