/> "The attack this time is scary because people in Mumbai seem to have accepted terrorism as a way of life. This is an attack meant to spread terror, period. The whole notion of irrational terror has entered the Indian ethos recently.

But it's here to stay. We've made space in our brains to adapt to it. I think Mumbai will live with terrorism.. If you listen to Mumbaikars on television after the latest blasts, they seem to have come to terms with it.

Communal violence is something that can be anticipated. But this kind of violence, no one can see coming because it has no roots. Because it has no roots, the emotional residue of a communal riot or any pre-meditated attack of terrorism is missing, and it's therefore easy to move on the next morning."

"I repeat, this attack is only meant to spread terror. Factional terrorism always takes place on the relevant land. This attack had no geo-political roots. In the long run this is pretty ineffective muscle-flexing because the people who are the victim of random terrorism develop an immunity system against such attacks.

This isn't to say that the tragedy of human loss will ever leave us. But it's far easier to deal with this attack than the calculated carnage in the Gujarat communal riots, or the Bombay bomb blasts of 1992.

The most incredible part of Mumbai is that the momentum of existence creates a larger entity than the grieving crushed victim of violence who gets ahead come what may. It isn't apathy.

It's just moving ahead of the last calamity. I'm sure the same momentum exists in other big cities. But it'd be difficult to find another city like Mumbai which accepts such acts and moves on.

Why did people return to work the early morning the next day? They could have taken the next day off. But they haven't.

They've been up helping victims all night and are back to their normal rhythm the next morning. The city is genuinely growing a spine. It isn't denial. It's a full-blown acceptance.

And the first stirrings of pride in our powers of resilience. I'm not creating a cheesy feel-good scenario. The city is going through a trial by fire. In strange way it could come out far more sensitized."