Salute to the victims and emergency responders

I saw the 4-hour documentary "Inside 9/11" on National Geographic this weekend, and it leaves me stunned and numb.

I remember being the first one among my nearest neighbours in Mumbai to accidentally catch the attack on news in India. We saw, with others around the world, the second plane hit the South Tower live on TV. I must admit at that time my awe of how the terrorists could actually execute such a big attack on American soil overrode our sadness for the victims. Arguably I wasn't alone; many people who were outside the US at that time must've reacted with awe rather than horror.

This documentary changed my perspective forever. Not that I needed it to feel the sadness, but seeing it so closely and in such detail completely numbed my senses. The biggest amazement was the sheer will of firefighters going into the towers at a time when everybody else was scrambling out. Not once did they run out fearing for their own lives, knowing well what was waiting for them 80 floors above the ground. I admit my first reaction, had that happened in my country, would've been to criticize the government and the law enforcement agencies.

Another amazing story was that of the fightback of passengers aboard the last aircraft that foiled the terrorists' plan to destroy another building. The passengers actually waited for the plane to fly over rural area to minimize damage in case the plane crashed during the fight. To me that is amazing patriotism and foresight under such a tense situation, not to mention immense valour and integrity. Those terrorists and their will to break the backbone of a nation truly failed...

I salute the brave and ordinary men and women who had the courage to stand up, be defiant and fight back the evil spirits. It is incidents like these which unite us beyond borders, ethnicities and religions, and awaken our inherent human spirit and conscience that is the true voice of God.