Anjali: Sometime later a kitchen staff member came and escorted us to the Chambers. Outside, there was a barrier with about 20 Taj staff, through the kitchen. We reached the Chambers and there were at least 200 people there -- all guests -- and the staff was serving us food, giving us drinks. They gave us sheets to wrap ourselves. We were sitting on the chairs and the floors.
How long were you there?
Michael: For the rest of the night.
Anjali: We were texting (SMSing) my mother and she mentioned that she had heard on the news that they were targeting American and British citizens. Michael said what if they come after us, we need to split up. I called my cousin and said, 'Listen, if anything happens to us, leave the kids with my parents.'
But then they decided to evacuate us, because they had heard that the old Taj wing was on fire. And some Member of Parliament, who was in the room with us, talked to a radio station and said that there were 200 people safe and secure, but locked up in the Chambers. And this was reported also on TV. So the Taj staff very valiantly tried to evacuate us, since our undisclosed location had been disclosed.
So people lined up, some with kids and we were all lined up to go down the stairwell and there was shooting in the stairwell.
Image: Commandos outside the Taj. Photograph: PTI Photo
Also see: The NRI who saved 150 lives
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