It seemed all roads led to Kandala on Wednesday, making the sleepy village in Mohali abuzz since morning. A large number of visitors flocked to the sprawling Munjal Farmhouse to offer condolences to Karambir Singh Kang, the general manager of Mumbai’s Hotel Taj Mahal who lost his wife and two sons in the terror attack on November 26.

Sitting with parents Major General Jagtar Singh Kang (Retd) and Kamaljit Kaur, sister Amrit Kaur and other close relatives, Karambir observed complete silence, not sharing a single word with anyone. Phones kept ringing and so did the door bells, but he remained undeterred, still too numb to speak.

Karambir and his parents arrived here late on Tuesday night after performing the last rites of Niti (40) and sons Uday (14) and Samar (5) in Mumbai.

When Karambir’s wife and sons were trapped inside the hotel, he was away to the hotel’s extension in Bandra for an official meeting. After Niti called him up and broke the terror news, Karambir rushed back within 45 minutes.

His mother Kamaljit said Karambir called her up in Bahrain on Wednesday night and told her that the hotel had been attacked and that Niti, Uday and Samar were trapped inside. “I told him to immediately rush inside and rescue as many people as he can,” she recalled.

Following his mother’s advice, Karambir, who was outside the hotel when the terrorists attacked, ran inside and rescued many visitors and staff members.

“He saved many amid firing and grenade explosions, but he could not reach the sixth floor where his family was trapped in their residential suite,” said Kamaljit.

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