A candle-light vigil, a police parade, an all-religion prayer meet at the Gateway of India and a memorial service at Chabad House - people from all walks of life will remember the victims and heroes of the 26/11 terror attacks a year ago in this city in more ways than one.

While the Citizens Initiative for Peace, encompassing several NGOs, holds a candle-light vigil on the eve of the anniversary of the daring attacks, a peace march would be held by Force 24X7, set up by the Indian Ex-Servicemen's League (Mahrashtra unit).

The candle-light vigil would be held outside the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel in memory of those who lost their lives in the mayhem, said Jatin Desai, spokesman of the Citizens Initiative for Peace.

The march by Force 24X7 will start from Bandra station and terminate at the Taj Land's End in Bandra Reclamation, followed by a homage meeting at the Carter Road Amphitheatre, said Brigadier (Retd) Sudhir Sawant, the Force's advisor.

Besides these solemn events, students from all over India and Bangladesh under the banner of International Youth Peace Camp will pay homage to the victims at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Plat. No. 7, where terrorists opened fire, killing many people.

On Nov 26 last year, 10 Pakistani terrorists sneaked into this megapolis by the Arabian Sea, landing by rubber dinghy, and unleashed mayhem for three days in this city. Their killing spree and the bloody saga ended only when security forces killed all but one of them - Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab was captured during the attack. The 60 hours of terror left 166 people dead.

On Thursday morning, the Mumbai Police have organised a special parade from the Gateway of India to Chowpatty as a confidence building measure among the people.

During the parade, the police will display the latest arms, ammunition, sophisticated weapons and technology acquired by them during the past year to boost the combat capability of the force.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram will attend the memorial function.

The corporate world is not to be left behind. It will pay homage at a function Thursday morning at the Indian Merchants Chamber that will be attended by Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.

Several NGOs, citizens and social groups have organised a campaign urging people to pen their anti-terrorism or related messages at a 1.5-km-long wall at Marine Drive in south Mumbai.

The Jewish community of Mumbai has also organised a special commemorative ceremony at Chabad House, the Mumbai headquarters of the ultra-orthodox Hasidic Jews, where Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, his pregnant wife Rivka and four others were killed as the terrorists stormed in and held them hostage for hours on end.

Rabbi Nachman and Freida Holtzberg of New York, and Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg of Afula (Israel), the parents of the slain Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka, will join the memorial event, a spokesman for the Israeli consulate here said.

They will be joined by Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz, director of Chabad Mumbai Relief Fund, Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky and Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, both from Lubavitch World Headquarters, Rabbi Yosef Kantor, regional director of Chabad India, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor and Mumbai Mayor Shubha Raul.

A memorial service will be performed by Chasidic vocalist Benny Friedman, as well as a vocal tribute to the victims of last year's terror attack would be paid from 6 p.m. onwards.

On the occasion, more than 170 candles will be lit in memory of all the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

The state government has organised an all-religious prayer meeting at the Gateway of India in memorium to the victims of 26/11 attacks.

All these are the public functions. But there are many private memorials that would be held at the homes of the victims, at the offices of the survivors and the police department, which lost some of its finest officers.

SEARCH