9/11....the other side of New York....

9/11....the other side of New York.....

Humungous, gigantic, glamorous, full of life, never sleeping and a city of dreams, New York.... It's very sight brings you face to face with another world, tall buiildings, busy roads, bustling crowds, cool people.
In many ways it reminds one of Mumbai. The same spirit, sense of life and being busy.
There is something else which binds both of them together....resilience....of having faced a trauma and coming out of it. 9/11, 11th September and 26/11, 26th November ( as in India we mention the date before tge month while in USA the month is written before the date) will always remain as the two darkest days for these cities when in New york, the twin towers were attacked by hijacked planes and in Mumbai, when the CST, Taj, Trident and Chaabad House were attacked by terrorists.
However there was a difference too....the grit and determination of creating a new edifice in memory of the World Trade Centre, the One World Observatory and the 9/11 Memorial.
My mind was a myriad of thoughts when I went up to the 102 floor in the capsule lift. We were up there in seconds to watch the wonder that is New York. A different view on all sides. However that one side where the memorial stood gnawed my heart.
I could not help remember the helpless people who must have undergone great hardships since they had become victims to bitter minds.
The destruction of 9/11 was symbolic of the destruction of the unparalleled status of the United States Of America. The carnal desire to mow down the supremacy of a country reigned forte in the minds of the devastaters. That the victims were innocent and had no connection with their cause hardly mattered. Revenge at any cost was supreme and so all sublime thoughts of humanity, compassion were blown to smithereens.
Ironically one part of the memorial inscribing names of those who lost their lives is a pool of flowing waters symbolising that nothing is permanent. Life is like flowing waters and will remain like that.
The aesthetically created memorial makes one experience the trauma and helplessness not only of simple individuals but also of a supposedly perfect system which was unable to do much in those trying times.
Yet they tried their best and did all that was possible to lessen the loss and pain..
The 9/11 Memorial Museum is unique because it is located within and surrounded by remnants of the original World Trade Center site. 
The Foundation Hall is the largest of the spaces within the Museum where one can still see the slurry wall―a retaining wall originally built to hold back the Hudson River―and the remnants of cutoff box columns that once formed the exterior structure of the Twin Towers. It makes one think of all the efforts and technology used for creating the towers which were destroyed in minutes. Creation takes years and destruction just a few minutes.
The Memorial Museum also examines the implications of the events of 9/11 and documents the impact of those events succinctly.
One is amazed by the multimedia displays, archival material, narratives and a collection of monumental and authentic artefacts. The life of every victim is commemorated and visitors can learn about the lives of the men, women and children who died. We can feel their loss and grief through archival videos, interviews with victims who survived, government officials, historians, journalists, members of the armed forces, family members of victims, emergency responders and other museum visitors. 
The memorial has three distinct parts comprising of the day of the attack when the hijacked airplanes hit the Twin Towers, and the Pentagon, as well as the courageous actions of first responders and civilians assisting one another, and the experiences of people near and far from the attack sites. 
It also gives a perspective of the reasons behind this attack.
The third part presents the global response, recovery and rebuilding, the issues which need to be addressed for the victims and their families who suffered and are still suffering.
It was impossible for me to rush through these experiences and when I came out of the memorial  after more than 5 hours my thoughts were countless.
What stood out was the fact that love is stronger than hate. This was evident in the fact that whether in India or USA people were united by hope despite such tragedies and stood by each other.
It also emphasised that in darkness we shine the brightest.
New York has arisen like the phoenix standing tall and full of life  as ever.
As I stepped out of the memorial and saw the flowing waters of the pool with the names of the victims, I realised that time is like water. Once it has flowed one cannot touch the same waters again. Also one cannot hold back either in one's hand. They both are the best teachers to learn from and grow above hatred. A beautiful world can be created only with love and nurtured with compassion and not by hatred and vengeance.