Chidi says that he regularly goes shopping to Colaba and likes spending time in that part of town, but admits that he will take some time to recover from this shock. “I have no idea how long it'll take me to be comfortable with traveling to that side of town again,” he adds.

The Nigerian also reveals that he had visited the Taj Mahal hotel in the past for appointments, and considers it to have been one of the grandest hotels in the world.

“It was so sad to see such an extraordinary monument being burned down like that, especially with so many people trapped inside,” says Chidi.

Felix Ahmed Abogaye has played for a few years for local outfit Mumbai FC and in spite of being stunned by the turn of events in the last few days, is confident that the city will be back to its vibrant best very soon. The striker even attended team practice at Borivali on Saturday, and says that he is still very comfortable with staying back in the city.

“We live in a world where these things happen all the time. I was saddened by the scenes that I have been seeing on TV. But I am still confident that this is a safe city,” says Felix. His team played an I-league encounter against JCT on the fateful Wednesday, and Felix, who also is a Kandivali resident, is relieved that the game finished early, and he could get home safe.

... contd.