The unheard screams are deafening

Tulika Haldher
22:30, Jaipur

The war in Mumbai has finally ended after three days of continuous struggle. But the the silence that prevails is equally frightening than the mayhem that went on. The CST station is buzzing with life even after the horror story but there seems to be an eerie silence that is dominating all the noise. The people are frightened as if waiting for something to happen the very next moment. The mouths are shut but the eyes continue to talk. Questions, terror, anger. They have it all.
A visit to the lobby of the Trident tells another story that is very similar. The huge hall has a carpet of blood. The walls charred with a thousand bullet marks. The blood can be cleaned, the walls repaired and life will move on as usual. But what's dead will not come back. The laughter that echoed in these halls, the wishes that were given during a celebration, the promises that were made to the beloved just before the attack, are dead forever.
The Taj palace and Tower stands tall. A few blemishes, some broken walls and unrepairable funiture. The victory is visible on its face. But it came at a heavy price. I saw a picture of the pigeons flying amidst the smoke in the dome. Ah! Pigeons. Such a beautiful sight in front of the Taj. But now even the pigeons are not looking beautiful. Every movement they make seems like a warning for something worse to come.
They call it the infallible city. But somehow the spirit of the city seems to be dead. Amidst the silence, there are screams everywhere. Screams that speak of the thousand losses, a million broken dreams and infinite promises that were never made. The unheard screams are deafening...