Unforgotten

On the beautiful day of 26^th November 2008, G and me were celebrating our 2^nd wedding Anniversary. “Let’s indulge”, had been our mutual agreement that day and off we headed to Rim Naam, a Thai cuisine restaurant at The Oberoi, Bengaluru.

I remember being swept away by the posh décor and the beautiful garden surrounding the restaurant on all sides. I am usually never too thrilled with the fancy food served in 5-Star hotels (I was more of a bhel-puri person), but that day I was amazed by what we had eaten. I don’t remember what we had ordered, but it had been mind-blowing.

What stood out the most though was the service. The staff was exceptionally attentive but not nosy and respected our privacy. We had misjudged the weather and had not carried any jackets. The waitress had seen how uncomfortable I looked initially and had magically gotten me a warm shawl. I was so grateful to her.

After a wonderful time at Rim Naam we had headed home. I am so glad we did not have smartphones (especially WhatsApp) back then, because if we had, then our phones would have never stopped buzzing. We went to bed oblivious to what had been happening at The Oberoi and many other places in Mumbai around the same time.

The newspaper the next morning took my breath away. What had happened in Mumbai was beyond comprehensible. I kept thinking of the staff who served us in Bengaluru and then wondered how lovely the staff at the Mumbai branch would have been. So many lives lost, all while we were having a gala time miles away. What if the terrorists had decided to attack Bengaluru instead? What were the victims celebrating that day…Anniversaries? Birthdays? Promotions? Business Deals? A Date?

I can never not think of that beautiful and horribly tragic day with mixed emotions. Though we will always celebrate “our” special Day, we have not forgotten how Mumbai bled that day and we never will.