They say that everyone in US remembers what (s)he was doing on Sept 11, 2001. I guess, every one in Mumbai will remember the same on Nov 26, 2008. And now that the 3 day ordeal is over, I am sure every one here has a story to tell. I have mine and it will take some years for me to forget what happened on Wednesday, November the 26th.
So here are how the events unfolded for me…
9:20 PM: After a thoroughly frustrating day (in more ways than one), I decided to head South of Mumbai on my Thunderbird, to sit by the sea side and think over the events of the day. One the way, I stopped near Mahim Station and gave a call to my friend Saroj who stays on Marine drive thinking that we can catch up on things and share frustrations. Within a few seconds plans to catch a movie at Sterling cinema at 10.45 PM were made.
9:45 PM: Reached Chowpati. Stopped near Wilson College and called Saroj to check his co-ordinates. Then headed towards Air India building to meet up with him.
9:50 PM: Reached Air India building. Waited for a couple of minutes for Saroj to join. We then headed towards his house. For a change he decided to drive my motorcycle and ended up driving it on the wrong side of the road.
10:02 PM: Saroj’s roommate was returning from his dinner at Bademiya, a popular joint behind the Taj Mahal hotel and happened to be one of the first to hear about the shooting at Leopold Cafe. He SMS’d Saroj to stay put as there were ‘some gang wars going on in Colaba’. We decide to call and check with the Cinema house. I fired up Safari on my iPhone searched for the cinema and directly dialed the number. The call was immediately picked up and the person on the other side confirmed that the movie will start at 10:30 and tickets were available. We decided to take our chance and head towards Sterling cinema near CST/VT.
10:12 PM: Almost reached Sterling cinema and saw crowds running in all directions randomly. Saroj said that we better get out of that place. He knew the geography of South Mumbai much better than I and we headed back towards his house. He pointed to a shorter route out avoiding Metro cinema and we take that.
10:30 PM: Reached his place. Parked the bike and decided to head to Marine Plaza hotel to sip some coffee. By the time we reached the entrance, rumors had already spread across Mumbai about the incident. But, nobody seemed to know what exactly was happening. We enter the coffee shop and sit next to the window to get a view of the Marine drive.
10:41 PM: 2 blasts go off in quick succession in Oberoi. The place we were sitting shook. We decide to stay put till things calm down.
12:40 Midnight: We reach Saroj’s place. By this time, the hyperactive people in the complex had created enough ruckus about an unidentified motorcycle (my bike) parked in the premises. Deflated both the tires and were planning to call the cops and report about the bike. We calm them down and I decide to stay at Saroj’s place for the night.
Well, that’s my story.
Of all the things I can remember. two things stood out…
– the Security guard (a Bihari) and the Darbaan(a Punjabi) of Marine Plaza stoically stood outside the hotel assuring every guest that they were safe inside and that they will ensure that no one suspicious will enter the hotel.
– the residents, long time residents of Mumbai, were the ones who feared their lives and did all things possible to damage that of some one else
