Is Mumbai safe? This was the question that many Mumbaikars asked themselves after the gruesome terror attach on 26/11. However, actor Nishant Malkhani says that over the years, he has learnt that Mumbai has the utmost security.
“I feel absolutely safe in Mumbai. I am from Delhi and there is a lot more crime that takes place in Delhi. So, for me, Mumbai is much safer and peaceful and warm city to live in. When this incident happened, I was in Delhi and was working at a call centre that time and had come back home in the morning after the night shift selling credit cards to Americans. I just came home and switched on the TV to have my breakfast and then sleep. I came across this news and it was shocking,” he says.
He adds, “The visuals were horrifying and was a difficult time to process. Since I was Delhi back then and had no connection to Mumbai, I took it as news that one would watch something happening at a distant city even though it’s the same country. You get that feeling that such things don’t happen in Delhi. That wasn’t very mature to be as back then I was just 21 years old. But just the next year, I moved to Mumbai but this thought that whether Mumbai is safe or not never came into my head.”
He says that Mumbai is one of the safest cities in the country today. “Mumbai is a city that never gives up. No matter what you throw at it, it is able to stand up again and move. I think Mumbai has enough security and is a safe city for everyone. Yes, this incident happened but it doesn’t mean it will happen again easily. Our law enforcement agencies are even more aware and are much more careful that the loopholes that caused 26/11 should not happen again. Bomb scare happens a lot and sometimes it comes out to be a prank. Mumbai never sleeps and never gives up. We don’t sit home just because there is a threat outside. We face it. The track record of Mumbai is so safe that you believe that you are safe,” he says.