The peace of Sagnik Dey and Shri Pendakur's Thanksgiving break was interrupted Thursday when a terrorist group killed hundreds of people in the students' native India.
Dey, a freshman from Kolkata, India, studying mechanical engineering, said Sunday he still feels anger for the violent acts that took place.
Ten terrorists stormed the Indian city of Mumbai, the financial capital along the country's western coastline, and killed more than 170 people in a series of explosions and gunfire - most of which took place at the Taj Mahal Hotel. The group, suspected to have ties with a Pakistani terrorist organization, held hostages under siege for roughly three days. Witnesses told the Associated Press the terrorists were searching for Americans and Britons before opening fire on the crowd.
Pendakur, a senior from Bangalore, India, studying advertising, said two of the deceased were regular patients of his father, a doctor.
Dey and Pendakur said they stayed at the hotel in years past, which made watching news coverage of the attacks surreal.
Pendakur said he has been disappointed in the Western media's coverage of terrorist attacks in India. He said a July terrorist attack, which had 24 terrorist-planted bombs that detonated in two days, did not receive as much media coverage as last week's siege in Mumbai. That might be because Westerners were not killed in the July attacks but were among the victims this time, he said.
Otherwise, the Western world, especially President George Bush and President-elect Barack Obama, has been supportive of India since the attack, Pendakur said, which should be interpreted as a sign of change coming to India.
"I hope this is something (the Indian government) will learn from," Pendakur said.
Pendakur said he does not like talking unfavorably about his home country during turbulent times but feels the Indian government could have prevented the attacks if it created a counterterrorism center and better secured the Indian-Pakistani border.
Other Indians have expressed their frustration as well. Two Asian television news stations broadcast images of Indians posting banners outside of memorial services for last week's victims that said, "Enough is Enough."
Though Pendakur said he fears nuclear war between India and Pakistan could break out, he said the relationship has improved during the last nine years.
Dey said Indians should not blame all Pakistanis for what happened last week. He said his generation would be less likely to lead their countries to war unlike the current leaders.
"As time goes on, education improves," Dey said. "You can teach that you can't kill someone just because they have a different religion. Everyone is coming together, and I like to see that."
Daily Egyptian reporter Barton Lorimor can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 263 or barton.lorimor@siude.com.
