Comments

I also got my hackles up. I was supposed to be at the Taj right now to work in naval dockyard next to it, but luckily the program got delayed. I'm due to be there in a week and I'm not looking forward to this. So far I did not receive word from our partners there. I hope they and their families are safe and sound.

Posted by Urs Heer at November 27, 2008 10:21 AM

On this day of thanksgiving, I am thankful that it could have been worst. I am most thankful for the near misses spoken of here. But I am also really mad as hell of the cowardice of these people to target innocent civilians for such harm and heartbreak. It is an attempt to stymie the progress of others. I am glad to see that TP will not curtail his plans and will not be a coward to such cowardice. This is their goal. While I believe in peace, such events make me thankful for Armed Services.

Posted by Judith Ellis at November 27, 2008 11:44 AM

One of my loved ones narrowly escaped. Not a feeling I would want anyone to ever have.

Thanks for the post and please do come.

Posted by Jay at November 27, 2008 12:15 PM

Enlisting for a jihad for critical thinking. A pissed off sixty plus american business guru might just be the best recruiter for it.

http://thinkndmuse.blogspot.com/2008/11/jihad-for-critical-thinking.html

Posted by Jay at November 27, 2008 12:17 PM

You want to be careful Tom.

Like you I have been floating around the world now for a while. (Okay, not quite as long actually)

And I have also had my share of scrapes.

But I HAVE known people who took one trip too many, and ended up in a place they had no earthly right to be in.

There are many other ways to reach people with modern technology. Be careful... thats a lot of near misses in a short time.

Posted by Daryl Mather at November 27, 2008 12:56 PM

It is very unfortunate and a tragic incident. The terrorism phenomenon now is a fundamental problem facing our global society and threatens to alter the course of human society. Regardless, Mumbai is very much like New York and it is going to bounce back with more vigor and energy. Yes there will be period of apprehension but rest assured Indians will show the same resolve as US showed in wake of these cowardly and despicable acts. Tom, I am sure you are blessed and I am sure you and everyone will continue to pursue your engagements with the same enthusiasm after the dust settles.

Posted by Arvinder Singh at November 27, 2008 1:53 PM

Arvinder Singh: I have not a shadow of doubt that India-Mumbai will bounce back fast. The Indians, like their American colleagues, are blessed with a hearty resilience gene!

Posted by tom peters at November 27, 2008 2:13 PM

The guys with that lunatic glint in their eyes are getting desperate.

Obama in the White House means they lose their biggest propaganda and recruitment advantage - he is proving them wrong on almost everything they have been saying so far about America and its political structure and objectives.

And India is a living example of the “immense benefits of globalization”. With the country growing at almost 7% annually in spite of the financial mayhem elsewhere, their agenda for South East Asia is going haywire. The countries that support them are on the verge of chaos, and they are losing politically, financially, and militarily. By the passing day, Jihad is becoming a distant pipe dream.

The fundamentalists need to do something fast, and they chose Mumbai for it.

Now in India, the politicians are still prisoners of peculiar minority sensitivity. In their hearts they fear that a strong stand on terrorism would make the minorities edgy, and they might show it when they vote. Perhaps that’s why a coordinated national mechanism to handle terror strikes is still to take off.

A person accused of helping the terrorists mastermind an attack on the Indian parliament is still alive, despite being pronounced guilty by the highest court of the land. A member of parliament even when to the extent of casting aspirations on a police officer who died fighting terrorists. His crime? In his haste to get into action, he did not care to wear a bullet-proof vest!

But no fear, India will get along. The minorities here still prefer Infosys over Al Qaeda.

Jay, from Bangalore

Posted by Jayakumar Hariharan at November 28, 2008 1:01 AM

I am sorry about India's bombings. As a risk manager consultant, based on systems methodology and scenario methods, I walked many worse-case scenarios to foresee many futures before they happen. I am interested in anything and anyone that can mitigate or terminate this outrage. I am afraid that everyone in the world must take charge immediately.

One might realize that there are too many grave concurrent events. One may wish to make a cause to countermeassure this. I do everyday my part as everyone else does his or hers. I offer this presentation on the subject:

http://www.slideshare.net/andresagostini/newly-changed-change-presentation

Posted by Andres Agostini (Andy) at November 28, 2008 1:04 AM

Jay, thanks for your comments. You guys are on my mind every minute. As I said or implied, horrid events like this only solidify my attachment to earth's biggest democracy! (When I started coming to India as my wife's acompaniest--she uses India for sourcing in her home furnishings business--my affection redoubled. I'd spent most of my time with the elites in Delhi and Mumbai--I fell head over heels for the textile businesssmen and businesswomen, the workers, etc. in the countryside.)

Posted by tom peters at November 28, 2008 7:13 AM

A loved one escaped narrowly. I'd say there is no parallel experience in life.

I sort of see the root cause as a marketing problem.'They' are better at marketing to 17-21 year olds. period. We have to do better.

Tough to admit but true that there will always be limits to what states in open societies can do.

http://thinkndmuse.blogspot.com/2008/11/jihad-for-critical-thinking.html

Posted by Jay at November 28, 2008 7:45 AM

Jay. we should always remember that terrorists are cowards. These cowardly acts of murder and bullying are not the way to succeed with any cause - these barbarians will be repelled and overcome!

I understand that my words can do little, or nothing, to ease the pain and suffering in Mumbai so I wanted merely to say something about what is and will always be great about India for me.....

I well remember, as a 21 year old, my life shaping adventures in Mumbai (frequently at the Taj), Bangalore, Hydrabad, in the hill stations of the region, and roaming throughout southern India.

My lasting memories are of friendships, learnings, individual acts of kindness, life-saving surgery, recuperation, and an enduring love affair with India and her smiling people (especially one).

To get even a modest insight into the stark contradictions that were India was a simple joy for me - her people and their superstitions, her religions and their impact on culture, her laws and prohibitions, her potential and her shackles, etc.

My direct experience of India and her tenacious people tells me that a bunch of cowardly, mentally deranged, terrorists can not and will not prevail.

There are at least 2 maybe 4 Australians dead - many others wounded but lucky to be alive, and many more in a state of absolute shock and fear.

What this says to me is that we are all living on a flat-earth in 2008 not just on the Internet but in the "real world" too.

A cowardly attack in Mumbai is my problem as much as it is yours Jay. Together we must find a way to dissolve the issues that lead to young men and women becoming so disconnected from our society that they become violent bullies.

In solidarity, Richard.

Posted by Richard Lipscombe at November 28, 2008 4:26 PM

Some more thoughts as to why it is a marketing problem...
Tom, please pardon if I get too specific and take a wee bit liberty in using your real estate.
Richard, thanks for your kind words.

One thing which is tough to do is think 'rationally' when something like this hits home and you could have lost someone close. In the end, we are all monkeys with chemical problems. (if that statment offends, well, that is the start of another discussion,and sorta intended too).

One of the canards is that these guys who become the fedayeen are from among the wronged sections of the populace - say,a poor palestinian or kashmiri who has faced real atrocities from the Israeli or Indian states. Not saying that this would give moral legitimacy to do what they do.

But the fact is that these guys who end up becoming suicide bombers are mostly from well to do families mostly and almost always above middle class (at least outside palestine). During some part of their lives, they become victim to militant political Islam's faith based appeal. To put it crudely, young teenaged boys are by definition idiots and are easy victims to any demagogue- and by and large it is in this phase that they are caught and used.

We should be able to reach out to him, his aspirations as they do and shape his worldview. As to why that other worlview is indeed wrong and bad and ours is right (or at least less wrong).

That is the only long term solution and the other choice is to all to start living in cultural bunkers, never venturing out.

I was in the US, whole through your election cycle. I feared that people with no links to reality (the so called 'moveon.org' crowd) will end up dictating policy if he or Mr.Edwards got elected but seeing Mr.Obama's team, hoping wont happen. The world is more complex than Kumbaya.

Posted by Jay at November 28, 2008 7:36 PM

Thankfully, its all over now.

Lets take a moment to wish and pray that these brave men in black of the NSG who braved bullets and fire for 60 hours to protect Mumbai "shall not have died in vain."

Jay, from Bangalore

Posted by Jayakumar Hariharan at November 28, 2008 11:13 PM

Unfortunately, this is the third day of this human disater. Tremendously unfortunate. There is a novelty in this case.

Terror attackers kept HOSTAGES "live." A horrendouns practice derivative. I am closely reflecting and pondenring a great deal.

Posted by Andres Agostini (Andy) at November 29, 2008 1:55 AM

There is the official version of the intelligence U.S. pundits of what the world might look like towards 2025. This is officially made by US intelligence services—released this week. The reader can downloaded the original copy at www.AgostiniWorks.blogspot.com.

This way each one will realize how forceful Americans must come together into unison, as energized A-C-T-I-V-I-S-T-S in favor of the benefits and against the challenges.

Got it get mind prepared and ready as per my POV. Measures and countermeasures must become generally known at the public level. THIS, PERHAPS, IS THE REAL DEAL.

It’s time (as it seems to me after researching the subject for almost 30 years), through esprits de corps, institute the the systemic, systematic stewardship of UPSIDE AND DOWNSIDE RISKS à la Gestalt. I wonder if this public effort can be BRANDED in a functional way!

Posted by Andres Agostini (Andy) at November 29, 2008 3:16 AM

Jay - please accept my heartfelt condolences. I am doing some voluntary work for a village in Southern India and I have many Indian friends – they are all wonderful peace loving people. I would love to have your views on something I have noticed in the last 24 hours. Senior Indian government politicians are resigning because they feel a ‘moral responsibility’. I think this is magnificent testimony to the integrity of your leaders in India. So often in my country (Britain) in the last 20 years I have been ashamed to see politicians of both major parties stay in office for issues where in previous generations they would gave resigned immediately on ‘moral grounds.’ Well done to India for showing the world real political leadership on this - you have my greatest admiration. I wish British politicians would learn from your country.

Posted by Trevor Gay at November 30, 2008 8:23 AM

There has never been a greater time to reflect and ponder. The Indian attacks --and other critical as-of-now situations and trends--oblige one to think it all through. Because of that reason and with the end to collaborate in this wonderful conversation. I enclosed several quotes taken from the Oxford Dictionary Of Quotations.

“The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.” (Winston Churchill). “Many people I know prefer to die THAN THINK.” (Bertrand Russell). “I like the stories of the FUTURE better than accounts from the past.” (Thomas Jefferson). “I never discovered anything with my rational mind.” (Albert Einstein). “It is our future that lays down the law of OUR TODAY.” (Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche). “He that will not apply NEW REMEDIES must expect NEW EVILS «changed changes that disrupt our long-held systems of beliefs, cosmovisions, ethos, and comfort zone»; for time is the greatest innovator.” )Francis Bacon) “I do not mind what language an opera is sung in so long as it a language I don’t understand.” (Sir Edward Appleton). “We had better wait and see.” (Herbert Asquish)
“Make haste slowly.” (Augustus). “Nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear.” (Marcus Aurelius)
“In such cause we should not know what to say. This is when we say ‘words fail us’ and mean this literally. We should need new words. The old ones just would not fit. They aren’t meant to cover this kind of case.” (J.L. Austin). “For one of those Gnostics, the visible universe was an illusion or, more precisely, a sophism. Mirrors and fatherhood are abominable because they multiply it and extend it.” (Jorge Luis Borges). “Some people are aware of another sort of thinking which … leads to those simple ideas that are obvious only after they have been thought of … the term ‘lateral thinking’ has been coined to describe this other sort of thinking; ‘vertical thinking’ is used to denote the conventional logical process.” (Edward de Bono). “I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.” (Albert Einstein). “It is the province of knowledge to speak and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.” (Oliver Wendell Holmes)

www.AgostiniWorks.blogspot.com

Posted by Andres Agostini (Andy) at November 30, 2008 8:41 PM

About politicians resigning - the only one who resigned - the union home minister - was in fact made to resign. Too many glaring lapses, including a pointed warning of an impending attack on the Taj hotel by the sea route.

But there certainly are others we can be proud of.

Like the Taj hotel staff, who took the motif "Ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen" to an altogether different level, when they readily took bullets aimed at their guests.

Like the NSG commandos who fought for close to 36 hours inside a hotel they knew was wired to be blown up with RDX.

Like the Mumbai police constabulary who moved in to face the terrorists without adequate arms and training. Hemant Karkare, the chief of Mumbai police’s anti-terrorist squad (ATS) personally led the "Charge of the light brigade". 14 of them including Karkare died before the army and NSG finally moved in.

And of course, the firemen who took enormous risks to save lives.

We are fighting 21st century terrorism with 20th century tactics. Lets hope that the political leadership of the country wakes up to it.

Jay, from Bangalore

canadian pharmacy viagra for cheap Posted by Jayakumar Hariharan at December 1, 2008 12:07 AM

For an even broader reflection, I find this quote formidable. “It is impossible to contemplate the spectacle of the starry universe without wondering how it was formed.” – Henry Poncarie

Posted by Andres Agostini (Andy) at December 1, 2008 12:39 AM

A British lawyer Mark Abell was barricaded in his room at the Oberoi Trident Hotel in Mumbai and had a 'near miss'. During 40 hours stuck in his room he used his Blackberry to exchange 2,000 emails to try and share information about what was happening. He also 'phoned in to the BBC Radio programme 'Today' to report what was going on.

There's a fascinating interview with him from this morning's Radio 4 'Today' programme at:
http://tinyurl.com/5sg5rm

Posted by Ian Sanders at December 1, 2008 4:14 AM

Update - two more resigning on "moral" grounds, after clearly being compelled to do so by their respective party leaderships.

Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh

Maharashtra deputy chief minister in charge of security - R R Patil

Jay from Bangalore

Posted by Jayakumar Hariharan at December 1, 2008 4:18 AM

Thanks very much for the updates Jay - at least your politicians ARE resigning. In UK politics in the last 20 years it has become the norm for politicians to brazenly stay in post despite the fact that 99% of the population feel they should resign. I actually admire people who resign much more than those who pig headedly stay and lose all self respect as well as damage the integrity of politics. Sometimes the bravest thing to do is walk away. And certainly that action shows far more respect for the voter.

Posted by Trevor Gay at December 1, 2008 4:40 AM

Years ago I learned an important adage from a great friend: "Never let geography determine where you go." That was before 9/11, but there's still a lot of truth to it. Take a two week breather and go on with your life of travel. Makes sense to me--and I followed it 2 days after the airlines instituted service following 9/11. First class passengers quickly decided we'd challenge any terrorist bums...Maybe naive, but tough. You can't control everything.

Posted by Dan Erwin at December 1, 2008 3:38 PM

Bravo, Dan!

Posted by Judith Ellis at December 1, 2008 3:44 PM

Tom, I agree with you when you say we're blessed with a resilience gene. Unfortunately we're also cursed with an apathy gene as well. Give us another week and we'll forget all about it. Sooner or later, what we all need to do is wake up, understand our roles and responsibilities as citizens and ENFORCE them. Half my educated brethren enjoy the day off on voting day. Its only when we realise our responsibilities as Indians will this ever change.

I liked Jay's blog calling for a jihad for Critical thinking. We need more voices like that. Not just think, but DO!!!!

Thank you for believing in India, Tom. Its support like this which counts and means so much to all of us. And I look forward to your visit here in Mumbai.

~Navin
http://navinquadros.blogspot.com

Posted by Navin Quadros at December 1, 2008 10:21 PM

Tom - It is with great remorse that I write this response to your post. All of us are in a state of shock on hearing the tragic terrorist attack on Mumbai since Wednesday. This is something unprecedented and unpardonable and I sincerely wish India, together with the support of USA, UK, Israel, Russia, China and other allies takes appropriate & necessary action to counter & neutralize terrorist elements and restore peace & confidence at the earliest.

My heartfelt condolences & sincere prayers to the families & friends of the bereaved (police, commandos, civilians, firefighters) who had guts & grit to put the nations' interest ahead of theirs and who laid down their lives for a cause – WE SALUTE! After all, only when we are no longer afraid, do we begin to LIVE!

I sincerely hope for the world to become a better (peaceful, tolerant & harmonious) place to live.

Posted by K.Sriram at December 3, 2008 4:38 AM

Jay.... As the dust settles on the terrorists' assault on the Taj one thing is clear. The real heroes were the staff at the Taj. These people were heroes because they saved their customers lives - literally!

I have heard so many stories of Taj staff placing themselves into "harms way" to protect their customers lives. Many of them were killed as a direct result of what they did and others were wounded. I will never be able to read a Tom Peters rant about poor customer service again without thinking about the staff at the Taj in November 2008 - they were not about service so much as about human decency and doing whatever they could in the service of others. Their ability to think about and care for others is my take away from the stories I have heard about what really happened inside the Taj.

Jay you should be truly proud of your country's men and women who gave their lives to save their customers' lives at the their workplace - they worked at the now immortal Taj (Palace Hotel)....

Richard.

Posted by Richard Lipscombe at December 4, 2008 3:35 PM