Mumbai Blogger Wonders, 'Will The Rains Wash Away The Blood?'Mumbai Blogger Wonders, 'Will The Rains Wash Away The Blood?'

India's tech savvy population wasted no time reacting online to the horrific series of bombs that killed at least 200 commuters on trains in Mumbai on Tuesday. Bloggers in the country's commercial capital expressed emotions ranging from disbelief, to shock, to anger and sorrow.

As night fell across a monsoon-soaked Mumbai for the second time following the attacks, one post sounded bittersweet. "Darkness is fast falling. It's raining like it will not stop. Will the rains wash away the blood? Will tomorrow be a new day? Here's to lost lives and broken dreams," wrote Selma Mirza on Mumbai.Metblogs.com.

Like many Americans did following the al-Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001, some of the bloggers were quick to politicize the Mumbai bombings. One said the terrorists "were cowards, like Bush." Another was quick to defend the U.S. president, opining that "these terrorists are cowards, yes, but you needn't involve Bush in such a thing." Blogger Arzan had a more practical concern: "Why did all the cell phones go down?"

Indian authorities are eyeing several groups as suspects, including al-Qaeda, Kashmiri separatists, and criminal gangs. No arrests have been made.

Blogging, and so-called citizen journalism, are on the rise in India as a growing number of its citizens find employment in its burgeoning tech sector and routinely use computers at work. CNN's India affiliate, CNN-IBN, invited stories from witnesses. One, aboard a nearby train, posted this chilling account: "As we peeped back out in horror we saw the thick black smoke coming out of the Borivili local, which screeched to a halt a few yards away." Many others responded with equally terrifying reports.

Experts say it's not surprising that Indians are using the Internet to express their feelings about the tragedy. "These are very frightening events, they cause tremendous stress. Blogging provides an instant outlet for those emotions," says Dr. Stan Frager, a psychology professor at the University of Louisville, in Kentucky. Blogging may also provide Indians with an anonymous emotional release in a culture that generally favors reserved, conservative behavior. "The need to express grief is universal," says Frager, who has lived in India.

Meanwhile, there were no reports of business interruptions affecting India's outsourcing giants as a result of the blasts. A spokesman for TCS, which is headquartered in Mumbai, said the company was increasing bag checks at entrances to company facilities. "Other than that, it's business as usual. Our security measures are very strong to begin with," he says. Had the Mumbai facility become inaccessible, work would have been automatically shifted to back-up facilities in other parts of the country, the spokesman says.