By IANS,
Mumbai : Sending the strongest possible signal that they would not be deterred by terror, Mumbaikars went to school, college and office as any other day but also paused in their tracks to honour the memory of the 166 people killed in the devastating 60-hour terror strike last year.
Thousands of commuters rushing to their offices halted to pay respects to those who slaughtered in the attacks on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST).
Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel also laid wreaths inside the station to remember the commuters and their colleagues brutally gunned down by terrorists.
And while Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and his cabinet colleagues visited the precincts of the Hotel Trident-Oberoi at Nariman Point to offer homage to the victims killed there, a group of people gathered outside the Leopold Cafe in Colaba – where the first attack was launched on this day last year.
The Force One – the new crack security force of the State government launched here last two days ago (Tuesday) – made its first public appearance by staging a parade from Nariman Point to Chowpatty this morning.
The Mumbai Police will have a separate parade later this morning and display the latest arms and ammunitions it has acquired in the past one year after the attacks.
Later in the day, Chavan will attend a memorial organised by the Indian Merchants Chamber where the corporate world will pay homage to the 26/11 victims.
Last night, the Citizens Initiative for Peace organised a candle-light march to Hotel Taj Mahal Palace & Tower.
This evening, the ravaged Chabad House, a Jewish community centre will be reopened with a commemorative prayer meeting which will be webcast live.
Home Minister P. Chidambaram will inaugurate a memorial to honour the martyrs erected by the Mumbai police Thursday evening and also attend a condolence meeting at the Sahyadri State Guest House.
The state has also organised an all-religious prayer meeting at the Gateway of India in the evening that will be attended by prominent members of society and the masses.
There are many other moments of silence, remembering and mourning slated all over the day, but the morning rush hour showed the resilience of India’s financial and entertainment capital, with commuter trains and buses packed and roads as choked with traffic as ever.