Banamali (left) with his friends and relatives at home on Sunday. Picture by Jahangir Badsa

Tamluk, Dec. 14: A Taj kitchen worker, who spent 40 hours confined in the basement of the burning Mumbai hotel and watched at least two colleagues being shot dead by terrorists, returned home to Tamluk last evening.

Banamali Raut’s father distributed sweets as Ponan village, about 100km from Calcutta, welcomed its son back from the jaws of death.

“We thank God that our son is alive. We are so happy he is with us that I distributed sweets all over the village and arranged for fish and vegetables to cook at least 10 items,” father Brajamohan, 63, said.

Banamali, 32, who has been working at the Taj for three years, said he was on the 3pm-11pm shift on November 26 in the kitchen on the first floor.

“Around 9pm, we heard some gunshot-like sound but did not pay much heed. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion and soon we received a call from security personnel asking us to switch off our lights and the gas connections,” he said.

“We hid in the kitchen till 1am and then we stealthily went down to the basement. The terrorists saw us and started to shoot. I saw two of my colleagues fall. I didn’t think I would return home alive.

“There were 10 of us inside a room in the basement and our only contact with the world outside was our mobile phones. Conversations on the phone kept us going. The commandos rescued us after about 40 hours.”

But Banamali is not scared to go back and resume work. “Terrorist strikes can take place anywhere. I don’t have any plans to leave my job or Mumbai,” he said.

For a few days now, Banamali doesn’t have to go to the kitchen. His mother is taking care of that.

“My son’s favourite dish is alu posto and machher tok. I will cook them myself. I will also make fries of several vegetables and a cauliflower curry, which my son loves,” said Gita, 55.

Brajamohan said he hadn’t been able to sleep since his son called up on the night of November 26, saying terrorists had laid siege to the hotel.

“I remained glued to the television and prayed that the commandos would rescue my son,” said Brajamohan, who once worked in a hotel in Calcutta.

After Banamali reached home last evening, relatives and neighbours thronged his single-storey house.

“We came to meet Banamali and get a first-hand account of the terrorist attack. So long, we have only watched it on TV and read about it in newspapers,” said Padmabati Sautia, 40, a neighbour.

Sachinandan Raut, 85, Banamali’s grandfather, is not interested in any account. He only wants his grandson to remain in the village.

“I asked him quit his job in Mumbai and return to the village. Why should my grandson work under such dangerous circumstances?” the old man asked.