Click to play videoMumbai: Twenty five days after terror struck them, the Trident and Taj Mahal Hotels of Mumbai opened their doors to the public once again. Many Mumbaikars turned up to remember those who lost their lives and honour those who saved lives.
For many of those people, who are always on the move, the Trident hotel in Mumbai was possibly a second home.
So when the hotel reopened for the first time after 26/11, it was they who were the first to turn up at the reception desk. Some of the frequent guest have seen friends and acquaintances mowed down in front of their eyes and say it's only a fitting tribute to the victims that they come here to stay.
"We wanted to just express our solidarity and support," said one resident of Mumbai present at the reopening.
"The fear won't go away so soon but it feels good that the hotels have reopened so soon," said another resident.
The scenes were also emotional at the Taj Mahal hotel. Guests and well-wishers gathered as the Tower wing opened for the first time in three weeks.
"It's a very fitting and a moving image for all of us to remember," said author Shobhaa De present at the reopening of the Taj.
"If I was free and I wasn't shooting I would be here at the Trident with my sister and my niece. I'm not making a huge statement by coming here, the statement has been made by the hotel," said actor Rahul Bose.
For the staff of both hotels, preparing for this day has been a herculean task. And no one represents their grit and determination like Taj General Manager Karambir Kang. He lost his family in the siege, but that did not deter him from taking part in rescue efforts. And now he is back at work.
"My family are a part of the hotel now. They are there. That was my real strength. I need to be involved and will be in restoring it better than what it was," said Kang.
The speedy opening was also an emphatic statement.
"The opening of this hotel will send a message that we will come back, the city of Mumbai will come back. The opening of old wing of hotel Taj will send the message that we can be hurt, but we can't be knocked down," said Taj hotels chairman, Ratan Tata.
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