Who said Mumbai people were rude?

Today is one of the worst days in the history of Mumbai, after being hit by 7 blasts in a span of just 25 minutes. About 170 people were kileed in these blasts, and many more injured. These serials blasts were similar to the 1993 blasts, since 1993 also saw deadly serial bombings, in which 250 people were killed. However, at that time, the financial district was the target. Today, it was the aam janta that represents the whole country - the middle class which is why the blasts happened in the trains, and not corporate offices etc.

Even though the whole nation was shocked by this terrorist attack on the financial capital of India, Mumbaites, instead of being scared and staying in their home etc, came out and helped the victims.

I just saw a few pictures and an article in Times of India about how Mumbaites are helping each other in the hour of crisis:

Slum dwellers were the first to run towards the local trains ripped apart in the blasts. Tearing through burning debris, people pulled out survivors, fashioned makeshift stretchers out of bedsheets and carted off the injured to the nearest hospital in autorickshaws and taxis.

On the choked roads, strangers were giving lifts to stranded commuters. One of our journalists on his way from the Bandra-Kurla Complex to Andheri saw heartening scenes of car owners, truck and bus drivers offering people a ride.

Some links for pictures from TOI:
An old woman helping a guy
Mumbaities serving water, vada pav's, biscuits to people who were struggling to reach home. (No they are not selling those)

Good to see some pictures of people helping each other, I am sure more will be up on the internet soon, or maybe I just haven't found more such pictures yet.

BBCNews is reporting about a Mumbai resident named Somnath Julka, who helped the victims of the Mumbai blasts in all possible ways. Even though none of his relatives or friends were affected, he still went to Sion Hospital in Mumbai, where most of the victims were admitted, and helped the patients financially. BBC Reports:

Mr Julka said that while he was at the hospital, he heard about a certain expensive injection that needed to be administered to the people injured in the blasts to prevent them from going deaf.

"Each injection cost 400 rupees [$9] and I told the doctors, don't worry about the costs, do what needs to be done and whatever the expense, I'll take care of it.

"I immediately arranged for 160,000 rupees that was required to buy them as well as some other medicines they needed to treat the wounded."

He has already spent Rs. 260,000 (US$) assisting people. He said:

"Even now I don't think our duty or work is over. I just heard a patient lost his spectacles in the blast and can't see without them so I have asked someone to get them fixed.

"Another person lost both his legs in the blast, so I plan to give him a job in my cargo company once he has been released from the hospital."

Mr Julka said he was only doing his bit for society.

"What will I do with all the money I have earned? I have just one daughter who got married last year. I run a profitable business and have earned enough to live comfortably for the rest of my life.

"Now I'd rather use my money to help those in need and give back a little to society that has given me so much."

Now this is an example of good social work!

So, who said that Mumbai is the rudest city in the world and that people don't care about each other? Infact, India is one place where people really care about others in the society (a lot of them do so), otherwise who would help these people out? Somnath Julka is not rude, infact he, and people like him are examples of the most helpful people you can ever hear about. Had it not been for these, I guess the casualties would have been much more.

God Bless India!

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12th July 2006

Update 1 : Just reading a Times of India article which says the same thing basically, which reader's views. Salaam Mumbai: The spirit lives on - The Times of India