On July 11th, 2006, the city of Mumbai bore witness to terrifying human tragedy. A series of seven explosions killed at least 200 people on crowded commuter trains and stations. All seven blasts came within an 11-minute span, between 6:24 and 6:35 p.m. In the hours and days following the blasts, ordinary Mumbaikars demonstrated remarkable ingenuity and resourcefulness in coping with the tragedy. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh praised this grieving city for its strength. The next day, a majority of Mumbai’s citizens returned to work. Over the course of the day, the train stations were again packed with commuters.

Project mumbaiVOICES is a tribute to this resilience. It is an endeavor aimed at capturing the voices of the city’s survivors - so that the citizens of Mumbai can have their own say in the protection of their beloved city. The project offers ordinary citizens an opportunity to reflect on the disaster response in the aftermath of the blasts, examine the strengths and weakness, and collectively discuss desirable next steps to strengthen our response in the future. This project was piloted among 160 citizens of Mumbai – their testimonies are posted here.

 
Members of our team have compiled a narrative from these testimonies, highlighting the unfolding events in the immediate aftermath of the blasts. On the first anniversary of this tragedy, we invite you to read these responses, review the composite narrative, and share your thoughts in the Discussion Forum. Over the coming months, all responses and reflections will be reviewed to conduct a systematic analysis of the existing system, and make recommendations to the public and private sector at the conclusion of this initial phase.

Click here to learn more about Project mumbaiVOICES