Posted on 10/30/2005 7:01:52 AM PST by CarrotAndStick
Three distinct periods at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital on Saturday evening.
First, chaos. Then calm. Then chaos again, but muted. And through it all, Sanjay Jain searched for his mother, missing from Paharganj.
When I got to Lohia at about 7.30 pm, it was even more a scene of confusion and bewilderment and sorrow than Lady Hardinge hospital, where I had come from, had been. I spoke to a young man who was carrying a girl, perhaps 3 and unconscious and bandaged and bleeding. Then some ambulances and rickshaws screeched in, bringing more wounded people. Then, like a ship slicing through a storm, the BJP politician Vijay Goel emerged from the hospital with a small army of hangers-on, walked across the drive and stopped to speak to the press.
With him was Sanjay Jain, dapper and 29. After Goel had said what he wanted to about the tragedy, he asked the cameras to broadcast that this young man was searching for his mother. Then he turned to Sanjay and said, "You've already searched at RML and Lady Hardinge, now go to Safdarjung hospital! Why are you wasting your time here? Go find your mother!"
Goel moved on, and the little knot of people, press included, disbanded, and I was left standing with Sanjay. "She was with a neighbour and the neighbour's baby daughter," he told me of his mother, Suman. "They went shopping. The neighbour is in here, injured, but they won't let me approach her to ask if she knows what happened to my mother. Will you come in with me? Maybe that will help."
Then, inexplicably in English, "My mother gone!" I don't know what it is or why, but sure enough, when he and I walked in a few seconds later, nobody stopped us and we found ourselves next to the neighbour, Shuchi Mishra, terribly injured on a stretcher, being wheeled to another part of the hospital. Sanjay and I tried to ask her about his mother, but before she could say anything, she was unconscious.
As we walked out, he filled me in. "She doesn't know, but her daughter's body is in the mortuary," he said, "with her face blown off. But I can't find my mother. The doctors here told me they have no body of a 58 or 60-year-old woman."
My two friends and I offered to take him to Safdarjung. We careened through the brightly-lit city, traffic flowing so you wouldn't believe this monstrosity had happened, piled out at Safdarjung and immediately ran into a police officer who shook his head almost as we began asking. "Nobody from Paharganj here," he said. "Only the victims from Sarojini Nagar." But seeing the desperation in Sanjay's eyes, he offered: "Well, you can check the list of people brought here if you like. Up on that wall."
We pored over the list. Strangely, it was stuck on the wall right below a printed notice for an "Annual Conference and Cadaveric Workshop", October 14-16. It announced 51 injured and named; 36 dead but unnamed. Just as I finished and started a second scan, just to be sure, Sanjay spoke at my elbow. "She's not there."
Trying to decide what to do next -- check AIIMS which the same cop says also has only Sarojini Nagar victims? Try some other smaller hospitals? -- Sanjay gets a call from his relatives at RML. Then he turns to me: "They've asked me to come back there to see if I can identify one unclaimed body as my mother."
Careening back, and between more calls, he fills me in again. "I saw this ody earlier. But they said it was of a 35-year-old woman, the face was blown off too, and it wasn't in the sari my mother went out in." But he thinks the face being blown off is a sign of sorts, for the baby's face was also ruined and he has the idea, I don't know from where, that his mother was carrying Shuchi's baby when the three of them were out shopping. As the calls come in, I can hear him telling his relatives, "Take a look at the knees! She had an operation on them!"
Back at RML, Sanjay's sister Kajal -- a slender and quietly sobbing woman in blue -- has just arrived, and the other relatives feel she, the only woman among them, should identify the body. But they fear she is not strong enough to do it, so they begin pleading with the hospital staff -- "we think that unclaimed body is her mother, but she can't come in, please let us take something from her clothes to show her outside, please sir, please!"
Just as the man relents, the second period I mentioned is upon us. Suddenly, we are pushed back by a line of cops and a thick yellow rope. Back, back, they shout; and a few greatly official cars stream in, cops with guns tumble out, more cars stream in, more cops with guns tumble out, the assembled press corps goes into a frenzy, and the home minister is here. He walks swiftly into the hospital, and for the next 45 minutes while he is in there, everything else is at a standstill. Calm like you wouldn't believe this monstrosity had happened.
In particular, Sanjay and Kajal and relatives are on hold. Nobody will listen to them or their entreaties. Forty-five minutes of this, all so that the press, frenzied again, can hear some inconsequential words from the home minister when he finally emerges.
But he leaves, and it's 11 pm, and the now familiar chaos resumes. Subdued somewhat, because the flow of injured is now a trickle. Sanjay and Kajal resume their entreaties. Finally Kajal says she will go to the mortuary, and a small group walks over there. Nearly midnight by now.
The brother and sister brace themselves and disappear inside.
Five minutes later, they emerge. From how Kajal is sobbing, from how Sanjay has his hand around her to keep her from sinking, I know.
You can send me comments at ddd@rediff.co.in
extremists?
"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - HL Mencken
Delhi Blast(10/29) ping!
How long will the Indians put up with this, I wonder
How much longer will the WORLD put up with this?
"Very Disturbing"....disturbing for some, very for others, then there's the jaded ones who feel as though they have wasted their time reading the full article.
That's still there on their boards? Surprising, usually such things are deleted immediately.
strcmp() takes char pointers, not chars.
Unbearably painful, I forced myself to read it. Stories like this should be all over the US MSM.
Screen very blurry.
Dear God, please stop these muslims.
In the meantime, according to Drudge, Prince Charles is coming to visit President Bush and plans to extoll the virtues of the religion of pieces to him.
Perhaps Prince Chuck should pull his royal head out of his royal butt and get a clue about the cult of hate, murder, oppression and slavery he thinks is so wonderful.
You might find the messages on this Israeli board interesting:
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Dozens killed in Delhi blasts News Agencies
1. It is probably the Jews .....!!!
It is probably some explosion because some Indian Jews have occupied "ilegally" some Indian territories....or possibly because one the the local " Islamist " leader was killed by the Indian Jews ....Fishy explosions arn't they ?
Lets wait to find out "who" is behind this and above all why .....!
Hiram , Tel Aviv (10.29.05)
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2. hiram forgot to take his pills today....
(10.29.05)
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3. I would like to apologize on behalf of no. 1
(10.29.05)
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4. not a good analogy hiram
eli yahoo , usa (10.29.05)
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5. NEW DELHI BLASTS
"SHALOM-NAMASTE" FROM INDIA,MAY I MENTION TO MY FRIENDS,THAT THERE WAS A WARNING ISSUED BY SECURITY AGENCIES THAT A PROBABLE "AL-QAEDA,ISLAMOTERRORIST" IS OUT ON THE LOOSE IN INDIA,THIS BOMBING WAS NO SURPRISE,INDIANS,ISRAELIS AND AMERICANS AND ALL FREEDOM LOVING NATIONS EVERYWHERE,MUST STAND UNITED AGAINST "ISLAMIC-FACISM".
KEITH DAWID , MUMBAI-BOMBAY,INDIA (10.29.05)
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6. al kalde ls responslble for the attack
al kalde ls responslble for the attack all countrles : usa lsrael spaln england and lndla must warn syrla and lran because these 2 countrles protect al kalde as thelr baby
(10.29.05)
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7. Noone needs to apologize on my behalf..
I am sick and tired of the wave of nazislamism going around. My comment was aimed at making people understand that what is taking place in Gaza, and in the teritories is NOT an isolated , localized phenomena. Those who believe that it is , are wrong. Terrorism is the easy way out, untill free nations decide together to attack if and root it out of world's society. I grant you that there is no terrorism without causes, even if the causes are not legitimate. I am sick and tired of the waves of anti-semitism which again place the Jews as scapegoats for all the problems taking place in the middle East. There is no diference between a Nasrallah and a Mahmoud the Iranian: The call is the same : Death to the Jews! It is unacceptable, even in words ! and to get back to the main subject of these posts, there is no peace and no compromises possible with ANY terror organisation. These are clear instructions which have been given by the office of th PM to all the bodies involved in security and military affairs. The question is now to know how long it will take the PA to take real action and regain credibility or not take any action and loose credibility once for all.
PS: For those who are good enough to enquire about my health, may it be known that courtesy of the Israeli Government, I enjoy the services and care of an excellent physician, and that I run daily between 8 and 10 miles, day in/day out...additionally, the kind of weather here is perfectly in agreement with my body ! Thank you for caring.
hiram , tel aviv (10.29.05)
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8. bombings
in the end when we are all in front of god ,there will be alot of people going south that think they r going north, land means nothing ,money means nothing,how we treat each other will decided .
peter , streamwood.u.s. (10.29.05)
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9. It was probably the affiliates of Al Quida.
newyork deli (10.29.05)
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10. attackS were for JEWS
the restaurants whlch were targeted ls popular area for jewlsh tourlstS and al kalde wanted condemn lsrael amerlca and lndlan frendshlp lndla was targeted because of relatlonshlps between these two countrles lndla your real frlends are lsrael and amerlca your real enemles are lran and paklstan please know the reaLlty
(10.29.05)
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11. mossad we are begglng you to destroy terrorlstS
mossaad you are powerful and can erase all terrorlsts from the world wlth us
(10.29.05)
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12. to hiram
People are so depressed by the news they can't put a smile on the face. I think sometimes good idish humour can help us keeping alive. Despite the fact things are turning very serious with every attack which is now daily and all around the world. After only 60 years the humanity is again tolerrant with antisemitism and genocide-makers.
norbert , romania (10.29.05)
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13. Yiddish humor...
Norbert, you are correct.....The problem is that in Israel , Israelis want to look like .....anybody, but not like Israeli....so traditions and root culture disappear...and no one understands when the smallest dose of Yiddish humor is inserted anywhere....but that is understandable .....it is so much better to drown in self pity than raising spirits and fighting back....although it is the fight back spirit of our Elders ( many of them who came from Yiddish background ....Oy Gevalt !!!... emigrating from Europe to start with , which got this country were it is
Hiram , Tel Aviv (10.29.05)
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14. Al Quada is behind this
It is clear from the multiple detonations that Al Quada is behind this. They have done this now to create worsening relations between Pakistan and India. Also it is believed that Bin Laden(may his name be cursed forever) stayed in a remote part of pakistan controlled Kashmir and it is probably also a thank you from him. I know that Israelis stand side by side with Indians and share their grief and pain.
Michael Ben Raphael , Tel Aviv (10.29.05)
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15. Blast in Delhi
Diwali is the last day of the Hindu calender. Being a moonless night the people light oil lamps and hence festival of lights. The next day is New Year.
Lael Anson E Best , Haifa (10.29.05)
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16. Welcome to the "new brave world"
World’s acquiescence to and justifications for Arab bombing attacks against Jewish civilians in Israel and worldwide (remember bombing in Argentina) created this climate where attacking ALL civilians in ALL countries became also acceptable and will unfortunately become more and more widespread.
Now everybody can become a victim, even Arabs, a fact of which the Iraqis are reminded daily.
The is the new, sad reality.
AK (10.30.05)
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17. Hiram; I got your joke. Lighten up people!
Daisy , USA (10.30.05)
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18. Hiram
you said "There is no diference between a Nasrallah and a Mahmoud the Iranian: The call is the same : Death to the Jews! It is unacceptable, even in words ! "
You know you forgot the main villains in the story........in case you forgot its our beloved arab palestinians, that you think is possible to make peace with. well most of us know better dont we?
Lets see now who could have carried out those bombings:
1. Peaceful Buddhists?
2. The CIA?
3. The Imperialist, Colonialist, Occupasionist Zionist Jews?
4. The Neturei Karta?
5. The Peladians?
6. The Incas?
7. Bill Gates?
But surely it cannot be -
7. The most peaceful and backward religion on the planet known as Islam and its muslim followers.
Yisraeli (10.30.05)
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19. May be ......
....the Kashmiris ?
Interestingly enough NONE of the medias, including Ynet,CNN,and the majors have mentioned anything about the Kashmir separatists......nor Al Quaida......Be careful Ysraeli....you re going to get scolded for mentioning your point # 3 ...
I can t help it ! I am an Ahkenaz !!
hiram , Tel Aviv (10.30.05)
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http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3161045,00.html
Supposedly some islamic inquilab or some such sh*t took irresponsibility for this vainglorious cowardice. My money is on lashkar-e-toiba feeding on saudi and ISI narco-petro-laundered-and often even counterfeited cash spreading jihadi venom into all lands claimed by dar-al-islam...
One of these days these loons are gonna go too far and the world will give them what they've been asking for. I pray 2 live 2 see such a day...
Maybe I'm way off base, but I assume he means muslim extremists. Do you think it's a rogue group of pissed-off Buddhists?
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1280320.cms
The Union Cabinet on Sunday held Pakistan-based and supported groups responsible for the worst-ever terrorist attack in the Capital, which can have a fallout on the peace process with the neighbour.
Well-placed sources said that the Cabinet, after assessing the inputs from intelligence agencies, concluded that influential sections in the Pakistani establishment were behind the attack.
The top-decision making body felt that those responsible across the border were trying to send two distinct messages: to India that despite the earthquake, they retain the capability to strike at will in India; and to the world, that since they were still grappling with the enormity of their own tragedy, Saturday’s outrage was the work of indigenous groups.
The second message ties into Pakistan’s larger propaganda that terrorism in India is a homegrown affair.
The Cabinet was also informed about the widely suspected hand of Lashkar-e-Taiba, and that the intelligence/security agencies already had specific leads to work on
Baptists. They're so intolerant of drinking and dancing. It might even be a secret sect of Unitarian Universalists. Nobody would ever suspect them of intolerance. It's a perfect cover.
No one seems to want war so they're willing to suffer the death of a thousand cuts. Kudos to W for standing on his hind legs after 9-11 and saying "enough."
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