New York under attach - September 11, 2001

New York under attack - September 11, 2001

That fateful Tuesday morning was just another regular day for work. As a habit, we always have the news channel on while getting ready before leaving home. It was breaking news; a plane had just crashed on the world trade center. My immediate reaction was that one of choppers of the United Nations had an accident. By the time I reached the city, everybody was in panic and flying out of the city in whatever ways they could. I managed to climb the back of a truck, walked few miles, to finally reach home.
News of the attack spread like fire through dramatic images of the event via the television media. Many other channels moved to dedicated live coverage of the story. It was only then that I saw the magnitude of what exactly happened. Flames, billowing smoke and bodies of people plunged to their deaths rather than remaining trapped in the building; tons of papers covered the sky, while people were seen screaming and running everywhere for shelter. Journalists and regular people continued filming, snapping photos, and watching the skies for maybe another plane. A good deal of reporting was focused on fire, emergency vehicles, people trapped, and firemen searching for bodies. Television anchors had no idea they were covering the biggest story of their lives; at times, creating emotional space with silence, or portraying a feeling of shock, grievance or wonder, all at the same time.
Painfully I watched on the screen how the towers sunk. My tears were frozen, as I thought of all those innocent people who died in that catastrophe. I had nightmares, migraines for months, and unable to eat as the smell of burned bodies spread all the way to Queens; unable to sleep, I kept visualizing how the people were plunging to the ground, the bodies found, and the reactions of loved ones, and how the magic of New York City had been destroyed. The world changed on that day.