Blast after blast

An invisible divide was at work in Connaught Place an hour after the two blasts in the area on Saturday evening. While the Outer Circle, near the site of the blast at Gopaldas Building, was dark with all shops downing shutters, with panic and a shade of lawlessness writ large, Inner Circle sported the look Delhiites associated with CP: some reassuring lights with many shops and eateries choosing to stay open.

The freshly renovated L-block stood like a beacon in the dark: couples and shoppers still moved around, with many lining up in front of restaurants and showrooms that decided to stay open. Shaken, but confidence not broken.

Model Town resident Gaurav Vashisht, with three-year-old son Chaitanya in tow, took the Metro from Vishwavidyalaya and reached CP around 8 pm. Once there, he was reassured: 8220;I wasn8217;t here when the blast occurred. But this is not so different from the Connaught Place I know.

8220;I am not scared; I will continue to stay here and even visit some shops.8221;

The first reaction at TGIF, a popular restaurant in Inner Circle, was to down shutters after the blast that shook Central Park. Then, the management thought again. 8220;Our customers said they felt safer inside the restaurant, that they didn8217;t want to go outside,8221; manager Subodh Mathur said. 8220;Also, people wanted to have their meals. If some one wants to have a meal, they are welcome.8221;

And even as the police reached the spot, students and couples continued their stroll 8212; now almost a resolute vigil.

In contrast, chaos and panic seemed to rule Outer Circle. With shops shutting close almost immediately, the area was dark in no time flat. People, in groups, shouted for autorickshaws that refused to stop. With police barricading Barakhamba Road and all cellphone networks shut down due to congestion, it looked like a mad scramble as worried shoppers tried to leave the area at the earliest.

On Inner Circle, autorickshaw driver Ramanuddin said he would go 8220;anywhere customers want to go8221;. Gaurav Yadav, another auto driver waiting nearby, echoed the sentiments.

In the end, it8217;s those who are alive who matter, said May Lindgren, 62, visiting India and staying at a hotel in CP. 8220;We were in a beauty parlour in Inner Circle when we heard the blasts. I heard one close by, and the other a little further away,8221; said Lindgren, accompanied by friend Annette Alvin, 42. 8220;Hearing the sound I told my friends it was a blast, and they were still laughing at me. I have stayed in Afghanistan and I knew it wasn8217;t such a big blast since no windows broke.

8220;In the end we have to count our blessings 8212; we are not panicking and running away because it8217;s important to be normal.8221;

Post-conversation, the two went back to what they were doing: chatting with a vendor selling cheap dark glasses. In the end, it was the indomitable CP spirit that survived.