Horror Of 26/11: Actor-Chef Amrita Raichand Recalls Terrifying 24 Hours As A Guest At Taj Hotel

(Trigger warning: This post talks about deadly terror attacks, trauma and PTSD)?

The 60-hour siege on November 26, 2008, killed 166 people, including 18 security personnel, as they opened fire at various places and injured several others.On November 26, 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists from Pakistan arrived in Mumbai by sea route.?

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In those dreadful hours, several guests were trapped for hours together during the attack. Not many know that one of them was Actor and celebrity chef Amrita Raichand.?

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Raichand shared her dreadful experience in a conversation with Humans of Bombay.In a long post, Amrita revealed she was celebrating her birthday at the luxury hotel when the attacks took place.

Recalling her birthday and how her family had planned the event, she shared,?

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“My birthday is on 26th November. That night, to celebrate, we decided to go to the Taj. My son had just turned 1–I was sceptical about leaving him behind, but when my family insisted, I agreed. Moreover, a friend was staying at Taj, so we made dinner plans. In retrospect, I wish I had listened to my gut."

Delving deeper into her traumatic experience of hearing gunshots, she added,

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"As we were settling in, we heard what sounded like fireworks. Oblivious to what was happening, I said, ‘The whole city is celebrating my birthday!’ After 15 mins, we heard the sound again, but this time it sounded like gunshots. What I saw from the window shocked me… bodies were being rolled out. When we called the receptionist, she asked us to stay put. And so, we did. An hour later, a loud sound shook the building. What followed was chaos–I heard screams, people being dragged & gunshots. We switched off the lights & put our phones on silent. But even the silence was thunderous.”? ?

Amrita recalled the second blast and how worried she was about her son. She added,

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“Just then, there was a 2nd blast–the dome was on fire & we were engulfed in smoke. My mind went back to my son at home. We wetted the towels and put them by the door. We even tried breaking open the window but in vain. The night turned into morning, & we were still there…breathing smoke & losing hope. And then we heard the fire brigade–we flickered the light & thankfully, they saw us!”

Even though the nightmare ended for Raichand when she hugged her son after reaching home, she said that she still gets scared of the sound of fireworks.She added, “I’d find it hard to even use the loo by myself. And fireworks? Their sound still terrorises me."?

She described how she and her family returned to the hotel to celebrate her birthday in 2009.?

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"But next year, on my birthday, on 26/11, I faced my fear–I went back to Taj to celebrate! And that day, it wasn’t just me. It was everyone celebrating OUR comeback–the staff, the guests, all of us. And ever since, it’s been a ritual. Every 26/11, I say a prayer for all those we lost & then in the evening, head to Taj to celebrate those who fought & triumphed .."

Read the post here:

Since then, it has been a ritual for her to pray for all those who died during the attack and commemorate those who fought and triumphed the terror.