I watched a documentary on the 26/11 Terror attack last week. The documentary is called Dispatches - Terror In Mumbai and is made by a film maker called Dan Reed. It is a crisp narration of the events that occurred during the 48 odd hours on those terrifying days. The show goes on for 50 minutes and is very gripping. It brings out the happenings through a combination of interviews, closed circuit TV recordings, recorded conversations and narration. As expected there are poignant narrations of husbands losing wives and children losing their parents and grandparents. One of them is by a man who narrates in Marathi that he first realized the incident when his wife falls after being hit by a bullet on her head. She falls in front of him and then he is hit on the shoulders. The person is very matter of fact about it. I did not feel too many emotions from the person when he said that and it was quite a shock.
Another incident that occurs in Taj made me feel disgusted initially. It is about a Turkish pair who begs the terrorists not to kill them as they were Muslims. The terrorist take heed but the pair are left surrounded by bodies and they are forced to make a way through the bodies. So the man actually mentions how he stepped on a neck and then a hand and so on. Again, it is said in a matter of fact tone with very little emotion. But I found what he said next very disturbing. He said that the whole floor was slippery due to blood and that is when he realized how slippery blood is. That statement was laden with emotion though and it somehow made me feel that I have actually felt it. I guess the statements were taking not too long after the event and shock stayed with them long enough to suppress the emotions. Most of the persons talk about the incidents that way. I think everyone including the policeman who was hiding underneath his colleague’s body right behind Kasab and partner was in a state of shock when the interviews were done. They ended up saying what happened and there was very little covering up or mixing of words.
The most interesting aspect of this film was not the above though. I ended up sympathising with those 10 terrorists who were conned into such cruel acts by a set of ruthless degenerate creatures from across the border. Every conversation between the two sides ended up with God waiting for these 10 kids in heaven. Every time they mentioned that the mission can be successful for them only if they all die. It was all in the name of Allah. And these kids seemed really lost. It did not matter to those guys on the phone whether these killer kids were wounded or frightened or in pain. Just go, kill and die. There are insane stupidities like taking a Jew’s life is worth 50 of others thrown in from time to time. The kids were manipulated and I felt sad for them along with the others.
I think it is about time we all make religion take a back seat. It should only be a tool that can possibly explain many of the unexplained in our lives. It is something that is resident only in our minds to be thought of and no action should come out of it ever. If action comes out of religion then someone is manipulating another to be stupid and cruel. I think that is what happened to those 10 kids from Pakistan.
