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newsBack to workUnruffled by the tragic events of July 13, life moves on in the hub of gold tradein Zaveri Bazar and the diamond centre of Opera House in MumbaiA jeweller waits for customers outside his showroom near the blast site at Zaveri Bazar in Mumbai a couple of days after the bomb blasts hit the city on July 13.If the intention of the perpetrators of July 13 blasts was tocow Mumbai into a state of fear and paralyse its businesslife, then they had certainly misread the city’s spirit. Mumbaihas once again weathered the shock of bomb blasts and isquickly back again on its feet. Going by the expression used bythe businessmen in the three blast-hit market places, the mood is“overall positive”. The diamond centre of Opera House, gold hubof Zaveri Bazar, and the commercial part of Dadar West in Mumbaiwere the targets of bomb blasts that took place on the fatefulday. These markets are once again bustling with business.“Now, there are restrictions on traffic and security checks area lot stricter, but nobody objects to them. Business is near normalbut it will be a while before life gets back to normal,” saysAsim Shah of HB Shah Pvt Ltd, a leading diamond exporter ofthe area.Krishna Verlekar, who has a workshop in the heart of ZaveriBazar, observes that regular customers have become morecautious since July 13. “Before visiting the market, they now callus asking about the police presence in the area and to know if it’scrowded... They will do so for a few more weeks before followingthe routine of pre-blast day.”The other result of the blasts is that the diamond market has6 Pravasi Bharatiya July 2011