Memories of attack still linger

Dubai: Aishwarya Gulati, 57, has said no to every single invitation she has got to attend functions at Taj Mahal Palace Hotel ever since 26/11.

The Cuff Parade resident whose husband, Ramesh Gulati, 69, was trapped in the rooftop restaurant of Taj, said the 62 hours of terror that unfolded on the TV screen is something that still sends shivers down her spine.

"To see the Taj dome on fire and explosions happening and knowing that my husband is in the hotel was such a trauma. When I think about all the people who lost their lives in that tragedy, I am still scared to go to Taj or for that matter Trident Oberoi. Putting the past behind and moving on is easily said than done," said Gulati.

Her husband Ramesh, who runs a shipping company, was about to leave the hotel when he saw a terrified couple coming down the elevator. "Instead of taking the elevator down, he brought them to the restaurant. I cannot imagine what would have happened if he had taken the elevator and gone down," said Aishwarya.

According to her, she was in touch with her husband and he told her that they had locked themselves inside the Souq restaurant and pushed all the furniture to the door. They were later escorted by an anti-terrorist squad downstairs to safety.

She added that Ramesh had actually forgotten about the function at Taj and it was she who asked him not to miss it. "Likewise, I send my driver to Taj to pick him up, and on his way he got caught up in the violence that erupted at Nariman House, The fact that I put two people through it still comes back to me and haunts me," she added.

Aishwarya said it makes her angry to see the perpetrators of the attack remain scot-free while the victims of the terror attack are still reeling from the trauma. "It has been a year and we are yet to see some decisive action while our government keeps writing love letters to our neighbour," she said.