Think...

There are several things that we, Indians need to learn from this attack.

1- This attack was not an ad-hoc attack. This was extremely well planned, with the targets being hand picked in such a manner that there would be damage inflicted on a scale so far unknown to us.

2- Apparently, these terrorists, whose total number is not yet known, have made several recons of these hotels and the city. They must have had several dry runs to check out all these places. Apart from these dry runs, it is reported that these terrorists must have had some accomplices staying inside these hotels. Video footages showed these terrorists carry a shoulder bag, which could ve been big enough only to hold a few magazines in it. These terrorists were having a sackful of grenades with them which must have been kept inside the hotel even before the attack started. Of course yes, these terrorists were extremely well trained, which has enabled them to keep India's most elite battle ready commandos at bay for over 48 hours.

3- Despite several attacks on Mumbai and N number of intelligence reports suggesting that Mumbai is very much vulnerable, neither state nor central governments seem to have put any anti terror mechanism in place.

4-Apart from all this, we do have GREAT POLITICIANS, EMINENT people like SHITRAJ Patil who appear on TV to comment on a situation where so many lives are lost. Btw.. what the hell was Narendra Modi doing there? and where the hell is the great maratha- Mr. Raj Thackeray?

5- It was the courage, grit and determination of the NSG, Marine Commados and the army and last but not the least, the Maharashtra police that has helped the people. There was nothing from the side of our great politicians, to help, if anything at all.

6- The media has done a great job by covering the entire series of events, and the Indian media has matured considerably. This can be proved by the fact that the media used discretion in their coverage rather than trying to outwit rivals by disclosing classified info that the media may have got. Hats off to you. But there were some noobs who cut Mumbai off from the news channels for a few hours, which kept Mumbaikars in the dark for quite sometime.

7- CNN has focussed on India in the last 48 hrs so much that they would nt ve covered India so much even in the last 5 years. And this is because of FBI agents landing in Mumbai to try and offer help. It is also reported that an American intelligence agent was shot dead in the Taj.

8- Nariman house is home to a few Israeli citizens, which has prompted Israel to offer help in the counter terrorist operation, which India refused.

9- Maharashtra has decided to setup a NSG like organisation to counter terrorism. All this only after attacks targetting the upper class of the society and international tourists. No action what so ever after several bombings which killed innocent commen people like you and me who are reading this article.

10- The touring England team will not play its test match in Mumbai. There has been a change of venue from Mumbai to Chennai. Chennai is reeling under a different attack. This is an attack by the rain gods who promptly bless Chennai, whenever a cricket match is announced, however focus back on Mumbai.

11- 3 top cops were killed during the initial encounter on wednesday night. All 3 of them will be forgotten soon. Let's hope Maharashtra's finest would learn their lessons atleast from their deaths.

12- What is the PM going to do by calling the ISI chief over to help in investigations? Pakistani links to this attack has all but proven to the world.

13- Al-qaeda shas been suspected to have been the mastermind behind these attacks. If that is true, then it will be the first time ever that India has been attacked by Al-qaeda. Of course, Al-qaeda have operated previously in Kashmir, but never past the borders of Jammu and Kashmir.

14-The main motive of these terrorists was not to hold Mumbai for ransom or to get some of their associates released. Clearly, this attack was aimed at destabilizing the Indian economy and also to drive home a point to international tourists and business people as well, that India is not a safe place anymore. The sole motive of these terrorists was wreak havoc, create panic and terrorise Mumbai and India in a manner that people would fear to step out again. We have to gear up to fight a new breed of terrorists, who are not fanatics with a gun, but trained fighters, who know the tactics and strategies of urban warfare.

If we do not learn our lessons soon, it won't be long before India becomes a terror torn country like Afghanistan. Security laxes, lack of co-op between intelligence and law enforcement agencies have been highlighted by these attacks. Incompetence of our politicians to do anything about it has been another point to note.

These terrorists seem to keep asking us this question over and over again- we can hit you anyway, anytime we want. What can you do?

- A stupid common man

A city under siege...

Starting around 9 30 pm n the night of 26th november 2008, terrorists held the city of Mumbai under siege. Even as i write this, the entire siege has not ended. Terrorists were reported to have been flushed out of the Taj colaba last night, but even as reoprts of the army and the nsg completing the de-sanitization process filtered in, fresh firing was heard and army sources confirmed to news channels that there was an injured terrorist, still inside the hotel. However, latest reports suggest that there are atleast 2 or 3 terrorists still hiding inside the Taj Colaba. Hostages, several in number are reported to have been trapped in there.

The Oberoi-Trident and nariman house were the other targets. The siege is still on at nariman house and at the Oberoi-Trident. Many police officers, including an Anti-Terror Squad Chief, an encounter specialist with the Mumbai police and a Deputy Inspector General have laid down their lives. More than 125 killed and not less than 320 injured, Mumbai is torn apart.

India has never been witness to such a dastardly act of terror on her soil. But even such attacks do not prove as a reminder to the men who matter. Such attacks fail to make our great leaders forget that India needs an extremely strong anti-terror mechanism. Mumbai has been targeted a number of times in the past few years. And yet there was no proper anti-terror mechanism in place. How can you have a bunch of terrorists, sauntering into a big city like Mumbai and wreaking havoc, after Mumbai has been hit several times? Shouldn't we have learnt our lessons the very 1st time that Mumbai was hit? Imagine, If this be the plight of Mumbai, the financial hub of India, which has been hit so many times, think of all the other cities.

Well, this is not over as yet, India has to learn its lessons soon. The Taj Colaba had been burning for more than 24 hours and yes, more than considerable damage must have been caused. No doubt, The Taj management would be looking to repair all damages within a short span of time and get on with business. Once the repairs have been done, Taj Colaba would represent what it was before the fire. People would obviously forget what happened. Taj can do a great service to the nation by not repairing the damages to its exterior. A damaged facade would prove as a constant reminder to people. This would make the people and the government realise the value of a life, especially the lives of those heroes who sacrificed theirs so that we may live in peace.

Now, the world has to gear up, not against fanatics who know to use guns, but against trained militants, who know the ways and methods of tactical fighting. These terrorists were armed to the teeth but they were not fanatics with guns, they knew how to cover up for each other and they knew their targets very well. What began as a shootout ran into a siege.

Coming to the points made by a certain gentleman on tv last night. He was very angry. His anger resembled the anger of a billion Indian lives. True. Very true. WIth GREAT ministers ruling us at the centre, we CERTAINLY WON'T ve any terror strikes. Politicians would 've swung into action if any of them were hit or killed on Dec 13. Innocent civlians don't matter to politicians till elections are announced. And even then India will remain India. STUPID COMMON MEN like us would vote these very back stabbers back to power,based on our stupid religieon, caste bias and all sorts of nonsense and once again these GREAT LEADERS are happy being self indulgent. At present India is not shining, India is bleeding, people.

Only GOD can save India. Mumbai, our prayers are with you......

Adios Mr. Anil Kumble....

The 1st thing that comes to my mind when you say Anil Kumble, is the great man's gut and determination. Remember ppl, the test match against the West Indies, when jumbo batted and even bowled with a broken jaw. Eventually getting Prince lara out, in that match.

10/74, the only other bowler in the history of cricket to claim 10 wickets in an innings. Kumble can never be forgotten by players all around the world for the magic and temperament that he brought with him to this game. The leg spinner ranks behind Mutthiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne in terms of number of wickets, his pesence will be sorely missed by India in the years to come.

Honestly, you can't really ask anything more of this man. He has done so much for India that India can never pay him back. A match winner, a gutsy cricketer in his own right. Just imagine, an Indian cricketer who didn't actually do more than a couple of brand endorsements throught his entire career. A man who played with a broken jaw, when younger cricketers around him and also some of his own peers, flew down to australia and england, to get treated for minor bruises. India will miss his services when India play sides like England, Australia and South Africa in the future.

An Indian has to be born again to beat Anil Kumble's record of 6/12, which till date, remains as the best bowling figures in ODIS by an Indian. Anil Kumble took over as captain in 2007, when Rahul Dravid, surprisingly, decided to relinquish his post as captain. Since then, till date, Kumble has captained India in 13 test matches, winning 3, 5 losses and 5 draws. Off the field, Kumble is an avid photographer and there cannot be a tour where Kumble has failed to photograph something or the other.

Anil Kumble, fondly called as "Jumbo", will always be respected by even generations of cricketers to come. He has always been respected all around the world for being the tough cricketer that he is. All the very best for your future. Indian and International cricket will miss you a lot.