It’s the 11th of September today and it marks the 23rd anniversary of the devastating attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City. It’s a moment that now feels so distant yet so vivid in my memories. It’s hard to believe that nearly a quarter-century has passed since that fateful day.
In 2001, when the attacks occurred, I was just a 9 years old kid in India. I remember watching the events unfold live on news TV. Back then, I did not understand the magnitude and consequences of the tragedy, but I was captivated by the relentless coverage. The phrase “World Trade Center” was everywhere. I vividly remember, while watching the coverage on TV and reading about it newspapers, I had a flurry of questions in my mind: Where exactly is New York City? What is World Trade Center? Who is George Bush? Where is Afghanistan? What is terrorism? Why were the Twin Towers targeted? How did they collapse? and many more such questions.
As a kid, I was a big fan of watching two channels on TV – the Discovery channel and the National Geographic channel. In the years following the attacks, these channels featured full-length documentaries that detailed every aspect of the event. I found myself drawn to every documentary, film, and news article that covered this topic.
Looking back, I think the 9/11 attacks enveloped my young mind and it marked my first exposure to the world of geopolitics and global affairs. It might seem unusual, but it also ignited my interest in architecture. I became engrossed in the details of the Twin Towers’ construction, the marvellous engineering behind it, the impact of the plane crashes, and the subsequent collapse.
Visiting the 9/11 museum in New York
In 2019, I had the opportunity to visit New York. I went to see the newly constructed World Trade Center tower. Standing on the site where the Twin Towers once proudly stood was a surreal experience. During my 35-day stay, I visited the site nearly a dozen times. I found myself drawn back to the site repeatedly and I would sit there imagining how that fateful day might have unfolded and how difficult it must have been for people to live through that horrifying experience.
I also visited the 9/11 museum. It is one of the most deeply moving experiences I have had. The museum is constructed underground and filled with a vast collection of artifacts and personal stories from that fateful day. As a child, I had never imagined that I would one day see and touch the relics that had only existed for me through documentaries and newspapers. The cover photo you see above is from the museum and those are the two sectional pillars from the original Twin Towers. These pillars now symbolize strength in the face of adversities.
I remember walking through the museum and feeling poignant. I spent almost an entire day at the museum and it a was deeply impactful and thought-provoking experience to me.
After all these years, 9/11 might have faded from the public memory but it continues to stir something within me. I still eagerly consume every new piece of content related to that day, just as the 9 year old me first watched the events unfold on television.
Reflecting on the 23rd anniversary, I realize how much this single event has shaped and broadened my understanding of geopolitics and international relations. The impact of that day has profoundly influenced my world view.