Mumbai in White

Observe “MUMBAI IN WHITE” on July 26th, 2006

College students, and all citizens of Mumbai!

Wear white on July 26th. White for peace and a memorial to the dead.
If you wear uniform, or you don’t own anything white, wear a white band!

The seven blasts on suburban trains on July 11 have shocked Mumbai and the
world. Yet, Mumbaikars not only kept calm, they went out of their way to
help the injured and the families of the dead. Among the first to rush to
the aid of the stricken trains were the city's poorest residents, who live
in slums lining the railway tracks. They rushed out to offer their bed
sheets to be used as stretchers for the injured. Later, thousands thronged
hospitals to donate blood and comfort the families of the bereaved.

Despite Mumbai's inherently cosmopolitan and peaceful character, we must
actively take measures to ensure that this spirit of resilience and
generosity endure. There are always communal elements who will try to
vitiate the atmosphere by attempting to target innocents. Mumbai needs to
stand together and defeat the attempts of terrorists and communal forces to
grind down the city's sense of unity. We must make certain that no more
innocent lives are lost.

Colleges and citizens organisations of all hues and sectors have united to
urge that we observe July 26, the first anniversary of the floods in which
447 Mumbaikars lost their lives, as a day on which to say" Salaam Mumbai".
We appeal to every citizen to wear white on July 26, to work, to go
anywhere, in memory of those who lost their lives in the blasts as well and
to express their commitment to peace.

On that day, students from more than 30 city colleges in Mumbai will form a
human chain from the Rajabai Tower to the Gateway of India. After this they
will gather at the Gateway at 5 pm, which was the site of a bomb blast on
August 25, 2003, to take a Pledge of Peace at 6.25 pm. There will be songs
and prayers at the Gateway. Artists including Suneeta Rao, Neela Bhagwat,
Seema Saigal and others will sing songs for peace. Mumbai University Vice
Chancellor, Dr Vijay Khole, will flag off the human chain.

We request colleges, organisations, NGOs, offices, temples, churches and
mosques to please spread the word. Please come in thousands to be part of
the human chain and the meeting at the Gateway.

And remember to wear white on that day, wherever you are!

Dr. Subadra Anand (principal, National College, Bandra), Dr. Sabira Dossa
(Principal Burhani College), Ms Ferrukh S. Waris (Burhani College),
representatives of all colleges in Mumbai.