Terrorist Attacks in Mumbai, India

The recent, ongoing spate of terrorist attacks against major landmarks in the city of Mumbai, India deserve the strongest condemnation from the international community. I, for one, am deeply concerned for the well-being for my family and friends in the region and for the hostages currently still being held by the terrorists. The deliberate targeting, by extremist Islamic militants, of westerners and Israelis, is particularly reprehensible, as is the chaos wreaked upon prestigious landmarks in the vibrant, progressive city. I have to commend the courageous and effective response of the Indian anti-terror special forces and elite commandos who continue, as we speak, to engage terrorists in various locations in the city. Indeed, the scenario is reminiscent of the terrorist attacks during the Munich Olympic games in the '60s.

By an amazing coincidence, I was filming at a few of these very landmarks earlier this year. The Taj Mahal Palace hotel, which was one of the terror targets, is featured, along with the Gateway of India monument, in Horizon Cybermedia's first film in the Exploration series, the Elephanta Caves. Other major landmarks in Mumbai that were targeted by terrorists include the Oberoi Hotel and the C.S.T. Railway Station, as well as hospitals, cafés and even a Jewish center. It is an eerie experience for me, considering my recent visit to the city of my birth and the fact that I filmed one of the popular tourist excursions from the city. The city is a vibrant, cosmopolitan center of culture and commerce, the seat of one of the world's major film industries as well as a major technology hub in Asia. It is a sobering experience to witness the city being targeted by forces of militant extremism.

This only strengthens my resolve to continue to document, on film, the major centers of culture and civilization around the world. I feel a deeper sense of purpose in the face of the forces of barbaric extremism and cowardly destructiveness who threaten to undermine the stability, integrity and security of the major cultural centers in the world. I am sure that Mumbai will recover quickly from what is, undoubtedly, a traumatic experience and continue to thrive and succeed like other cities that have recently been afflicted by monstrous terrorist attacks, such as New York, London, Paris, Madrid, and others.

Horizon Cybermedia remains undeterred in our creative efforts to produce art, culture and, ultimately, the artifacts of civilization—we are, if anything, only more determined in our efforts in the face of the destructive savagery of militant extremism and terrorism.

Wishing you the very best,

Uday Gunjikar,
Founder and CEO,
Horizon Cybermedia, Inc.