Anuya Jakatdar and Tula Goenka couldnt believe their ears when they answered phone calls from friends in India after lunch on Nov. 26: their home country was under attack. Goenka was on her way back home in a New York City taxicab, and Jakatdar was in Syracuse sitting at a table with her roommate. The news from afar stunned them both in an instant.

A terrorist group organized 10 coordinated attacks at locations throughout Mumbai, the largest city in India. Members of Lashkar-e-Toiba, a Pakistani-trained militant group, stormed several places from hotels to cafes for three days, killing more than 150 people and injuring many more from several different countries.

Miles away from family and friends, Goenka and Jakatdar were forced to watch the horror play out on TV.

Worldwide, news stations aired live footage of the attackers climbing into the various hotels as Indian police officers planned to deter them. The coverage was also available to the terrorists themselves, causing more complications.

The horror came to a close on Nov. 29 at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, where the Indian National Guard secured control of the building.

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Jakatdar was preoccupied with plans for a relaxing weekend in the Pocono Mountains with one of her two roommates when she got a call from her other roommate about attacks in Mumbai. Those plans suddenly seemed insignificant.

Jakatdar spent her whole life in India. She came to America for her graduate degree in communications. In India she attended a college in Churchgate, five minutes away from The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, a five star hotel that was attacked in November. Her friends, coworkers and family scattered throughout the region under fire.

The magazine, newspaper and online journalism grad student tried frantically to call everyone and anyone she knew in India in what she called the most terrifying two hours of her life. Jakatdar said she was able to reach everyone and determine they were safe. Thinking that the worst was behind her, she left for her vacation.

Shortly after, Jakatdar left for the Poconos. Even though she was away from all television sets and Internet during her vacation, she couldnt escape the pain her loved ones were feeling and curiosity about what was going on.

Information about the events occurring just miles from her home was scarce. The only family member she could reach from the Poconos was her mother, who tried to keep the details light. Jakatdar said what she did see on TV terrified her and the miles between her and India made it worse.

People kept saying, Aren’t you glad you are here in Syracuse, USA? I wasn’t. All I wanted was to go back home and be there with my friends and family,Ó Jakatdar said.

When Jakatdar went to her hometown of Thane, a suburb outside of Mumbai, during winter break, she noticed the difference. The city she knew and loved growing up became suddenly quieter and calmer. Jakatdar was used to a lively city where she said hearing people cuss in their native tongue was one of the aspects that made her feel most at home. But when she arrived there was an eerie difference.

Tourist spots were empty, and Jakatdar said the holiday season went by without much attention.

It’s like the whole city is still in mourning. There are a lot more policemen on the road than there would be usually, and getting all your belongings checked at every mall has become so commonplace that no one thinks twice about it,Ó she said.

Jakatdar said she feels that the media finally woke up to its role as mediator between the public and the government following the attacks. A month after the attacks, the Bombay Times still includes discussion on the events daily and the Indian government is beginning to be questioned for their management of the situation.

She thinks it is time for India and Pakistan to solve their political dispute. A piece of land is hardly worth all the violence, Jakatdar said.

Tomorrow I may be in one of the trains they decide to blow up, and I will die a pawn in a political game that my life is largely unaffected by. What a pointless death that will be; no one deserves it.Ó

Jakatdar believes that accountability from Pakistan and pressure from other international countries can make the difference necessary to build the way for a more peaceful coexistence. However, she admits she doesnt see peace between the two countries happening during her lifetime.

Following her graduate studies, Jakatdar does plan to return to her home country despite what happened. She said she wouldnt trade life in Mumbai for anywhere else in the world. And she feels she has a job to do there.

Right now our system needs young, progressive thinkers in the media to work within it and change it.Ó

Tula Goenka, a television, radio and film professor, couldnt handle watching the news or reading the newspaper after she heard that terrorists had attacked several locations in India.

She was in a New York City taxicab after having lunch with another Indian friend. Goenka had just arrived to the city and was tired, but hearing the news made her tired in a different way.

I lived through the Rodney King riots in LA, I was there to see ‘Malcolm X’ premiere, there was Sept. 11. I just cannot see it over and over and over again,Ó Goenka said. I prefer just not to process it. Im not running away, its different.Ó

When she returned to SU in December, the Indian Student Association organized a candlelight vigil for the people lost in the attacks. Goenka said although the crowd wasnt very large it was very powerful, giving her the idea to organize a vigil for Gaza.

Despite the many lives lost and the horror that ensued, Goenka said she believes that India can benefit from the tragedies by getting people to pay attention to the government and become engaged in politics.

We have a big election coming up in 2009, hopefully more Indians will care about it,Ó she said.

Goenka organizes an SU Abroad program called the Bollywood Experience where students go to India to work in the Bollywood movie industry for a semester. She said some students who planned to attend began to express safety concerns following the attacks. However, Goenka tries to emphasize to them that what happened in Mumbai can happen anywhere in the world.

I really hope 2009 is a more peaceful year, but we have had a rough start,Ó Goenka said.

kaoutram@syr.edu

Published on January 13, 2009 at 12:00 pm