RESONANCE Read Free

engineers. The companies pay them poorly."
    "Does he really need that much money? He is a descendant of the Nawab of Dir and heir to a vast dominion. "Imran Shah Malik looked blankly at the ceiling and slowly turned his attention back to Nausheen. "But I know him. He thinks the same way as I do. He will prefer to earn by toiling and lead a decent life rather than spend sleepless nights in a castle with his inherited wealth. Make him understand that many multinational construction companies operate in Pakistan. He can always come back to our watan after his studies and find a deserving job."
    "Don't you think Aban will be a better person, if he stays in a cosmopolitan milieu?"
    "The Americans are no different from the rest of the human race. They too are prone to exploiting life for selfish gains. The Supreme Court of the United States declared that the Native American Tribes and their land is a sovereign nation. Right under the nose of the authorities, drug peddling, flesh trading and smuggling are rampant in these 'sovereign nations'. All this goes in the name of culture, respecting other cultures. And the very same Americans bomb our tribes without understanding the 'otherness' of our culture."After a pause, he said, "Rather, the world is one."
    "Still, why force him? Let him choose his own path."
    "I know my son too, Begum . I know that right from the beginning he wanted to study in the Ivy League. He worked hard to get admission to one of the finest programmes. So, I never interfered. Today also if he wants to complete his education at Cornell, I will never force him to come back. However, if you ask me for my opinion, then I would want my child to return after he completes his research paper. I would love to see him prosper on his native soil and live among his own people in ease and peace."
    "Still…"
    "No questions."
    Nausheen observed her husband's hand shaking violently and scratching his right thigh. She had seen this for many years. Whenever her husband was under extreme emotional stress, it would happen invariably. In these times, the best thing was to leave him alone to deal with the situation.
    A shrill voice echoed from the living room. "Come down, Mom."
    "Call me Ammi . Don't imitate those Westerners."
    "Come at once!"
    Nausheen's eyes widened when she saw Geo TV flashing the report of the Mumbai attacks. "How could they? Why?"
    The question remained unanswered as Aban and she watched the events unfolding before their eyes: mindless killing at a busy railway station, a gruesome bloodbath inside two five-star hotels, a chilling carnage in a café, a morbid massacre on the streets of the Mumbai and a ghastly butchery inside a Jewish Centre.
    "Where is your Abba ?"Nausheen turned her gaze to Aban, who held his head in disbelief.
    "He's left."

Meeting at Connaught Place
    The macabre Mumbai attacks happened in the late evening hours of November 26 th , 2008.
    The same afternoon Sundaram Iyer had gone to attend a meeting with the officers of the Central Water Power Commission at Sewa Bhawan, New Delhi. In the evening, he asked his chauffeur to leave the car keys with him, as he would be late.
    Sundaram drove his car to Connaught Place and steered into the parking lot of M-Block, in front of the famous Variety Book Depot. He walked leisurely to the Lalit Intercontinental Hotel at Barakhamba Avenue and entered the Presidential suite, booked by a Dubai pharmaceutical company. Sundaram's three accomplices were eagerly waiting for him. He greeted them and asked each of them to power off their cell phones and to remove the batteries. With all cell phones dead to the world, a satisfied Sundaram asked Somashekhar Rao to turn off the television as well.
    Somashekhar Rao obeyed, returned to his seat and blurted out, "How come you could not prevent the Indian Government from cancelling our contract, Sundaram?"The disenchanted Managing Director of the Progressive Architecture and Construction Company Ltd. of Hyderabad demanded