I’ve just reached home by the Central Railway, which fortunately was untouched by the serial blasts in trains on the Western Railway in Mumbai during peak hours. And yes, I’m safe and sound, but over 100 people who were killed and 300 injured weren’t as lucky.

I was in the Times of India building attending a Tai Chi class when we heard about the blasts. The phone lines were jammed and the only thing I could think of was getting in touch with my family to let them know I was safe.

I’d planned on staying over with a friend so I could avoid the trip home, but the phone lines were jammed. Because services had stopped on the Western Line I thought the commuters left stranded would make a beeline for the Central Line, so I decided to wait out the rush at the Cafe Coffee Day outlet opposite CST station. I learned later that there was no rush, as most commuters avoided the trains altogether, expecting more blasts.

As I sat at CCD waiting for my cappucino, I was shocked by the attitude of the staff, when they were unwilling to keep the television on so we could watch the news. Their argument was that people were gathering outside the cafe to watch and their “rules” did not “allow” them to let that happen.

I was almost yelling when I explained to them that at a time like this, no one gave a damn about their stupid rules and told them they were behaving like a government office. And what was wrong, I asked them, if people did gather outside to find out what was happening on a day like today?

Disgusted by my experience with CCD, I headed for the nearest Barista, where the atmosphere was definitely less elitist and I could watch the news in peace.

Just like adversity brings out the best (or worst) in people, disaster brings out the best or worst in a brand. If CCD were my brand, here’s what I would have done in a situation like this.

I would have opened up the cafe to the public, allow them to watch the news, charge their cellphones and even offered refreshments on the house. And I would give my managers a lesson in treating people more humanely.

It’s better to be kind than to be right, and if you want people to love your brand, a little charity in times like these would not be out of place. In fact, any smart business house would take this opportunity to display a little humanity and to show they have a heart.

But why target CCD alone? Although Mumbai is the country’s financial capital, with some of it’s richest and most influential citizens, the fat cats with their fat purses seem to lack basic charity at a time like this.

I mean, would it have be so hard for cellular service providers like to provide free SMS, calls and increase their capacity to transmit calls at a time like this? Reliance, Hutch, Airtel, are you listening?

It was good that the BEST came to the rescue of stranded commuters, but it would have taken very little for BPOs or other business houses to provide additional transport. Do they even care?

After today’s disaster, I truly believe that business leaders in Mumbai have very little heart, and even less desire to make a difference to the city that helps them thrive.

Shame on you, CCD! Shame on the business leaders who completely failed to demonstrate true leadership at a time like this.

And shame on the politicians who are more concerned about statues being defaced, and disrupting our lives with threats of protest if the culprits of the blasts are not caught. As if the harrassed citizens of Mumbai don’t have enough to deal with already!

In the midst of all this chaos and gloom, it’s still the ordinary citizens who are the biggest heroes, and Mumbai’s saviours. I salute them and all those brave and kind souls who stopped to help the dying and injured.

Too bad I can’t say the same for our business and political leaders.

Tags: mumbai blasts