STILL DYING TO BELIEVE THAT IT WAS A RUMOUR

There was absolutely no reason for any of us to believe that September 11, 2001 would be different from any other day until two resolute terrorists brought down the two striking skyscrapers and snapped the spine of the big nation, USA.

Terrorists strap bombs to their bodies and press the trigger and kill officials or they use their guns on innocent. But who thought that they would hijack an aircraft and plunge into the landmark buildings of New York?! The images of the World Trade Centre transforming into crumbling smokestacks seem so inconceivable even after eleven years.

As a girl of merely 10 years of age then, I stood staring at the television not knowing how such a thing could even occur. There it was – two structures that always fascinated her were now nothing more than ashes. I believed that those were permanent and nothing big enough existed that could bring it down. But today I know that it takes no time for something that seems to be permanent to leave a void and become a memory. It took hardly a span of 20 minutes to make over the beautiful, strong and rich America into a broken state with life being lost without any count.

The question is whether anything changed after this incident? Did anyone achieve anything big or small other than taking away so many innocent lives and leaving their dear ones in sorrow forever?

Bin Laden is now claimed to be killed and the USA, whose demise he planned is still alive. But I believe that America is no longer the promised land that our forefathers dreamed of attaining. The fear that they felt on September 11 morning still lingers after so many years.

All I have to tell those who lost their dear ones that morning is, letting go has never been easy, but holding on can be as difficult. Yet strength is measured not by holding on, but by letting go.

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