Thursday was a day of mourning in Mumbai.  

A year has gone by since the city witnessed the 26/11 terrorist attacks. It has recovered from the shock, wiped away the blood stains, and made sure life is back to normal. But somewhere deep within, the memories remained — memories of being utterly helpless when death came calling under the cover of darkness. Ten terrorists had sneaked into the city armed with AK-47s, grenades and RDX. They killed 175 people and injured 300.
 
Mumbaikars, united in grief and solidarity, found ways of expressing their emotions. There were prayer meetings, candlelight processions, blood donation camps and memorial services across the city. But it was at the five terror spots — Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Leopold Cafe, The Taj, Cama Hospital and The Trident — that one witnessed maximum congregations.
 
At 9.30 pm — exactly at that time a year ago two terrorists had opened fire in the eatery killing nine people — Leopold Cafe observed a minute's silence. There were at least a 100 people inside, including the diners, waiters and the media. A large crowd, which had gathered at its gates couldn't be accommodated for lack of space. But that was hardly a deterrent. Moments before, two city-based bands had paid their musical tribute inside the restaurant. Right after the silence, was a loud cheer — a vocal assertion of the city's undying spirit, its capacity to absorb even the deadliest of massacres. It was followed by a particularly moving musical piece by a German cellist Friedrich Weiuhnecht.  

Like many others, 25-year-old Deven M Digwal had come with friends. "Though I am not a regular at Leopold, I have come here to be part of the memorial service," he said.

Outside, on the footpath bordering Leopold, candles were lit as a mark of tribute to the two waiters who had been gunned down by the terrorists. What was a bit unnerving however, were the Vande Mataram chants, that have come to be associated with a certain Hindu fundamentalist outfit. Mumbai would love patriotism, but it cannot afford any visible sign of religious polarisation.

The mood was far more sombre at the Cama Hospital. Early in the morning, the staff had erected a shrine inside the main hospital building with photographs of the two guards who were felled by terrorists' bullets. Home minister RR Patil and Vijaykumar Krishnarao Gavit, minister of medical education, horticulture and tourism visited the hospital in the early afternoon. In the course of the day, about 650 hospital staff paid tribute to the deceased, so did the relatives of the patients. “In the afternoon, all the 75 employees who were on duty during that fateful night were invited to narrate their experiences at a memorial meet held at the out patients department (OPD),” said Babaram Kadam, president of the Cama Workers Union. In the evening, the hospital premises were lit up with candles in the memory of the attacks.

At CST, the organisers of a blood donation camp were finding it difficult to contain the steady stream of donors. “More than 3,000 people have already donated blood at the camp which began at 8 am,” said BR Bhattad, one of the organisers. About 700 volunteers and 100 doctors were pressed into service to run the day-long camp.

Outside the CST, on the footpath, a memorial service for the deceased police officers was on in full swing.

It was also the day when Mumbaikars saw Force One, the state's crack team of commandos, patrolling the streets.

At 7 pm, Union home minister P Chidambaram, Maharashtra Chuif Minister Ashok Chavan, deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal and other Congress leaders gathered at the Gateway of India where a few hundred people pledged to root out terror.

At the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, the employees and the families of the staff came together at a remembrance meeting for those who lost their lives last year. There were multi faith prayers held for peace and harmony. The mood was best symbolised by Ratan Tata, chairman, Indian Hotels Company Ltd, when he said: "We made a commitment to rebuild this building brick by brick and stone by stone and this commitment still stands. They tried to knock us down but they could not kill us. The attack did not scare us but it made us stronger. We have risen again stronger with greater spirit.”

Also read: One year after 26/11: Security? What's that? | The book that predicted it | We take the terror tour | Sipping coffee at Leopold Cafe, unafraid | Remembering 26/11

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