Anjali: Oh my God, it sounds just like in the movies. It doesn't sound different in real life.

Michael: It's not deafening. I expected it to be louder. The gruesome thing was when this commando got hit by a grenade. I didn't see him, but we heard him -- 'Aaah!'

The other thing is that the commandos had hearts of lions but they had equipment from the 1960s. It was terrible. They didn't have close circuit radio, night vision goggles, high-powered sniper rifles.

They were incredibly courageous and brave young men, poorly equipped in pitch black darkness, not knowing the terrain, against a better equipped enemy -- it is a real testament to those people.

Anjali: After a while it was quiet and then a commando walked in and that was like a Bollywood/Hollywood movie -- and he was a gorgeous looking guy in camouflage. He asked us to stand with our hands up and whether anyone had weapons.

We formed a line and walked out through the corridor, down the stairs and through the lobby -- there were gun shells, glass, blood. We didn't see any bodies.

I told the commandos that I have an American husband and he is in the bathroom. I waited for him in the portico, where the cars drop you off for the Taj and he came out, gave me a hug and started taking photographs with his BlackBerry. I tried to stop him and they started shooting again.

Michael: I pushed her in a bus that was waiting and then there was a shootout again. I crouched down and then there is a photograph of me which appeared in the newspapers. It was past 9 o'clock in the morning.

Anjali: But the bus stopped because we were being shot at and so Vishal, Reshma, Shiv and I ran up to Regal (a movie hall near the Taj). The roads were empty. Vishal called his driver who picked us up at Regal. I called my dad who told me, 'Don't worry, Michael is OK.'

He was in a police van going to Azad Maidan (the police station, where the hostages were questioned). So our driver went to pick him up from there.

My parents had not slept the whole night. So many of our friends were there.

How did you manage to calm down?

Michael: We still haven't. But we want to do something good out of this to thank those who saved our lives.

Anjali: I think in times like this it is very easy to divide and point fingers. Yes, the politicians should be blamed. But we want to acknowledge the true heroes.

The heroes are the Taj staff. I believe the Oberoi's staff was equally amazing. And the heroes are the young commandos who went in and gave up their lives. It's time for all of us to give back to them.

Image: Citizens congratulate the NSG commandos after the Taj operation. Photograph: PTI Photo

Also see: Conmmandos exchange guns for roses

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