Last evening at around seven pm while I was at the computer, I heard a big bang and assumed that it was some wedding party letting off some fire works and crackers.
At eight pm, my brother in law rang me up from Chennai to ask what the blast was all about that all the news channels on the TV were showing. I did not have a clue but on switching on the TV found that there was indeed a big blast just across the river from us about a kilometer and a half as the crow flies, in Koregaon Park, a posh locality of Pune where the Osho Ashram is located. The German Bakery is a cafe frequented by visiting foreigners who can get Western style snacks, pastry, pies etc there. The blast was there and initially it was suspected that a cylinder of cooking gas had accidentally exploded. This morning however, it has been confirmed that there was indeed a bomb that was set off by terrorists. Full details are yet to be received but, at current tally nine people have been killed and fortyfive injured, some in critical condition.
You can read more about it here The news paper gives exhaustive coverage and I request all my readers to read all about it including other items that point clearly to hands that may now be in Pakistan.
Conrad was first off asking if I am okay and this is to let all my regular readers know that as I write this, the three of us and Mel, Ranjan’s girl friend who was with him out on their usual Saturday night partying, are safe and as well as can be expected.
All my readers know what I think of terrorists and their senseless actions and I do not intend reiterating those anger fed rants. Suffice it to say that I am livid. India after our 26/11 Mumbai attacks, following repeated requests and nudges from Pakistan and the West respectively agreed to formal talks with Pakistan finally and a Secretary level meeting is scheduled to take place on the 25th inst. I for one am now more than certain that no useful purpose will be served by such talks till Pakistan stops extending sanctuary to the terrorists in their territory, not withstanding the fact that the terrorists now kill more people in Pakistan than in India. It may also be a deliberate ploy to prevent talks from taking place engineered by the Taliban/Al Queida, but whatever it is, the Pakistani establishment which still maintains that its stragegic focus is on containing India, cannot hunt with the hounds and run with the hares.
We live in a world also occupied by lunatics and quite how many more incidents like these have to be experienced before the ‘liberals’ wake up is a question that needs to be answered some time soon to take decisive action to prevent such lunacy in the future.