MUMBAI: The deadliest terror strike that shook the city and the nation still haunts, so much so that the citizens have been rendered numb about the future. But time is the greatest healer and will slowly coax people to move on.
It has been seen that it is the sporting world, more than any other endeavor, that responds quickly to recovery from the doom. So will it be, in the case of India. It will, however, take some time.
To those who are already writing off the 2011 World Cup cricket’s Asian venues ought to pause for a moment and remind themselves of so many past instances when such grim tragedies have been overcome and big events held as normally as ever. They have not been done easily, but have been done nevertheless.
We have almost three years to go to the event to be jointly organized by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. There is no denying the fact that each country knows its responsibility.
There were serial bomb blasts in Mumbai in 1993, with heavy casualties and tremendous damage to important edifice.
But came the 1996 World Cup, and as many as four matches were held in the city, including the quarterfinal between India and England.
Sharad Pawar, the chairman of the joint 2011 World Cup organizing committee, who will be the chairman of the ICC then, has already expressed his confidence in the running of the event in all four countries.
Talking of Mumbai’s resilience, cricket has already returned to the city in less than a week from the worst disaster, with Ranji Trophy matches.
On the international fold, England too has decided to come back to India to play the remaining two Test matches, starting from Dec. 11. They have, however, opted for Chennai and Mohali(Punjab) as the venues.
In these troubled times, it is but natural to look for safer havens and places, but one cannot allow the world to come to a complete standstill.
As always, it is sports that shows the way for others to follow.
