The Railways decision to scrap the lone surviving coach from Mumbai's 7/11 serial train blasts is unfortunate. It will wipe out an important historic chapter in India's fight against terror
The coach after the blast on July 11, 2006. File Pic
Nearly four years back, while we were visiting Cambodia, largely to soak in the grandeur and scale of the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Angkor Wat — a pit stop in the historic capital city of Phnom Penh — an nth hour addition to our itinerary — turned out to be quite a mind-altering experience, as far as preservation and national pride goes.
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This tiny country, one of Asia's least developed, and still recovering from the scars of Pol Pot's tyrannical regime, seemed extremely focused that coming generations as well as visitors experienced their past. More importantly, they had set in order timely reminders so they learnt from it to avoid a repeat, at any cost. We had signed up for a tour of the infamous Killing Fields, a little outside off Phnom Penh. Prior to the trail, the tour involved a visit to a school, now renamed as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, within the limits of the city that imprisoned 'anti-nationals' (read: liberal minds, educationists, artists and basically any individual or group that didn't toe the Khmer Rouge's official line).
Here we saw the horrors of how a democratic movement was stifled; later, as we took that audio tour through the Fields, the enormity of this shocking chapter of world history hit us hard. Democracy and freedom cannot be taken for granted. It was the underlying message of that two-part tour. Throughout, we met many young Cambodians who were grateful that there was a telling physical memorial of their horrid past, and how it served them well to ensure a repeat never occurred. In fact, the anger that some harboured against these dictators had found its way in the form of profanities scrawled on their photographs at the museum.
The sensitivity and focus with which this entire chapter of Cambodian history was documented by the elected governments that followed was remarkable. We learnt that international help was sought to ensure that the memorial sites were created to ensure that the respect and pride of the nation was top priority from idea to execution. And it seems to have paid off, at least from a tourist's viewpoint.
Why did we share this detailed experience? Because of the news that this newspaper had reported last week (July 13: Sole Surviving 7/11 Serial Blasts Coach Awaits Fate). While on the one hand, it was commendable that the Indian Railways was able to salvage and resuscitate this reminder of that black day in Mumbai and India's fight against terror, it was disappointing to note that plans were underway to actually let go of this historic element, eventually. What a shame, really.
There options galore to preserve it, including the most viable one – that it be shifted to occupy a place of pride at the National Rail Museum in New Delhi. The 10-acre-large space with indoor and outdoor exhibits could definitely spare room for India's very own telling reminder of its continuing fight against terrorism. Why this idea has not been mooted baffles us. After all, if other immovable sites across the country, from Jallianwala Bagh to the Lucknow Residency, have their place of national honour and pride as benchmarks of India's struggle for Independence; why not preserve such movable icons of its modern history?
After all, if we don't consider this as integral to our historic timeline and educate our youth about the imminent dangers that threaten democracy in today's world, pray, then how will they ever be aware and also learn about their recent past before it's too late?
mid-day's Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city's sights, sounds, smells and stones... wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
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