The cafe owners, the Jehanis, were keen to open the cafe as soon as possible and were hoping to do so on Sunday, to give the message that terrorism could and would not beat them.
Leopold, which opened in 1871 and became internationally famous in Gregory David Roberts's book Shantaram, is often the first stop on any tourist itinerary, especially for backpackers and travelers surviving on skimpy budgets. You can get a hearty meal here for just Rs 140.
Ever since I began frequenting Leopold's -- from the early 1980s while in college when it was a slightly seedy but always a happening, cheerful watering hole -- you could spy legions of African patrons tucking into the cafe's humongous portions of fried, mildly-spiced chicken with gusto. The chicken (and the chicks) was equally popular with its Arab clientele, in white robes and red-checked head gear.
Leo's, as it is fondly called by locals, has always been a great spot to watch people -- Indians and foreigners alike. A place to kick back, with a cheap beer. I remember once watching two American or perhaps European girls pluck a grubby beggar child off the street. They had the child in their laps and were happily feeding her large quantities of ice cream.
On Monday, it is the same mixed crowd of tourists and locals tucking into Leo's food, but there are many more than usual.
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