A lot of bloggers are angry with politicians- Harini wants the entire geriatric class in politics to take up vanaprastha:

As i watch the news and the announcement of Shivraj Patil’s resignation - i am left numb. Why was he allowed to continue when he was so bloody inept? I am left even colder by the BJP making political capital out of this. Did Advani resign when the Parliament was attacked ? Did Modi resign when 2000+ people died in terror attacks in his state? Did anyone take moral responsibility for Kandahar ? Why the hell did Modi come to this city to politicize our tragedy? Where was the Thackeray family? It is all very well to sit in AC TV studio’s and pontificate about what the Government would and could and should have done. But, what did you do on the ground. How many of them donated blood, or money or support the men who keep us safe ?

Iconoplastic makes a passionate appeal:

Some of us did not die. But some of us did. And for those who didn’t die, it’s important that we seek a revolution in this city. In this country.

Ram Vishwanathan says: I am a Mumbaikar today.

But one thing that angered me was the sight of politicians at such a solemn occation. They came in their spotless white kurtas with their gun toting security to pay homage to an officer whom they were blaming till a few days back as being partisan.

I believe that we deserve the politicians we have elected. Elections are coming up. We should show our discontent. There is a FORM 49 (O) that one can fill in case he/she does not find any candidate deserving enough – in case these 49(O) vtes outnumber the votes of any candidates – those candidates will be disqualified. Let’s do this.

I believe that not everyone in the government is corrupt. This gives them a chance to flush out & cleanse the system. Get the bad guys out. Put in the tough guys. Mere resignations won’t do. We need to see some positive action & anger from our ‘leaders’. Look at the disrespect shown to all politicians by the media houses. If they have any ‘sharam’, they’ll get their act together.

Ajay Pathak asks:

How many terrorist attacks does India require before it is going to wake up to the fact that we have become a major terrorist target? Terrorist are attacking one Indian city after another with complete impunity. The politicians just keep on bickering among themselves. The last thing they are worried about is the innocent man who has to bear the brunt of these terrorist attacks. How many more people have to loose their lives before any real action is taken?

Ingrid Srinath wants Mumbaikars to take charge:

We need to each redefine our own priorities. Take the time to be a Mumbaikar rather than parasites that live off its resources. Stop looking the other way when unscrupulous politicians and crass media barons offend our sense of civility. Speak up when family, friends or colleagues voice their bigotry. Turn up to vote. Look at, really look, and listen to, and care about the people we share this city with.

Psyched is more disgusted with the Indian people than the politicians. Read what happened when he went to attend a vigil outside an Indian Consulate:

So during all this, I requested the guards, if I can speak to someone in the consulate, only to learn, there was some kind of celebration happening inside the consulate, some plays and all… which actually was the last straw on the horse’s back, until now I was still feeling ok, but once I learned that the consulate was hosting activities, I was broken, I wanted to scream at the top of my lung in remorse, what shushed me was the fact that when the play got over, there were people ( supposedly all were Indians) who walked past us, no one stopped at the vigil… not even for a second, everyone was laughing… and walking away… and there was this one lady dressed in black, who couldn’t even refrain clearing of the ash of her cigarette in the candle lit area, not shushed exactly… but silenced for sure.For this indeed is a “Black Day” for me… I couldn’t help but question, how colored and cold have we grown…

Mayank Austen Soofi compiles a list of top Pakistani bloggers who’ve stood up for the people of Mumbai:

On the day the siege of the Taj Mahal Hotel ended in Bombay, Aaj Tak, an Indian TV channel, announced that the hands of Pakistanis are now stained with the blood of Indians. I disagree. These are a few of Pakistan’s top bloggers and it seems Mumbai is their heritage, too.

At Pak Tea House, Shaheryar Ali calls Bombay the City of Lights. At the end of the post is a poem by Faiz (translated by Agha Shahid Ali), originally written for Lahore. An excerpt:

But let all be well, my city, if under
cover of darkness, in a final attack,
my heart leads its reserves of longings
and storms you tonight. Just tell all your lovers
to turn the wicks of their lamps high
so that I may find you, Oh, city,
my city of many lights.

Omair, again at Pak Tea House, reflects on the Terrible Silence of Peace:

“The earthy and cold hand of death

Lies on my tongue” (1 Hen. IV 5.4.84)

What has happened in Mumbai is tragic. Mass murder of unsuspecting victims, a life of grief and fear for those left behind who feel powerless, and scars upon the memories of those whose beloved Amchi Mumbai has been ruthlessly defiled.But the worst of it is captured by the master of tragedy Shakespeare as quoted above: the silence that comes after, when the hand of death binds our tongues. What silence, angry Pakistanis point out to me, as they deal with the blame (and the very real possibility) of collusion from within their own ranks. And voices like mine get drowned in the flurry of impassioned political discussions about political alliances, internal power contests, cross-border terrorist linkages, etc. etc.