We started our evening casually in The Taj Mahal Palace at the Crystal Ball Room. I got there at 9:35 pm with my brother Manish along with one friend for the wedding reception of our friend.
At the crystal room in the old wing, we met our other friends and got our drinks. We hadn't been there 15 minutes when we heard sounds we dismissed as construction work or crackers.
When the boom - boom went on and got nearer, it was apparent they were neither but true gun shots.
The staff was securing all the gates and we were all planning our next move when a window shattered and shots rang thru the glass wooden doors. Instinctively, we ducked and crouched and made our way to the service door, which led to an alcove. We were being ushered by the staff through corridors, kitchens and other areas till we reached the Chambers and Elite Club.
We were being accompanied with more people and soon the place was full with probably 250 people. The doors were locked and the staircase and elevators were secured as told by the hotel staff.
By then we stopped hearing gunfire and felt safer inside. Phone calls coming in confirmed many places in the city had been similarly targeted. We also peeped in the laptops for more updates as the TV was put off as all connections were cut off.
Soon the staff of the hotel kicked in with crates of water bottles, juices, and tins of potatoes, sandwiches and canapés. We soon had the towels and white sheets.
Though we were all frightened thinking all the impossible things…by now we heard a few blasts and rumors that the heritage dome had exploded – we weren’t really in fear of our lives. The cops and Special Forces had come to the building as we were told and everything would be cleaned up soon. At no point did we see the gunmen.
We soon heard whispers across the hall that we were going to be evacuated. The messages were in all place the ATS had arrived and the Army has arrived.
It was 3 a.m. whe we gathered at the service door and were asked to be silent. It was a crush as everyone wanted to be first to be out, but it was also orderly and people didn’t panic. Manish, my self along with other 4 friends we were the 10th or 11th bunch of people to be evacuated.
About 10/15 were led in to a narrow corridor, and that’s when it got chaotic. In the corridor they were fired at. No one knew from where the gun shots came from, but they were close and one of the Taj staff was shot on the left side of his stomach and crying in pain.
It was a stamped position and everyone was reversing and trying to get to the safest corner possible in the hall back where we started from. We entered in the small Lavender Room just beside the big hall where we were earlier.
We helped the man shot get inside and lay him on the sofa inside the room and shut the door. As the door did not having any system to bolt inside, we broke few chairs and bolted the door while sticking the wooden arms in the door handle. Along with the fabric napkin tied as hard as possible, we also stuck the round table close to the door with two chairs on top.
After half an hour, we heard gun fires from the corridor outside. Everyone scared flattened themselves to the ground. The floor was a tangle of bodies and limbs with approx 70 people inside this small room where we were and balance were in the bigger room adjacent to ours. We then put off the lights while pulling the MC. We stayed in pitch dark till morning without any air condition and lights. Breathing with a hope to see the light soon and smell the fresh air.
Firing rounds were then exchanged on every 30 o 45 minutes gap. All what we had with us is everyone’s own little prayers in minds as we knew for sure that the terrorists were in access to our corridor. We would have gone thru more than 300 rounds of gun shots in the same corridor throughout the night from 3 am onwards.
If our senses were to be believed during then, we only thought that we are away from destiny within the wooden walls if it could protect us now or give decision to our lives any moment with a drop of a grenade or the gun shots passing thru as they were exchanging fires whole night outside.
Dawn broke out still no words. Our room could only smell the gun powder.
At 8:35 am a commando rushed in and said to open the door, we did slowly and the door was banged from outside to break in. we were still very scared as we did not know the genuinity of the person outside knocking.
It was genuine and we were then instructed by the commandos to go slowly thru the corridors and walk down the stair cases through the fire exit. While just leaving the room, Manish and myself were asked for help by the commando to carry the injured man down stairs which we did in much tears along with other fellow men.
Just from our room where we left and walked thru the corridor, we could only gasp our breath with gun powder realized that the gun shots been heard all night was just 5 mtrs away from our room. There were bullets all over the place on the floor, cloud of smoke with a smell of gun powder and the fine wood work and glasses shattered at every place.
We walked thru the small fire exit stair cases, we witnessed the blood stains lines and some commandos guard kits thrown at the side, presumably they would have been injuries thru their rough ordeal.
We then came out of the hotel and saw the day light and thanked God for giving us the 2nd birth. The man we carried then was escorted thru the ambulance.
It was 9:15 am then when we were waiting for the bus and tears running thru our eyes with joy and we managed to call papa at Kolkata and inform him that we are safely out and may this be informed to our loved ones.
We never knew that the bullets that we left behind would again bang from above where we left and while boarding the bus there was again a panic and hush bush amongst all of us and we once again for few seconds took to our guard where ever we got place.
But we were thru this once all the guards and commandos secured and asked us not to panic and slowly board the bus and we then left for the Azad Maidan police station for verification purpose.
I still am not able to believe that we are alive thru this fierce full ordeal but many thanks to all the little prayers and the almighty god who has blessed us with 2nd life.
Mukesh Berry
mukesh@berrycotts.com
At the crystal room in the old wing, we met our other friends and got our drinks. We hadn't been there 15 minutes when we heard sounds we dismissed as construction work or crackers.
When the boom - boom went on and got nearer, it was apparent they were neither but true gun shots.
The staff was securing all the gates and we were all planning our next move when a window shattered and shots rang thru the glass wooden doors. Instinctively, we ducked and crouched and made our way to the service door, which led to an alcove. We were being ushered by the staff through corridors, kitchens and other areas till we reached the Chambers and Elite Club.
We were being accompanied with more people and soon the place was full with probably 250 people. The doors were locked and the staircase and elevators were secured as told by the hotel staff.
By then we stopped hearing gunfire and felt safer inside. Phone calls coming in confirmed many places in the city had been similarly targeted. We also peeped in the laptops for more updates as the TV was put off as all connections were cut off.
Soon the staff of the hotel kicked in with crates of water bottles, juices, and tins of potatoes, sandwiches and canapés. We soon had the towels and white sheets.
Though we were all frightened thinking all the impossible things…by now we heard a few blasts and rumors that the heritage dome had exploded – we weren’t really in fear of our lives. The cops and Special Forces had come to the building as we were told and everything would be cleaned up soon. At no point did we see the gunmen.
We soon heard whispers across the hall that we were going to be evacuated. The messages were in all place the ATS had arrived and the Army has arrived.
It was 3 a.m. whe we gathered at the service door and were asked to be silent. It was a crush as everyone wanted to be first to be out, but it was also orderly and people didn’t panic. Manish, my self along with other 4 friends we were the 10th or 11th bunch of people to be evacuated.
About 10/15 were led in to a narrow corridor, and that’s when it got chaotic. In the corridor they were fired at. No one knew from where the gun shots came from, but they were close and one of the Taj staff was shot on the left side of his stomach and crying in pain.
It was a stamped position and everyone was reversing and trying to get to the safest corner possible in the hall back where we started from. We entered in the small Lavender Room just beside the big hall where we were earlier.
We helped the man shot get inside and lay him on the sofa inside the room and shut the door. As the door did not having any system to bolt inside, we broke few chairs and bolted the door while sticking the wooden arms in the door handle. Along with the fabric napkin tied as hard as possible, we also stuck the round table close to the door with two chairs on top.
After half an hour, we heard gun fires from the corridor outside. Everyone scared flattened themselves to the ground. The floor was a tangle of bodies and limbs with approx 70 people inside this small room where we were and balance were in the bigger room adjacent to ours. We then put off the lights while pulling the MC. We stayed in pitch dark till morning without any air condition and lights. Breathing with a hope to see the light soon and smell the fresh air.
Firing rounds were then exchanged on every 30 o 45 minutes gap. All what we had with us is everyone’s own little prayers in minds as we knew for sure that the terrorists were in access to our corridor. We would have gone thru more than 300 rounds of gun shots in the same corridor throughout the night from 3 am onwards.
If our senses were to be believed during then, we only thought that we are away from destiny within the wooden walls if it could protect us now or give decision to our lives any moment with a drop of a grenade or the gun shots passing thru as they were exchanging fires whole night outside.
Dawn broke out still no words. Our room could only smell the gun powder.
At 8:35 am a commando rushed in and said to open the door, we did slowly and the door was banged from outside to break in. we were still very scared as we did not know the genuinity of the person outside knocking.
It was genuine and we were then instructed by the commandos to go slowly thru the corridors and walk down the stair cases through the fire exit. While just leaving the room, Manish and myself were asked for help by the commando to carry the injured man down stairs which we did in much tears along with other fellow men.
Just from our room where we left and walked thru the corridor, we could only gasp our breath with gun powder realized that the gun shots been heard all night was just 5 mtrs away from our room. There were bullets all over the place on the floor, cloud of smoke with a smell of gun powder and the fine wood work and glasses shattered at every place.
We walked thru the small fire exit stair cases, we witnessed the blood stains lines and some commandos guard kits thrown at the side, presumably they would have been injuries thru their rough ordeal.
We then came out of the hotel and saw the day light and thanked God for giving us the 2nd birth. The man we carried then was escorted thru the ambulance.
It was 9:15 am then when we were waiting for the bus and tears running thru our eyes with joy and we managed to call papa at Kolkata and inform him that we are safely out and may this be informed to our loved ones.
We never knew that the bullets that we left behind would again bang from above where we left and while boarding the bus there was again a panic and hush bush amongst all of us and we once again for few seconds took to our guard where ever we got place.
But we were thru this once all the guards and commandos secured and asked us not to panic and slowly board the bus and we then left for the Azad Maidan police station for verification purpose.
I still am not able to believe that we are alive thru this fierce full ordeal but many thanks to all the little prayers and the almighty god who has blessed us with 2nd life.
Mukesh Berry
mukesh@berrycotts.com
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