I lost a kid yesterday. That’s what I used to call my trainees as a faculty member of the Management Training Programme at the Taj. He was a young man of immense promise — I remember being the first person to make a welcome call to him and invite him into the company. His cheerful “thank you” still resonates, and the many interactions we had where I calibrated his youthful expectations and then watched him grow over the next two years was a special journey we made. He died sometime on the morning of November 27. The last time his batchmate spoke with him he was making sandwiches for guests who were trapped and hiding out in the kitchen. Some were crying, he said, and they heard gunshots; but they would be fine. Remarkably cheerful, serving his guests, living his lessons, he said he would call back soon. We never heard from him again.

The Taj and The Oberoi are institutions of Indian hospitality. In a sense they represent attitudes that Indians are known for around the world for — our hospitality, humility and natural cheer. Today, these two fierce competitors of the past are locked in a shared destiny of terror and grief. As reports emerge of casualties, close to nothing is known of the staff members — at around 10 pm, there would be so many of them at the hotel, moving in and out of shifts. Always in the background, hoteliers are trained to be present but never visible. The same, it seems applies in death as well.

Two days ago, our lives changed forever. We speak to each other over the phone, give strength and hold back tears. We manage for the most part. Till we chance upon a sight of a much-feared hotelier of 40 years’ experience crying like a baby while his hotel burns on television. Or hear of someone losing their life while helping guests escape in those crucial first few hours. People who we have always seen in charge are helpless — a patriarch of a company, who is frequently ailing, has not eaten since the crisis began.

As we watch these two icons — dream beginnings for so many young hoteliers — try and stand up to this violation, life in a “profession of graces” reminds us to say thank you. Thank you for the valiant efforts of the many security personnel who are risking their lives and thank you to the relentless media that gives us glimpses of people we thought were lost. And above all else, we feel for our guests — guests of these hotels and this country. May the day when we welcome you back, be here soon-Atithi Devo Bhava.

Advaita Kala is a former hotelier who has worked for The Oberoi and The Taj Hotels. She is the author of Almost Single.