Zeenews Bureau
Mumbai: Some moments are seared into the collective consciousness of the nation -- like 26/11. The utter helplessness came back to haunt on the first anniversary of India's most wounding terror strike, but with it was a sense of resolve as thousands prepared to gather in various cities to remember the incident.
A candle-light vigil, a police parade, an all-religion prayer meet at the Gateway of India and a memorial service at Chabad House - people from all walks of life will remember the victims and heroes of the 26/11 terror attacks a year ago in this city in more ways than one.
Taking no chances, police have maintained high levels of security all over the city since Wednesday, with armed personnel stopping and checking vehicles, especially at strategic points.
Security was especially tight at places like Chowpatty, Haji Ali, Prabhadevi, Worli, Bandra, Jogeshwari, around the Mumbai airport, the three main exit points connecting the city with the mainland and around the sites of the locations targeted one year ago.
A march by Mumbai Police started from Hotel Trident, one of the sites which came under terrorist attack, and will culminate at Girgaum Chowpatty. Before the parade, CM Ashok Chavan, his deputy Chhagan Bhujbal, and Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil paid homage to the victims and martyrs at Hotel Trident.
During the parade, the police displayed the latest arms, ammunition, sophisticated weapons and technology acquired by them during the past year to boost the combat capability of the force.
Force One, Maharashtra’s elite commando force inducted into service on Tuesday, was also a part of the parade. Force One will be the first in line in case of any future terror attack.
The force held counter-terror drill at Trident where in the the commandos slid down the hotel building. The force marched down Marine Drive on almost empty streets as Mumbaikars went on with their own routines.
The Railway Protection Police also held a march past at Chatrapati Shivaji Stadium at 9.30 am.
While the Citizens Initiative for Peace, encompassing several NGOs, holds a candle-light vigil on the eve of the anniversary of the daring attacks, a peace march would be held by Force 24X7, set up by the Indian Ex-Servicemen's League (Mahrashtra unit).
The candle-light vigil would be held outside the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel in memory of those who lost their lives in the mayhem, said Jatin Desai, spokesman of the Citizens Initiative for Peace.
One minute silence will be observed at the Leopold Café at 9.40 pm, the time when the popular café came under attack.
Besides these solemn events, students from all over India and Bangladesh under the banner of International Youth Peace Camp will pay homage to the victims at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Plat. No. 7, where terrorists opened fire, killing many people.
On Nov 26 last year, 10 Pakistani terrorists sneaked into this megapolis by the Arabian Sea, landing by rubber dinghy, and unleashed mayhem for three days in this city. Their killing spree and the bloody saga ended only when security forces killed all but one of them - Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab was captured during the attack. The 60 hours of terror left 166 people dead.
The corporate world is not to be left behind. It will pay homage at a function Thursday morning at the Indian Merchants Chamber that will be attended by CM Chavan.
Several NGOs, citizens and social groups have organised a campaign urging people to pen their anti-terrorism or related messages at a 1.5-km-long wall at Marine Drive in south Mumbai.
The Jewish community of Mumbai has also organised a special commemorative ceremony at Chabad House, the Mumbai headquarters of the ultra-orthodox Hasidic Jews, where Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, his pregnant wife Rivka and four others were killed as the terrorists stormed in and held them hostage for hours on end.
Rabbi Nachman and Freida Holtzberg of New York, and Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg of Afula (Israel), the parents of the slain Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka, will join the memorial event, a spokesman for the Israeli consulate here said.
They will be joined by Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz, director of Chabad Mumbai Relief Fund, Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky and Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, both from Lubavitch World Headquarters, Rabbi Yosef Kantor, regional director of Chabad India, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor and Mumbai Mayor Shubha Raul.
A memorial service will be performed by Chasidic vocalist Benny Friedman, as well as a vocal tribute to the victims of last year's terror attack would be paid from 6 p.m. onwards.
On the occasion, more than 170 candles will be lit in memory of all the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
The state government has organised an all-religious prayer meeting at the Gateway of India in memorium to the victims of 26/11 attacks.
All these are the public functions. But there are many private memorials that would be held at the homes of the victims, at the offices of the survivors and the police department, which lost some of its finest officers.