Bouncing Back!

On the eve of the second anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks, we got the opportunity to visit the sites of the attacks, to pay our homage and express our gratitude to the men who laid down their lives defending us.

Our first visit was to the Trident and Oberoi. As we passed the entrance, the smiling and smartly dressed valets and security officers warmly welcomed us, no sign of terror or apprehension on their faces. Looking around at the Trident, it was hard to imagine the horror of two months back. While parts of the Oberoi remained boarded up under repairs, the Trident stood tall and beautiful in all its glory, the restaurants on the ground floor that had taken the biggest hits desked up and warmly lit, beckoning its guests again.

I got down for a minute, at the foot of the building, looking up and was overcome with emotion, fighting hard tears of pride - Radio Mirchi playing "Mar Jaawa", a song that could have very well summed up the admiration and love the country feels towards these heroes of 26/11.

Our next stop was the Taj. After 3 days of fire and assault, I was almost scared to imagine what I would find. In my last trip to Mumbai, I had marvelled at the beauty of this grand old building. I was almost hesitant to see it, knowing it would be really difficult to see it in ruins.

This is what we found.


The beautiful old lady, looking just as beautiful as a desert does in full bloom after a terrible storm! With hardly any external sign of damage, except a few boarded windows, and a fresh coat of paint to hide its scars, the Taj stood resplendent in the afternoon sun, thousands of admiring visitors gazing at it in pure awe, while the Gateway of India opposite it stood ready to receive thousands of visitors for the Satbhavna Concert organized by the Govt of Maharashtra on occasion of Republic Day to applaud the resilience and strength of this awesome city.

Here you can see workers replacing the focus lights illuminating the frontage, while other workers are hard at work inside restoring it to its full glory.

Our final visit was to the Leopold, and while we were unable to drop in for a cup of tea due to restrictions in our schedule driven by the baby in our midst, it was not surprising to see the Cafe thronged by hundreds of patrons, another fitting tribute to the never say die spirit of the city.

Yes, one might argue that life has to go on, and that this is just part of moving on. But truly, seeing the pace of work, and the positive vibes emanating from every place we visited, I can say one thing for sure... terror might put us down for a few days, but we will come up winners, stronger, more united and more resilient, with every attack!