Students mourn Mumbai terrorist attacks

Penn students gathered for a candlelight vigil organized by the Indian Students' Association in memory of those who perished in the terrorist attacks in India.

Though the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India last week were thousands of miles away, for some students, they hit close to home.

And for some, the Thanksgiving break meant they were in Mumbai on Wednesday when a group of terrorists stormed the Taj Mahal and Oberoi Trident hotels, the popular Café Leopold and a highly congested train station.

One such student, a Wharton sophomore who did not wish to be named due to security reasons landed in Mumbai on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m., an hour after the attacks began. Upon landing, he was rushed to safety by U.S. embassy officials.

"Because they were targeting British and American passport holders, when we got off the plane, [the officials] took us in a secured vehicle to our hotel," he said.

His family, whom he was meeting, left the Taj Mahal Hotel at 9 p.m., less than an hour before the attacks started.

Still in Mumbai, he said he is scared and "uncertain," since the firing is "happening right outside."

Engineering Sophomore Rahil Mehrotra lost two of his friends' fathers and his high school teacher in the attacks. He said he learned that his teacher was hiding under a table in the Taj Mahal Hotel when she was spotted by a terrorist and shot three times.

"My dad saw and smelled only dead bodies and blood when he entered the Oberoi Trident hotel lobby to identify his friend's body," he said.

Mehrotra added that he will feel unsafe when he returns to Mumbai in three weeks since a few of the terrorists are still suspected to be at large.

If the attacks were to have happened a month from now, he said the probability he or one of his friends would be victims would be very high because they frequent the area where the attacks occurred.

Wharton and Engineering senior and President of the Wharton India Students' Association Karishma Mehta said the blasts were articularly "personal" and "widespread." She added that because the attacks occurred in a more affluent area of Mumbai, they affected a number of Penn students.

Since so many students were affected, Rangoli, the Indian graduate students' association, organized a candlelight vigil yesterday on College Green to commemorate the deceased.

"A lot of students are studying politics, and we want to inspire them to go back to India upon graduation and work in politics back home," said Rangoli President and Engineering graduate student Snehit Neenakri.

Nicolas Aguirre, a College and Wharton sophomore, said he wore white, the Indian color of mourning, -yesterday because "I despise the violence in Mumbai" and to show "solidarity with my Indian friends."

As a result of the attacks, the dedication of the Dhirubhai Ambani auditorium in Huntsman Hall, scheduled for yesterday, was cancelled. Reliance ADA Group Chairman Anil Ambani, the keynote speaker, was asked by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to remain in Mumbai to demonstrate solidarity, according to an e-mail sent Friday by Wharton Dean Thomas Robertson.

Mehta said WISA will hold a panel later this week to discuss the economic effects of the blasts.

University President Amy Gutmann also released a statement last night expressing grief over the attacks.

"We are deeply saddened by the senseless and brutal acts of violence that took place in Mumbai last week," the statement said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and the good citizens of Mumbai who have no doubt been devastated by this horrific event."

Comments (4)

Great job on this article - especially the interactive timeline. That really helps to understand the chaotic event. India has suffered more than its share of violence this year.

Good article Kabir. However- where is the evidence coming from that those specific terrorists are still at large? Even if that is the case- aren't there radical Muslims with the intent to kill living amongst regular civilians in Mumbai and other places around the world? Those in India cannot be living in fear- as this will undermine much of what makes the country great. It is fine to be vigilant of threats. In fact, if members of fishing village (a mile away from where the attacks occurred, through which the terrorists allegedly came) had acted upon their suspicions of these men with big bags and coats coming ashore, then maybe the carnage would have been less.

When one is unprepared to be safe and secure under any and all conditions, the consequences can be most dire. Think of the numbers who could have been saved had they known how. Kahlil Gibran wrote an essay in the book The Prophet "You are the way & the wayfarers. And when one of you falls down he falls for those behind him, a caution against the stumbling stone. Ay, & he falls for those ahead of him, who though faster & surer of foot, yet removed not the stumbling stone." It�?s time to remove the stumbling stone & enable all to be safe & secure under any & all conditions. When you save one life, you save the world, is found in an ancient Jewish text. We can learn how NOT to be a "Sitting Duck" for random "would-be" criminals (incl. racists of all races, anti-Semites & others), thereby saving one life, our own. When confronted by would-be criminals, �?unprepared�? intended-victims egos are threatened, bruised &/or punctured. This opens a window to the unconscious & exposes a negative energy pocket, which projects, absorbs &/or reflects negative self-images to the would-be criminal. Ironically, the law of self-preservation innately compels the would-be criminal to destroy the negative self-image reflected by the �?unprepared�? intended-victim. This could be the answer to the heart-felt question "WHY" when apparently senseless carnage takes place. When the "prepared" intended-victim's ego is threatened, bruised &/or punctured the window opens & exposes positive (blue alpha-wave) energy. This projects, absorbs & reflects a positive self-image to the would-be criminal. This reflection of a positive self (esteem) image breaks the spell of criminality the would-be criminal is under & a degree of healing take place for the would-be criminal. The Law of Self-preservation comes into play & the would-be criminal is innately compelled to preserve this positive reflection of his/her real God-self image. The crime encounter is now aborted. Call 215-338-6447 or 1-800-564-4096 for FREE cassette tape & process description of Win-Win Stress (crime encounter) Management w/Triggering Mechanisms. http://mysite.verizon.net/biztg3kt/

Did anyone see Gutmann's "response"? sounds like she thinks it was a car accident... President Amy Gutmann responds to tragedy in Mumbai December 1, 2008 We are deeply saddened by the senseless and brutal acts of violence that took place in Mumbai last week. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and the good citizens of Mumbai who have no doubt been devastated by this horrific event. We at Penn have many strong connections to Mumbai, through our students, our alumni, and our academic endeavors. On my visit to India three years ago this month, I was impressed by Mumbai's vibrancy, diversity and sense of purpose. I am confident that this great city will emerge from this tragedy stronger than before. We are reaching out to students, alumni and other members of the Penn community who may have been affected by this event. If you or anyone you know should need assistance in coping with this tragedy, there are resources available through Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Assistance is available for faculty and staff through the Employee Assistance Program. Dr. Amy Gutmann

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