Coincidences sometimes leave you believing in them, more and more. The night of 26/11 has aged for 8 years but it does not let us celebrate the anniversary. We cannot stop ourselves from remembering that catastrophic incident whenever the date comes in the calendar every year. I am not a resident of Mumbai but my parents and I share a long-distance relationship with the place.
It has been 9 years since my mother was diagnosed with acute leukemia and TMH hospital, Mumbai, is the place where we take my mother to get herself treated every year. November 23 was the date when my parents were going to Mumbai for her second phase treatment. And 26/11 was the date when they were about to return. After completing what they had to do, they were waiting for the last safe train to get boarded. The time was around 8 pm and the train was scheduled to depart at 8.30. When my parents boarded the train, it was only a few minutes after the terrorists landed in the middle of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai. I was with my grandparents that night. When I came to know about the massacre, the train had travelled far enough to keep my parents safe. I remember my mom calling me and saying, “Don’t worry beta (son), God loves you and that is why we are safe today,” which left me emotional and in tears. My mom said that she was in the same waiting hall where the terrorists were preparing themselves.
If I had that kind of feeling, then I cannot even imagine what the people that lost many of their loved ones that day might have had.