Once again terror struck Mumbai- the epicenter of India’s financial network - on the evening of Wednesday, 26^th November. Mumbai is no stranger to terror, but the recent episode is certainly the mother of all attacks. It is the worst nightmare the nation has ever witnessed.

The terrorists, who are reported to have arrived from across the borders, rode the waves to reach Mumbai’s shores. In a span of few hours they scattered death and doom across various locales within the metropolis-- notable among these were hotels that are the favorite haunts of foreign tourists. In a bid to grab global attention people from the USA, UK and Israel were ear- marked for butchery.

What does this mean for Mumbaikars? For the ordinary citizens of Mumbai, life has paralyzed! Mumbai, which usually bounces back after every assault, has shut down completely. Fear stalks this fearless city that never, ever goes to sleep. Attacks against the metro have been far too many and it seems that the spirit of Mumbai has taken a beating.

It appears that we are not safe in our own country. We can no longer, entrust our well-being to our politicians-the ‘men in white’. It is for the people of India to shed their apathy and take charge of the situation.

Dealing with Terror

Terrorism is here to stay, perhaps for a long, long time. It would, therefore, be prudent and necessary to learn to deal with it.

There is a lot of anger doing the rounds-against politicians, the terrorists, our neighbors and the system. A tragedy like this also provokes other emotions such as depression and guilt. It is important to understand that these are natural reactions that require to be tackled and not bottled up.

A tragedy of this scale can also trigger fear psychosis. Strange, or sometimes familiar noises, such as a motorcycle being kick-started can trigger fear and remind individuals of the nightmare they had undergone. It is important to deal with fear and not let fear take control, for that would serve the cause of the perpetrators. Rumors must be quelled and collective panic attack must be resisted.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

The hostages and the individuals who barely escaped the terrorists’ guns will perhaps rehash the nightmare for a long, long time. It is likely that they will be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder which may lead to symptoms such as insomnia, loss of appetite, numbness, tightness around the throat or bad dreams. Many of them may require help in the form of medical treatment and counseling. It must be remembered that they can completely recover and brought back to normal life.

The Mumbai health services should prepare in advance to identify doctors and hospitals that can provide this much needed, emergency service and make announcement to this effect in the newspapers. It must be remembered that Post–Tsunami, there was no provision to tackle this post -traumatic disorder. We cannot allow this to be repeated in Mumbai, otherwise the psychological impact can have grave repercussions on the survivors.