Mumbai Seige

This is not so much a story about the magnet as it is about the people carryng it and what could be considered a very close call. This woman is the sister of one of my friends who travels as part of her job with a prominent US university. She reluctantly agreed to carry a magnet for me.

In November of 2008, she and her husband were on their way to what has been referred to as the grandest of the grand hotels, the Taj Mahal in Mumbai, India. Those who pay attention to the news may recall the seige of that hotel by a handful of terrorists who set off hand grenades starting a fire in this incredibly majestic building, as well as taking hostages and killing a good many people. The cab driver taking them to their hotel from the airport was getting call after call from family and friends warning him to stay away from the hotel, exactly where he was taking them. The hotel was already under seige. I'm told that if their plane had not been an hour late they would have been checking in at the time the seige began.

Needless to say, my 'carrier' was diverted to other quarters and left the magnet to the person assigned to their care. This is from the email she sent:

In all the confusion, I forgot to tell you that I gave the ceramic magnet to the young man who was assigned to take care of us at the game lodge called Mahua Kothi in Bandhavgarh National Park , located in the Village of Tala , India . His name was Manhendra, and he was absolutely the sweetest man with a warm and welcoming smile. He used to be a barber, and a game reserve guide, but decided that he would have greater financial stability in the hospitality industry and so joined the game lodge last year. He has a son who is just over a year old!

I wanted you to be able to tell your friend that I have now delivered two of her ceramic magnets – one to South Africa , the other to India . Given the fact that the sisters are restricting my travel to Kansas , I am not sure I will be able to deliver any others! J