Vox populi, online

Technology is a two-edged sword. While on the one hand it was the primary aid to the terrorists, on the other, it helped the voice of the masses be heard.

In time of terror, the youth used contemporary means of communication, as platforms to voice their opinion

Technology is a two-edged sword. While on the one hand it was the primary aid to the terrorists, on the other, it helped the voice of the masses be heard. The city barely slept through the 62-hour siege and a near-shutdown kept people glued to their computers and mobile phones. These contemporary means of communications were used, in such times of turmoil, by the Mumbaikars to share and vocalise the many emotions they went through8212;fear, loathing, angst, sadness, sense of loss, pride and eventually elation at having the city free from the claws of violence.

Applications like Facebook, Gtalk and Orkut became a platform where the youth

demonstrated their angst at a time when a more public domain was unavailable to them. Status messages like 8216;Stop hurting our city8217; and 8216;Enough is enough8217; that reflected the mood of the city instantly covered Facebook and many personal blogs.

From these myriad thoughts emerged the real opinions of the urban mindset and primarily, the youth. The concern for the city was indeed the primary emotion but many expressed their anger towards politicians: 8216;We need not worry about those who have come through boats8230;but we must worry about those who have come through our VOTES8217;, 8216;Politicians go away, we don8217;t need your sympathy8217;, 8216;Marathi Manoos Raj will magically appear now that the dust has settled8217; and 8216;Crouching Tiger, hidden dragon 8211; Bal and Raj Thackeray, that is8217; are examples.

One could also catch glimpses of the pride and the famed unfailing spirit of Mumbaikars through messages that shared thoughts with techie Marco D8217;Souza8217;s 8216;Relieved that it8217;s all over, but then, our work has only just begun8217; and law professional Jaya Kumar8217;s 8216;Thinking about innocent people dead in the Mumbai attacks.8217;

Many adopted rather witty means to highlight what would otherwise be sensitive topics. Twenty four-year-old Nikhil Menon, through his message, 8216;We have a great sense of rumour8217;, put in a nutshell the problems that rumours can create in sensitive times like these. He was referring to the false news of fresh firing outside CST that created panic among citizens on Friday afternoon.

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Emails and text messages to the effect were also rampant. But needless to say, the tone changed as soon as the dust settled. Saturday morning saw a new wave of messages, which were meant to heal and inspire peace. Many used these contemporary means of communication to let anyone interested know about the many peace marches and candle lightings that the city will host over the coming few days.

Inspired by the names of the operations the brave NSG commandos gave to their battles, this particularly sensitive message is passed around. 8216;Operation white rose 8211; please start the healing process. Let the heroism of our soldiers and ordinary people not go waste. Find a white rose and pass it on to someone on the road, leave it at the hotel, give it to a soldier. In thanks, in memoriam, in hope.8217; A sweet thought indeed, it readily makes one imagine how beautiful the city would look like if Mumbaikars really follow it.