s many of you
might know from email and newspaper articles, my father was trapped in the
Oberoi hotel for 36 hours. He was eating dinner with his two close friends,
Anand Bhatt and Pankaj Shah, both of whom have been father figures to me over
the past several years. The three of them were trapped along with another 15
people in the Kandahar restaurant when the terrorist arrived. They were all
marched up 15 or so flights of stairs to a landing of the fire escape where two
terrorists lined them up and opened fire with AK-47s. A bullet grazed my
father’s neck and he collapsed on the floor with all the bodies piling up on top
of him. Somehow he and three others managed to survive, hiding among the dead
bodies for the next two days. We lost both Anandbhai and Pankaj Uncle in the
shooting.
My father is now safe at home with minor wounds, which will
heal, but the damage of losing such dear friends and good people continue to
haunt us.
Somehow with the help of god and all our friends we hope that
one day we can reclaim the innocence of life which is now so lost to us.
There are several stories I can tell you… tales of near escape,
luck and sheer heroism. I am inspired and touched by the many brave men and
women who gave their lives to perform their duty and know that somewhere they
are with god. To their families I give my deepest condolences and pray to god
that somehow one day we can understand why they fell to such madness.
Today I attended the march outside the Gateway of India. The
press were calling it the gateway of anger and in many ways they are right. I
saw the impassioned youth of India frustrated with the ineptness and impotence
of our leaders. I saw a spark in their eyes that fills me with a hope that we
can change this city and this country. The youth are educated and strong and
believe in a better country for us all. Their strength will carry us forward
into the next phase of our country.
I only wish to ask a few things of everyone who reads this,
things that have become clear to me over the last few days. I shall list them
point by point.
The following is my action plan for the rest of my life, what I
will take away from this experience.
1. Do not preach violence and war without first understanding
its true nature. I spent two nights hearing the guns and grenades going off from
outside the hotel and imagined my father in there. What I felt at that moment I
would not wish on any family in the world. We must not let our passions take
control of us and become the very same demons that held our city hostage. Our
response must be measured, educated and precise. Please do not ask for anything
more from your leaders.
2. Corruption is the cancer of our society and has now shown how
it can cripple us. Politicians are too busy making money to carry out their
work. This again starts with you and me. From today I promise never to bribe
another government servant. I will go to every businessman I know and ask him to
do the same. Please let us collectively rid our nation of this poison.
3. Train yourself mentally and physically to protect yourself
and your family. Learn a martial art or basic self-defence. If everyone in these
hotels knew how to react to violence, maybe we may have overcome this situation
sooner. If you do not wish to learn to fight, learn basic first aid and
life-saving techniques. We are heading to a situation of war soon and these
skills will serve us well in the future.
4. Be involved with an NGO/ government organisation/ prayer
group. Connect with your society and help to uplift it with money and time. We
now have to be concerned with what goes on outside the doors of our apartments
and bungalows. Educate a poor child and he will be an asset in the future, not
an easy recruit for terrorists and criminals. Reach across communal borders and
get to know other religions. It is only after we start this dialogue on the
basic level that we will be able to be undivided when the terrorists try to
divide us.
5. Love and cherish your family and friends, even the ones who
you think are weird and different. The sheer number of people who supported our
family through this crisis has been amazing, people who I haven’t spoken to for
years have reached out with love, support and prayers. It is only after
incidents like these that you realise how petty your day-to-day problems are.
The terrorists didn’t check whether the people they shot were Hindu, Muslim,
rich, poor, ugly, well-dressed, etc, etc… They just shot… We should not
differentiate between people when we share our love and support. If you
can make a sad person smile, for me you are a hero.
6. Fear nothing except fear itself… your destiny is written… If
the bullet had been one centimetre off, my father would have been dead. Never be
scared… be bold and be brave and when the time comes, you will meet your maker
with dignity.
7. Stand up for what’s right… support those who do.
8. Smile, dance, sing, enjoy the beautiful world that god has
given us. Plant a tree and give back to nature. Life is fleeting and if you
don’t enjoy it, what’s the point?
9. Confront your guilt and stand up to your fears. Apologise to
those you have wronged and forgive yourself for the wrongs you have committed.
A few messages I wish to convey:
To the terrorists and people who committed this cowardly act – I
want to thank you for exposing our weakness so now we may become strong; for
hurting our pride so that we may be humble; for scaring us so that we can be
brave; for angering us so that we can unite. You have served as an alarm clock
for a sleeping giant and I hope that one day I can meet you face to face and
show you how wicked and weak your hearts are.
To the people of Pakistan – I know that you have been victims of
terror too and I pray to god that you have the strength and clarity to face the
demons that exist in your country. Money and power mean nothing without the love
of your friends and family and it is now time to stand up and fight for what’s
decent and right. It is time to stop letting the jihadis and self-serving
government officials fool you. Take control of your country – never forget that
we were once one proud nation and the same breed of men split us apart. We are
with you in body, heart and spirit.
To fellow Indians – Never forget where you came from. We have
inspired the world before and the time has come again… Never again is a casualty
or death acceptable, be it a poor man in a train or a rich man in a five-star
hotel. We must protect our children and our motherland with blood, sweat and
tears.
To my friends and family – You are the most important part of my
life and without you there is no meaning. I hope you are safe and happy wherever
you may be and hopefully we will be together soon.
