On that trecherous Wednesday 26th. Nov. '08, my wife Varsha had gone out with her friend Pallavi, They managed to escape the attack by just a whisker. Others were not that lucky. If religion can turn humans into demons, what good is such a religion. I'd prefer to be an atheist any time.
Here is an email I received from Pallavi regarding their plight on that fateful night. It is very succinct.
"Dearest Everyone,
This is not an easy e-mail for me to write and I won't be doing separate ones to anyone so please don't be upset… The past three days have been a nightmare that I am still trying to come to terms with… Went with some friends to Indus for our usual evening out around 7:30 on Wednesday evening… There was a very noisy birthday party going on at the next table.. my friends and I decided to leave.. Spur of the moment to change the dinner menu from Zaffran (too far!!) to Café Leopold (an old favourite) since it was just around the corner… and the decision to have a quick bite and run.. Bad decision.. really really bad decision.. We walked it to Leo's and were asked to wait for a minute before we were seated.. got the last vacant table available (which ultimately turned out to be the one the terrorists must have sat at)!! But fortunately (as it turned out) very close to the side exit / entrance! Were barely seated and looking at the menu deciding what to order when there was a CRAAACK sound – almost like a bulb bursting! Before we could say "What's that", there was the unmistakable rat-a-tat-a-rat-a-tat sound of machine gun firing! Instant pandemonium in the restaurant.. we were stunned but managed to gather our wits enough to run out.. Varsha even had the presence of mind to grab our handbags lying on an adjacent chair! Ran blindly into the lane desperately looking for a place to hide.. continuous firing from the terrorists inside Leo's… ducked into the first entrance we saw and it was an office… The owner was nice enough to take us in but insisted upon mobiles being kept on silent mode… and lights switched off… the noise from the street was deafening! Sat inside for a good 45 minutes… clutching hands… and praying… waiting for quiet to return… Owner's family started calling him home so he asked us to leave… Before that happened… a knock at the door… we all froze and when two guys with their clothes in shreds.. and covered in bloodstains came in… they were looking for water and a change of clothes… weary from ferrying people to hospitals… Worrying telephone calls started… convinced us that the office owner wasn't quite completely on the right side of the law either… kept on praying… Crept out of the office and towards the building entrance… only to stop short at the sight of a smart yuppie-type lying dead in a huge pool of blood right at the entrance… shot in the head and shoulder… poor guy must have been running to find shelter… started moving at the others urging to "hurry, hurry"… and running down the road that the terrorists had run down just minutes earlier on their sprint towards the Taj… Were slightly alarmed when two young boys almost grabbed us saying it wasn't SAFE to be out… They insisted they had a room where we would be safe and virtually had to drag us up the stairs… we were too zapped to actually realize what was going on… especially after seeing so many dead and injured in the restaurant… God sends us angels when we need them most… I know this is true... the boys mustn't have been a day over 18, if even that much… They came a short while later with bottles of chilled mineral water… followed that with Coke and Limca a short while later… and then came and apologized because they couldn't offer us anything to eat! Unimaginable and unbelievable degrees of niceness from people who don't have much… The room was tiny… with a ridiculously minuscule window… not particularly clean… the less said about the bathroom the better… but to be safe and away from the terrorists was an absolutely "top of the world" feeling! We were right behind the Taj… heard every single gunshot… hand grenade… bomb blast… saw and smelt the smoke from the dome burning… held each other's hands through the long… very long night… prayed… hoped… answered frantic calls from loved and dear ones… including a number of you all who are reading this… hoped that the mobile batteries would hold out… We realized how long seconds can be… how endless the time for the minute hand on the clock to travel an infinitesimal space further along it's way actually is… never looked at my watch as often as I did that night… That's when we sat there and counted our blessings… a clean house… a safe neighbourhood… close friends… loving families… concerned and caring colleagues… a variety of food… nice clean clothes… alert and hardworking staff…enough opportunities for fun and games…helpful neighbours… and above all, a protective and loving God who kept us safe and secure… We are truly more blessed than we know… and it's time to understand and acknowledge this and the people who make our lives richer, better and happier by being a part of them!! Stepped out of the building to get our ride home… only to the staccato sound of even more gunshots from the Taj… but were determined to get home to our loved ones… An amazing feeling of overwhelming relief, joy and a sense of unreality… that we were FINALLY safe…that we could actually stop looking over our shoulders suspiciously… Came home to a rapturous welcome from Daddy and my staff and friends… It was the best feeling in the world!! I know… that so many have died… been grievously injured… emotionally scarred by the violence and aggression… traumatized by the senseless and unnecessary terror… deeply hurt by the insensitive remarks of our politicians… and I realize that I have been incredibly lucky… and still… The nights go by with sleep being elusive… I am startled by sudden loud sounds… don't think I will ever be able to handle hearing loud firecrackers… without being frightened… keep questioning why I was saved… Maybe God thinks I am a good person… and there are responsibilities I have to fulfil… I feel lost and lonely… even though everyone has been so supportive and understanding… It is a private horror that only I can deal with… and reconcile to… Am being as strong as I can… long chats with friends help… going out and walking at Marine Drive does too… have stopped watching the news on tv… vivid images make it "come alive" for me again… Wonder of what has died inside me will ever be the same again… and of it doesn't… Well, that's life… and will chalk it up to experience… and pray that none of us ever have to deal with it again… Thank you for always caring for me… loving me… understanding me… supporting me… and "being there" for me when I have most needed it! You are all very precious to me and I don't even want to imagine what life would be like without you…"
Much Love,
Pallu"
2 comments:
A very touching and real post..God save our country from terrorrism!!
Terror! Even to read this spine numbing mail.
Oh! what a coincidence. I've been following your blog for just a few days and I realised the connection only now after reading this post. Am an Anneite myself and know Varsha as Manisha's big sis. It's been just couple of years since have caught up with Manisha again after ages on FB and remember she had mentioned about this.
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