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It was late Wednesday night when the former actress turned chef arrived at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai, with her husband, her parents, and a family friend.
It was a busy night at the hotel and the restaurant where the group had planned to eat late. The waiters apologized and the group decided to go to the Heritage Suite, on the second floor of the hotel, while they were waiting for a table.
Unbeknownst to Raichand, the small inconvenience would be the difference between life and death.
Not far from the hotel, 10 men associated with the Islamist terrorist group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba moored at the water's edge, near the monument to India's Gate.
They hijacked several cars, including a police van, and split into at least three groups. Around 11 pm, one of these groups entered the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.
"Fate played a role that night," said Raichand. "After 15 minutes, we heard loud noises and started receiving calls from the reception informing us that an incident was occurring.When we turned on the television, we realized that we were undergoing a major terrorist attack. "
Guests start reacting
On the roof of the hotel, Bob Nicholls, 54, was dining with colleagues at the restaurant Souk.
The South African security consultant and his team of five were in Mumbai to work on security measures for the upcoming Twenty20 Champions League cricket tournament.
They saved 150 lives during what became a four-day siege.
"We were finishing dinner and one of my guys, who wanted to go to the restroom, was stopped by the staff … They told me that there was a shootout between two rival gangs. "For security reasons, they wanted us to stay at the restaurant," said CNN Nicholls, founding director of NSA Global Security Company and former consultant to the South Police Department's Personal Protection Unit. -African.
As Nicholls began to better understand what was going on, he decided to take action.
"It turned out that the terrorists were heading towards the hotel." I saw that the side of the restaurant was glass, I called my team and told them: "Listen, if these villains arrive here, we are in a very bad position, I took control and asked the guys to get an idea of what's around us, to make informed plans. "
Armed with knives, meat cleavers and walkie-talkies from the kitchen staff, Nicholls and his team found a conference room that they could secure.
"We went to the kitchen and to this conference room, and what we did not understand was that there were about 150 people there, because a conference had taken place. "said Nicholls.
"We barricaded the doors, the elevator to our floor so that no one could get up.I had my guys on duty outside, we were confident.The last thing these guys -There was a bunch of crazy South Africans with meat cleavers. "
It is estimated that about 450 people were staying at the hotel at the time of the attack, including one-third at Nicholls.
"We were all in a different state of mind"
This conference room was the Rendezvous banquet hall, where the 65-year-old businessman Dilip Mehta was attending a dinner.
Mehta remembers the night very well.
"Around 9:45 pm, we went to take the elevator, but the security of the hotel prevented us from saying that there was a gang war on the ground floor.We were all very worried about what was going on, but we soon discovered by television that it was a terrorist attack, "said CNN Mehta, managing director of Pegasus Shipping.
"Some people were calm, some had fainted or were in shock from the tables, the explosion of the bomb, the sound of gunshots and the fire that ravaged the area were so shocking We were all in another state of mind – I was extremely worried about my mother, my two daughters and my wife, they were all crying, "said Mehta who had been able to call her family home.
During the next nine hours, the group could not do anything other than wait with the lights off and the door closed.
Every 20 minutes, Nicholls and his team updated the group to make sure everyone stays calm.
Several floors down, Raichand and his family were still in their suite.
"We could hear everything, we could hear people running, these are the times when you really reiterate your faith in God, but none of us panicked."
"I was thinking about who would take care of my child because his whole family is here, death is inevitable, but it would have been too unfortunate for my little baby to be left alone without his family," said Raichand, who had left his one year old son at home with his nanny.
"We have a chance to fight the terrorists but the shot is a different ball game"
As the situation intensified at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, plans were underway to escape.
After a loud explosion, Nicholls saw fire and smoke emanating from another part of the building.
"My concern was to know if they planned to blow up the whole building, if the fire broke out in our part of the building, we would not be able to get out. fight against terrorists, but fire is a totally different game, "said Nicholls.
With 150 people under his watch, any attempt to leave the hotel was going to be a challenge.
"I told everyone that we were going down the stairs very calmly, but with about 150 people on a flight of stairs, we were like sitting ducks." Two of my guys went from the front for s & rsquo; Make sure everything was safe, we would go down to one floor, examine the floor and then go downstairs, and we would do the same on the next floor, it took a while for everyone to lower We went out about 3 or 4 in the morning, "said Nicholls.
"We were asked to take off our shoes to avoid making noise because we did not know if there were still terrorists around us who could hear us. Nobody spoke to us either" said Mehta.
A few hours later, at 7:30 pm, Raichand and his family climbed the ladders set by the firefighters.
The city remained besieged for three days.
"None of us slept in. We were glued to the news, Chabad House was right next to us, we could still see the fire of the Taj, we were witnesses to everything," he said. Raichand.
"I go to Taj every year for my birthday"
For many survivors, the weeks and months that followed proved difficult.
"I was traumatized for nearly six months." I woke up at 3 in the morning and held myself in my bed.I had nightmares and hallucinations.I was not me. even, "said Mehta.
Given the nature of his business, Nicholls takes a more pragmatic approach and organizes counseling sessions as soon as his team returns to Johannesburg.
"At the time, we literally switched to work mode, there were moments of uncertainty because we realized we had a room full of people for whom we make decisions," he said. Nicholls.
"It's what we do to make a living.This is not a decision we've made.It was almost an instinct."
But time is a great healer, says Mehta, and the events of ten years ago offered him a new perspective on life, he told CNN.
"My goal now is to give back, there is a goal for me to be here, my life has turned 360 degrees," he said.
Raichand has also decided to face his fears.
"For the next four or five years, I could not celebrate my birthday, but now I take it on the wrong foot and I go to the Taj every year for my birthday."
