Stepping up no matter how tiny that step is!

Today is the 13th anniversary of the abominable terrorist attacks on Mumbai.

In all, at least 174 people, including 20 security force personnel and 26 foreign nationals, were killed. More than 300 people were injured. Nine of the 10 terrorists were killed, and one was arrested. (Source, Britannica)

I lived in Mumbai when the attacks happened. I worked as HR (Talent Manager) with a global Technology company for their Life Sciences Business.

The attacks started at 9:30 PM on 26th November and the horrors continued for the next 3 days.

My office was far away from the area where attacks happened. I also happened to live only a few miles away from my office.

In the early hours of 27th November, my first thought was to rush to office, so that as a key member of the HR team, I could be there for any employees who come to the office or do whatever needed to be done.

I knew that many of our colleagues started their daily commute in the early hours and might not have caught the news as the attacks had begun the previous night. Those were the pre-smart phones days when all the info wasn't available at our finger tips.

I also thought it would be easy for me to get to the office because I lived close by.

Terrorist attacks in the city were an unfamiliar situation and the truth is I did not know what the right protocol was. I should have called one of the seniors in my leadership team but I didn't.

I told my husband that I was going to the office and all he asked me was to be careful. We trusted that I could look after myself. You've got to love the confidence of 30-year-olds. ??

I am amazed at the risks we are willing to take when we are focused on doing the right thing even if we do not have the full picture.

I spent the entire day responding to calls/emails from our employees (ALL of them about the attacks) and checking on the well-being of those who came. Like I suspected, many people had started their daily commute before they caught the news; some of them were able to return home while others had to continue to office because they could not return due to disrupted travel conditions.

I came back home late that evening, safe and sound. So did all my colleagues. ??

I do not know if it was wise to step out of safety of my home. No, I think I do. ??

I had no idea what I would do if I got caught up in one of the rage incidents on the streets. ????

But that morning, all I could think of was that I wanted to be there for my people if I was needed, without knowing what that might look like.

I am glad that the day went OK and that my colleagues and I were safe.

I cannot even imagine the kind of hard choices our leaders, soldiers, fire fighters, paramedics and volunteers make; those are the people who do real work to keep us safe and save lives.

And yet, I believe that each one of us must step up in any way we can, no matter how tiny that step looks.

I am glad that I chose what I chose.

I am sad that there was a need at all where I had to make such a choice.

I am thinking of all the people whose lives were cut short and the survivors who must be left scarred & traumatised.

There should be NO place for terror in our beautiful world.

Have you ever been in a situation like this when your city was under attack? Share your stories in the comments below.

#wetellstories