Hyderabad survives, US blinks

Two explosives were detonated killing almost 40 people while at least 15 other unexploded devices were discovered and inactivated. Why does a terrorist attack of this scope receive such subdued condemnation and scant news coverage around the world? Here in the US, it barely made the front pages of the dailies. A day later it even disappeared from the front pages of the online edition of BBC.
A “Times of India” lead story in its online edition claims that India is only second to Iraq in the number of deaths related to terrorist incidents since 2004. Apart from the sheer disinterest the worldwide media have in such stories emanating from India, America’s involvement in Iraq has also made a lot of people less reactive to death tolls unless they match or rival those that the war creates each day. The exception of course is when the death is local or in recognizable cities from what the media considers the developed world. I guess Hyderabad is yet to make the list. With their worldwide implications in politics and business, New Delhi and Bangalore are more likely to figure in international news stories.
Whatever the reaction of foreign media or government might be India’s resilience and courage in dealing with such incidents is beyond compare. Panic, outrage, fear were quickly replaced by recovery and optimism. No color-coded threat levels were instituted!