Mumbai today was to be seen to be believed. The anger spilled over today, with over a lakh people taking to the streets. I went there with a group of friends for a protest march which was expected to involve some 500-odd people. But I was totally unprepared for the sight which greeted me. A crowd which grew from 50 to 100 to 1000 to 10000 to 100,000!! Mothers with infants, fathers with kids riding on their shoulders, old couples who had trouble walking, were all there shouting at the top of their lungs. With chants of "Vande Matram" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai" all around, it was a different Mumbai today. A march which started with one individual posting on his blog that he would be there at the Gateway of India at 6 p.m. to protest the attacks. A chain which then grew on to include a lakh people. A march which grew to be the largest protest ever!

What was most moving was the power you felt as you struggled to walk with the crowd. The power of numbers. The power of a billion Indians who are now screaming "No more!". As we stood gazing at the once-proud building of Taj standing bruised, tears welled up in most eyes. Candles were lit, and people went to shake hands with armymen to express their gratitude to the true heroes of the nation. the emotion which we felt inside us, is difficult to put into words. Suffice it to say that it was probably one of the most moving experiences of my life, and I feel proud to have been a part of what I hope was only the beginning of a wave of change. Are you listening, Mr politician?

A note of gratitude

To those young people who came to my country in a hijacked boat, and shattered its very soul. We owe you more than we can ever give. For killing those 200-souls, and destroying what once marked the pride of India-the Taj. For inflicting so much pain that even the ‘city that never sleeps’ had to stand still and gasp in horror. For dealing that final blow which has made Mumbai scream out – ‘No More’.

The spirit of my country lies unconscious today, in serious need of resuscitation lest it dies. I can hardly believe that it’s not been even a full 6 months since I moved into Mumbai, and I hardly know enough to claim it my own – or did. The past 5 days has changed that. I now understand why they say that the deepest bonds are formed in intense pain. As this city bleeds to death, I feel its pain throbbing within me. The city which has been the anchor for millions, which has supported people in their struggling days, held them up in fame, and given them darkness to lose themselves in after their day of glory is over. The city has played a perfect mother. And today, she lies injured and denuded. She weeps not so much at her own pain, as at the pain and suffering of her children. I’d like to thank those terrorists who showed us this picture, which we had forgotten otherwise. The spirit of Mumbai which was always hailed as an excuse for people to shut up and be apathetic has finally been kept aside. And if was not for these young terrorsts, it might never so have happened. If ever this county is able to raise its head again, it will be largely credited to these terrorists who have left us with no option but to fight back – as one. These young, misguided souls gave us the opportunity to stand as one in those five days. As bleeding reporters jumped into the scene to rescue people, as the staff at Taj came in the firing line and saved lives, as the commandoes fought without a pause, something in India came alive. This is not the first time that I’ve seen a city under attack. But this is the first time I’ve seen a city so angry. And I don’t know how to thank these men for this commendable feat. Thank you for rousing us back to life, and though it hurts like hell down here, it’s worth the pain coz things are in for a change this time.

"Grieve my city, the pain is yours,

Scream my city, and let the pain spill out

Get angry, Get furious, Get mad

Coz u have every right to.

As the days pass, I feel I’ve lost a dear one

The images refuse to leave me,

the heaviness inside, it seems, has found a place to stay.

Over the years, every time I saw a person hurt or a child in tears

I’d go and try to blow the pain away,

But this time it’s different

As I wish the pain to stay

To scar us all, in so deep a way

That we become human again

And find a way to fight this darkness away

Winning the light we so deserve."