India's Urban Legend

RUTH FREMSON / The New York Times / Redux

Security gap
Ignoring a metal detector at Victoria Terminus

On foot, even a city of 18 million people can feel like a village. I was reminded of this during the attacks on Mumbai a year ago, when the only way to get around was by walking. For three days, my world shrank to a tiny patch of the city's southern tip as I trudged through seemingly endless loops between the places where a handful of terrorists had holed themselves up before they were killed by commandos. The curving path from Nariman House back to my hotel is imprinted on my memory, along with the kindness of the stranger...

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