Anamika Gupta and Sarika Upadhyay take Alisha Coelho back to the terrible night of November 26, when they sat next to terrorists at Leopold Cafe
Anamika Gupta and Sarika Upadhyay take Alisha Coelho back to the terrible night of November 26, when they sat next to terrorists at Leopold Cafe
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Meeting at Leopold Cafe for a drink or two after work is what they regularly did. But none of them could've imagined how the night would end.
The girls had just stepped into the bustling cafu00c3u0083u00c2u00a9 at 9.15 pm when floor manager Eric Anthony asked them to move upstairs. But they refused.
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Their decision to be seated on the ground floor meant Anamika was shot at and the others injured and emotionally scarred for life.
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Life Goes On: Anamika Gupta and Sarika Upadhyay with Leopold Cafe's floor manager Eric Anthony on Wednesday. The girls were sitting at the same table last year and had witnessed the bloodshed. |
'He sat there'
On Wednesday evening, MiD DAY met up with Anamika and Sarika at the same table they sat at last year. "There," said Anamika, "he was sitting right there."
She pointed at a table adjacent to the window where the bullet holes remain, now occupied by a large group of tourists.
"He was very handsome and we even giggled about how good looking he was. We did not know he had a gun and grenades in his big haversack," she said.
The terrorist lobbed a grenade at the counter and his accomplice started shooting. Anamika was shot thrice in the abdomen and was dragged bleeding to the nearby Indigo restaurant.
Her other friends though injured also managed to escape, but others at the cafe were not so lucky. Seven guests and two waiters died in the attacks.
Back 'home'
A year later though the girls are back and laughs and smiles abound, the memories remain. Only last week, the Crime Branch called in Anamika to record her statement.
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"It was recorded after a year that I had seen these boys around Nariman House.
Many have accused me of wanting to get attention, but why would I want that? No one is going to reward me for being a witness," said Anamika.
Added Sarika, "Leopold is like home. You don't abandon home when bad things happen. You pick up the pieces and return."
9
The number of people shot dead at Leopold cafe
Sir, i want a photo with you
Farzad Jehani, who runs the cafu00c3u0083u00c2u00a9 with his brother Farhang, is no stranger to celebrities visiting Leopold and people taking their pictures. But after 26/11, the tables have turned, if only just.
"An elderly man came up to me and asked whether he could take a photo with me to show his grandson back home. He said we were brave to open up only four days after the attacks, I was so touched," said Jehani.
Leopold continues to write cheques out to the family of Hidayat Qazi and Peer Pasha, the two waiters who died that night.
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"Peer's brother still works with us and we have in whatever way we can, taken care of the family," said Jehani.
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