“A very close call”

Amongst those fortunate enough to have survived the November 26 terrorist assault in Bombay are the daughter and son-in-law of Jeroo and Khushroo Engineer. Writing in his annual New Year letter to family and friends, Engineer noted: "My mother and sister live in South Bombay as do both our children. Rehaan was at the Barista, barely half a kilometer from the Leopold Café and a couple of hundred meters from the Taj, at about the time the carnage commenced. Sanaya and Vishy have been living at the Trident, ever since they were transferred to Bombay. They were awaiting the completion of the new Oberoi Hotel at Bombay’s Bandra Kurla Complex which Vishy will take charge of as general manager. We got to hear about the attack, as did millions of others, on television.

"A couple of quick phone calls and we were relieved to hear that nothing untoward had happened to any of them. For Sanaya and Vishy it was a very close call. Sanaya entered the hotel literally minutes before the terrorists came and started shooting in the lobby. In the confusion that followed Vishy and Sanaya were providentially deterred from going down to the lobby, to investigate, by an elevator bathed in blood. Their nightmare had just begun and was to last another 40 hours. They locked themselves in their room, along with a couple of other guests, and waited for the commandos to arrive. Fortunately their mobile phones continued to work and we, and many others, were able to keep in touch with them on a regular basis. They were finally rescued just past noon on the 28th — Jeroo’s birthday. We couldn’t have asked for a better present!”

Thrity and (orthodontist) Dr Sohrab Javeri’s daughter Nyrika who also works at the Oberoi was on duty that night but managed to seek refuge in the kitchen before escaping to the nearby Inox cinema complex. Her parents collected her just before the place was shut down by the police.