Tale of Two Strikes -- Similarly Different

It was 9/11 this year and one stood in Manhattan, exactly seven years from the day the world changed. The New York Police Department (NYPD) monitoring post at Times Square in Manhattan looked just like a police chowki in Delhi. Outside the small cubicle, overworked cops were either chatting by a corner or bingeing on snacks and beverages. I spotted a couple of men in uniform sending an appreciative glance or two at every pretty young thing that walked by. To me, that completed the comparison with our city policemen! I looked hard at the chowki again and spotted cameras whirring silently capturing every movement on the bustling streets, unable to reconcile the 'just another day' nonchalance of cops with the fact that it was a 9/11 anniversary. I decided to further gauge the city's mood on the day and made my way go Ground Zero some blocks away.