Jewish, Christian, Sikh, Parsi, Buddhist and Jain religious leaders were also present.

Across South Mumbai the other leading Indian hotel, the Taj Mahal hotel opened around the same time in a similar fashion with staff being praised for their dedication and resilience as others called for defiance in the face of extremism. Commemoration ceremonies preceded the official openings at these two hotels where 163 civilians died and nearly 300 others were injured.

R.K. Krishna Kumar, vice-chairman of the Indian Hotels Company that runs the Taj, described employees as "heroes", while Trident Hotels president Rattan Keswani said he felt "deep pride" in all his staff. These were the very sentiments that we at Sommelier India felt were important to emphasize. The staff were the true heros and demonstrated their heroism by going back to work immediately. As the staff filed into the hotel, the guests and dignitaries present broke into spontaneous applause in recognition of their heroism and commitment.

About 100 of the Trident's 550 rooms were booked Sunday night while at the Taj 65% of the 278 rooms available were booked. Both hotels reported healthy reservations for their restaurants. Needless to say, security was tight at the hotels with armed guards, barricades, luggage scanners and metal detectors.

At the Taj, 1,000 invited guests including top politicians, business leaders and other prominent personalities from Mumbai came out to attend a private reception at the hotel. Ratan Tata, chairman of the Taj owner Tata Group, summed up the mood best when he said, "We can be hurt but we will never fall."

Also read:
Tragedy strikes India and the Oberoi & Taj Hotels
India's New Heroes, Don't let them go unsung