A PLEASANTLY cool evening has descended on Taksim Square, one of Istanbul’s main attractions, as I find myself in front of Cumhuriyet Aniti, or the Monument of the Republic. Enthusiastic visitors are engrossed in shopping or savouring choice food in eateries and carefree couples and tourist families with babies propped up in their prams are strolling on the famed Istiklal Street. The tram with its bells jingling and occupied mostly by foreigners — who obviously don’t want to risk missing anything during their stay in Istanbul to regret on their return home — trundle leisurely intermittently. It reminds of the transport system reigning Europeans had put in place in various cities of the world.

At a short distance from Taksim, a bomb attack last month shattered the calm, leaving in its wake several casualties. Nothing is sadder than the loss of a human life and everything must be done to avoid such losses in future, but the incident has given birth to certain questions. Are Turkish security authorities prepared to save the country from the flames of a fire that has already caused large-scale destruction in neighbouring Syria and Iraq and last month even struck in Brussels? Have the March 20th blast and another one hitting a separate place in the city earlier this year sown fear among tourists coming to Istanbul in droves throughout the year for sightseeing? Brief, informal chats I had with people, both local and foreigner, indicate the city doesn’t give a damn to the horrifying incidents — at least for now.

“Tourism fetches heavy revenue to Turkey every year. Do you think such terrorist attacks will go on to have an adverse effect on income generation from tourism?” a tourist guide at the Suleymaniye Mosque was asked. She shrugs. “Tourist arrival to Istanbul in 2015 declined to some extent from what it was in 2014, but I am not sure if that can be attributed to these blasts because such incidents had also occurred in previous years but had not affected tourism during following months,” the guide says.

That Istanbul, according to a report, is the fifth most connected city around the globe may be quoted as evidence to support her view. Barely two minutes pass when an aircraft appears in the skies descending for landing at the spacious Istanbul Ataturk Airport. The traffic flow can be guessed from the fact that there are over 300 gates that passengers use to board their flights.

A top-level executive of a semi-government organisation answers the question in these words. “Yes, blasts have happened and precious lives have been lost and many people have suffered injuries. But we have to move ahead.”

Bazaars are full of people and so are Metro trains and Metro-buses, a view possible only when people are out of fear.

How he sees the government policies because terrorists are challenging the law and order more frequently now, a shopkeeper is asked. The chubby fellow grins. “Our president is capable of handling this. He will certainly clear all this mess. I have voted for him and will do so in future as well,” he says.

Not all, however, think on these lines.

A mid-level professional working for the public relations section of a company is careful in her assessment of the situation taking shape in Turkey. While she won’t overtly support or oppose the government’s way of dealing with the problem, she is sure little is going to be changed as terrorist attacks are few and far between. With a smile playing at her lips, she reasons: “It [terrorism] is happening all over the world. You see there was a series of bomb blasts in Brussels recently. So it’s unlikely such incidents would go on to disrupt the day-to-day life in Istanbul. Life goes on.”

Outside the majestic Suleymaniye Mosque overlooking the Bosphorus Strait, the same question is put to a young Kosovan couple. The man takes a few seconds before waving his friend to answer for him because he is unable to understand English.

“Fear? No. We did not fear anything before we set out to fly to Istanbul, should we have?” the blonde replies, her eyes betraying the weirdness over the relativity of the question.

Around Taksim Square, entertainment of late hours has taken the driving seat now. In front of discotheques lining a side lane, middlemen are swarming tourists with ‘hosts’ of offers — a job being done simultaneously by beauties on the main Istiklal Street. There is clearly nothing to suggest terror has had an effect on Istanbul people or visitors. Life goes on.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2016