When Dhiren Doshi, 33, arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday night for business meetings that were planned for the week, instead of being greeted by a country he was so familiar with, he literally walked out of the airport and into a nightmare.
In a phone interview with AsiaOne, Dhiren, who declined to name his occupation, described his experiences in Mumbai right from the start of the seige to day three of the attacks. He is still in Mumbai.
Day 1 - Beginning of attacks
"As soon as I got off the plane on Wednesday night, I saw people crowding around the televisions in the airport. I soon found out that a bomb had went off right outside the airport a few minutes ago," he said.
While making his way from the airport to his hotel, ITC Grand Central, located just a few kilometres away from the Taj Mahal Hotel and Oberoi Hotel, he witnessed the remains of a blown-up taxi on the opposite side of the road.
"I got off the car to take a photo of the scene but the streets were getting rowdy and the police were trying to control the situation.
"I continued my journey to the hotel and saw road blocks being set up throughout the city," he said.
Dhiren is currently staying at the ITC Grand Central as it is located near his meeting venues at the Parel and Praphatavi districts.
Day 2 - Ghost town
As the death toll climbed and attacks grew more violent on day two of the seige, everyone in Mumbai was ordered to stay indoors. Businesses, meetings and schools were cancelled.
"I didn't go to work yesterday as the meetings were rescheduled. Mumbai was pretty much like a ghost town as the streets were all empty," said Dhiren, as he described Thursday's situation.
"Some of my colleagues were supposed to come to Mumbai but they cancelled at the last minute," he said.
Others had not been able to change their flight plans so they had no choice but to remain in Mumbai. Dhiren also said that he was not able to get on an earlier flight but he had booked his flight back to Singapore on Sunday morning.
Day 3 - Back to their daily routine despite ongoing attacks
Dhiren told AsiaOne that businesses and schools have reopened on Friday and most of the people in Mumbai had resumed their daily routine, as the attacks were not occurring in every part of the city, but just in ten or 11 locations. He also mentioned that the situation outside the main city was under control.
Dhiren is scheduled to fly back to Singapore on Sunday morning as all flights out of Mumbai are full. He has not been able to find an earlier flight.
Hoping to leave soon
At around 5.50pm local time, Dhiren told AsiaOne that two terrorists had been reported to be on the run and that the locals who did not live there were packing their bags to return home.
He and his colleagues have cancelled all plans and are now trying to get on the earliest flight possible.
"There's a lot of confusion and anxiety at the moment due to the lack of information and updates. The real drawback is the availability and clarity of information.
"You don't know what's going to happen next," he said.
Dhiren has registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is in contact with his family and friends.
