Mumbai

Teaming up with former police commissioner Julio Ribeiro’s NGO, Public Concern for Governance Trust, and a couple of friends, Sarla Parekh engaged herself in a long litigation battle, seeking better surveillance and security systems for the city.

In an exclusive interview with The Better India, Divya narrates how 26/11 changed not just the lives of those inside hijacked spaces, but also their loved ones who watched the horror unfurl on their television sets.

"We are in the CCTV room [on] the third floor of Taj hotel. Terrorists are in room number 631. They came to the fifth floor also. We fired at them, so they went back to the sixth. I have 3-4 people with me. DCP Rajwardhan is also here. Please send assault teams,"

Honoured with the President’s Police Medal for bravery during 26/11, this top cop has left behind a legacy that ensures the Mumbai police is better prepared to protect the city. #IndiaRemembers #MumbaiAttacks

What makes the story even more endearing is that, besides being part of many (bomb) search operations for over a decade, the four were best buddies and inseparable.

"I stood up against a terrorist and wasn’t afraid because it was the right thing to do."

You could pick up the phone and call one of your teachers from school or ask your lift-man or the person who helps you around the house about how their day is looking.

Busy stations in Mumbai, like Sion, use up to 10 litres of acid every month to clean the stains. It takes the railway authorities over 60,000 litres of water and crores of rupees from the budget to clean the stains that are a result of the habits of careless people.

When Abdul’s family was trying to find a match for him, it seemed that his union with Naima was preordained.

In a world so fraught with conflict and competition, it is always heartening to see people who are kind and believe in compassion.