We are a resilient lot, us Indians. Things happen, we're shaken. And we get over it. This too, we philosophically tell ourselves, will pass.

People have died before defending the country. Why should it be any different just because its not at the frontiers? But do wars have to be only at the border? We have lost people who have voluntarily gone and faced death, so we might be safe another day. Safe? What is that??

So, people die. Someone out there has lost a relative, a friend, a parent, a sibling, a spouse. Today we don't know any of them personally. So why worry? Tomorrow if the tragedy touches us, and 'news' becomes a personal fact, we'll give it a thought. Till then we will be resilient. This too, after all, will pass.

But, you know what? People are getting tired. Wary. Today when I walk on the streets, I look back over my shoulder. I look at random people on the road and wonder if they have a concealed weapon. When I meet new people, I zero in on their ethnicity and cultural background (not that that tells us anything...prejudice still breeds) rather than their identity as people. When I dine out, I am constantly on tenterhooks. I refuse to take a seat near a door or a window, because I will be first in the line of fire, in case. I am afraid to travel by public transport, I am afraid to travel by a private vehicle. I am afraid to even be a passer-by. I am scared to walk past high profile buildings, I am scared to walk through familiar chawls. I am even afraid to go near the window of my own home, that's how a couple at Nariman House was killed in their own home. Everytime, a family member leaves home, I am on tenterhooks once more till they get back. I am scared to live. And I am not me, I am every Mumbaikar, every Indian citizen. But, I have to stay calm. I have to be resilient. Because I am alive today. Tomorrow, I may not be. And then, in my wake, others will have to be calm and resilient. And the story goes on...