Seconds ago, I found out about seven rail blasts along Bombay’s commuter train network. I was there earlier im Bombay earlier this year and took these trains often; they served equal doses of fear (of getting pushed off due to the monstrous people density) and utter happiness (for not having to deal with constant and consistent Bombay traffic jams).

A single blast on any of these rail lines would lead to massive injury and death. At least 137 people are dead and the count is growing.

Here’s a link to Sepia Mutiny’s discussion of the incident. NDTV’s report is here. The Hindu’s report is here.

But I have relatives in Bombay; my brother-in-law’s family is there. I know people who are struggling to fight the wholesale eradication of the slums there. I know people fighting for the Global South there.

It doesn’t matter to me what they do anymore, just that they and their families are ok.

I brace myself for the inevitable ‘terrorist’ link and the sweeping generalizations that will be made about Muslims that will be the first, and only, culprit named by most media in India and most definitely abroad. I brace myself for the potential storm of fundamentalisms that will reveal themselves again in Bombay and the rest of India. I take a breath and brace myself for further bloodshed.

I wait for the Hindu Indian community here in Houston to begin their finger-pointing and further bashing of Muslims via head nodding, editorial writing, and sycophantic alignment with the right wing people, the anti-terrorist people that want to stalk our minds, monitor our every move.

No evidence and no discussion. I wait for all that.

Posted by Vivek on Tuesday, July 11th, 2006 at 11:21 am.