Nation stops to pray for 7/11 victims

Mumbai: On Tuesday evening, at exactly 18:24 hrs (IST) - the time of the first blast on July 11 - people across the country stood for two minutes of silence.

President APJ Abdul Kalam himself led the silent prayers at Mahim station, the site of the first blast.

In several other parts of the country, citizens gathered to pay their homage as the entire nation united with Mumbaikars in their grief a week after serial blasts ripped through local trains in Mumbai killing over 200. It was also a show of national resolve to fight terror.

In Mumbai, traffic came to a halt and cinemas interrupted films as millions of people stopped all conversation in a short silence in memory of those killed in the blasts.

Sirens blared at key landmarks in the country's financial capital coinciding with the time of the first of seven synchronised bomb explosions -- bringing trains, buses, motorcycles and cars to a stop.

President Kalam, his hand raised to his forehead in salute, led the two-minute condolence as people lit candles and laid wreaths at the Mahim station.

Thousands of people lay bunches of roses and tulips at the blast sites along the busy railway network that runs like a spine through the city of some 17 million people by the Arabian Sea.

"We cannot share the pain, but the least we can do is remember them and show solidarity with the families of the victims," said Arindam Sarkar, a young advertisement executive, after observing the two-minute silence by the roadside.

Bollywood stars, holding up huge banners, led a silent march of hundreds of people condemning the attacks and the biggest male star, Shah Rukh Khan, appeared on television calling for religious unity. "Terrorism will never succeed," read one of the banners in the silent march. "Thank you all for being strong. Thank you for being united," read another.

In the capital, Delhiites joined the nation in paying homage to the blast victims with scores assembling at the Jantar Mantar and observing a 'two-minute silence' in memory of those who lost their lives.

Common people, representatives of organisations and institutions and mediapersons lighted candles and prayed for the departed souls of the nearly 200 people who perished in the seven blasts that rocked the western metropolis last Tuesday.

(With inputs from Reuters)