Caught in crossfire

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Right now my thoughts are controlled by a visit to Mrs Saha's home in downtown Guwahati. A two room dingy apartment enjoined to the busy streets by narrow filthy lanes.

Inside, Mrs. Saha wails inconsolably. Ask her neighbors and they tell you that she has been like this for the past two weeks since Partho died. Partho was her 27- year old son. Mrs Saha isn't well off. Partho would teach neighborhood kids and make sure that modest family wants were taken care of. We saw Partho on TV screens the day he died. His stomach ripped open by shrapnel... his entrails out on the streets....

Working in the Northeast I invariably half-expect a grenade to whiz past my ear every time I go out on the streets. In the month of May alone there've been nine bomb blasts.... Many are dead. But Guwahati lives on. Discos, coffee shops open, markets abuzz....

The disconnect is alarming. But is there any other way ? No one has a clue where this mindless war is going. I guess not even ULFA. And no one is interested. Unlike Kashmir the sovereignty or control of Assam is not a contentious issue with a rogue neighbor like Pakistan. Fortunately the Northeastern insurgents do not bomb the power centers in the big cities. It's just another bomb. "Woha northeast mein to aisa hota hi hain". Period.

Living in Guwahati one tends to find patterns in violence that decides your movement and safety. For instance most would tell you that it's safe to venture out a day after a blast. Bombings would wait a few days to kill more.

I live in Guwahati and have figured out the patterns and calculations. Or so I think. But if you have a school going child, or a son like Mrs. Saha's you would probably despair every time they go out of your sight.