Yet another attack and yet another fightback. Not a violennt fightback, mind you. A fightback the best way the Mumbai knows how to. A return to normalcy. Quick and Efficient. Just as Mumbai has always been. It seems that this city can take anything thrown at it. Be it terrorists, greedy politicians, money hungry builders or Mother Nature herself. It doesn't know another way to live, other than to go about life as if nothing has happened. It seems sad to many, even pathetic. Mumbai appears heartless and without conscience. A city with a dead soul.

But its not. It has shown its heart, time and again.During blasts, riots or natural calamity, people have helped each other with determination and courage. The city has shown a resolute strength in such times. A strength that can be as destructive as it is constructive. People in Mumbai want peace, nay they crave for peace. But they do not get that peace.

The citizens of Mumbai have a lot to be angry about - the pathetic roads, slack drainage, slack administration, nicompoop leaders, corruption, transportation facilities that are stretched and so on. Every day, a Mumbaikar has to face the brunt of these problems, yet he keeps quiet, the discontent boiling within. The city itself is like a boiling inferno, a summation of this discontent. This inferno is kept in check just because of the attitude of the Mumbaikar. But how long will this last? Each attack, each insult, each dumbass politician just adds to the discontent, weakeaning the spirit of Mumbai- driving up the inferno. Just how long the people can hold their nerve cannot be said. But everything has a limit, as does this. Unless something is done urgently about the prevailing situation in the city, discontent will pour out. maybe against the Government, maybe against the politicians or even against the perceived attackers or their community (I hope not).

This I feared the most the day 7/11 happened and there was a prayer on my lips throughout the night. Now every time such things happens, there is fear- Fear that something really bad will happen-that the city's spirit will fail. If things continue as they are, Mumbai will explode one day, and believe me, I wouldn't want to be here when that happens. All one can do is pray.

And pray hard.