Watching the tragedy unfold in Mumbai this past week brought out feelings of sadness for the victims and anger at those cowards who would perpetrate such a heinous crime. What reminds us of the humanity that still exists are the various stories of heroism that is slowly starting to come out. In addition to the bravery and sacrifice of the Indian military and police force that battled the terrorists for over sixty hours, there are numerous accounts of hotel personnel including chefs, maintenance personnel and wait staff who went well above and beyond their duties to not only protect their guests but unbelievably continue to provide food and drinks when possible. Below are excerpts from a recent Reuters report describing some of the incredible tales of heroism:
"He looked young and did not speak to us. He just fired. We were in sort of a single file," Mangeshikar, a 52-year-old gynecologist, told Reuters. "The man in front of my wife shielded us. He was a maintenance section staff. He took the bullets." Within seconds after Mangeshikar's family was saved from the bullets, the guests made a dash for the hotel rooms to hide. Mangeshikar and a few others dragged the wounded hotel employee identified only as "Mr. Rajan" into one of the rooms. "His intestine was a lump hanging from a gaping hole in his abdomen," he said. "The bullet had entered him from close to the spine." For the next 12 hours, Mangeshikar and other guests surrounded the wounded man trying to push back his intestines with bedsheets and stop the bleeding. He was finally evacuated, but it was not known if he survived. "The hotel staff has been very, very brave," Mangeshikar said. "Hats off to them."
Many evacuees from the hotel hailed the bravery of the staff. "Just imagine, they even served us food the first few hours," said a hotel guest, who did not wish to be named. "Only when the kitchens became out of bounds did they express regret for not being able to serve us food." One person recounted how Taj staff stopped panicky guests from rushing into the lobby where militants could have shot them. "They were brilliant," Bhisham Mansukhani told the Mail Today. "If they hadn't kept their cool, many more lives would have been lost." The wife and children of the Taj's general manager who lived on the hotel premises were killed in the attacks. Witnesses said many trainee chefs had been killed in the kitchen of the Taj. Mangeshikar said that, but for the courage of Mr. Rajan, his wife and daughter could have been dead. "I'm going out today to the hospital to find out what happened to him," he said. "I owe it to that brave man."
Ultimately, no one will know what would drive a bunch of men in their prime to take so many innocent lives. But truthfully, fuck them. What is more important is to grieve the dead, honor the heroes, and support the city of Mumbai and make sure those extremists realize that they, and all their terrorist cohorts will forever be relegated to the darkest corners of this world and the next.
Support Mumbai and book a stay at The Oberai or The Taj in 2009.
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