Terrorism hits India's high-tech hub
A series of explosions killed at least one and injured many more. But if history is a guide, the attacks will do little to slow the city's development.
Whatever the motivations were for the apparent terrorists who exploded a series of small bombs in India's high-tech hub Bangalore earlier Friday, one thing they're not likely to succeed in doing is slowing that city's progress.
As Om Malik notes, residents of several cities in India have grown accustomed to terrorist attacks (Reuters has an account of the explosions that appear to have killed at least one person and injured many more.). They are a terrible part of life in a country that has struggled with extremism in various forms.
Bangalore, of course, is of particular interest to the tech industry. In addition to the large Indian outsourcing companies and smaller software outfits headquartered there, American companies such as Intel and Texas Instruments also have major offices in the city.
Bangalore is no stranger to bombings. The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom (note: The Guardian also reports two people were killed in Friday's attacks) reports that a courthouse in the city was bombed in May. Authorities there suspect the bombing was linked to a banned Islamic student group.
Were the bombs intended to send a message, and spread fear in a progressive city full of western investment? Definitely. But no one should expect that investment to screech to a halt. Plenty of cities--Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Paris, London, and let's not forget New York and Washington, D.C.--have been attacked by terrorists over the last few decades.
All those cities, especially New York, dealt with the tragedy of those attacks and have gone on to thrive. Let's hope Bangalore is no different. History is on its side.