Mumbai attacks: local reaction
Updated on 27 November 2008
Three reactions to the terrorist attacks in India's financial centre in which more than 100 people have died.
Mumbai resident Priyanka Kripalani
"I made it back home early this morning. The roads were really eerie, there weren't many people out and the policemen all had bullet-proof vests. We just somehow made it back to our house.
"Most roads had been cordoned off and the Taj - there were flames coming out and a lot of smoke. It was just devastating to see that.
"In front of me is the Taj which has a lot of smoke coming out, you can see a portion of the Taj is not there any more, it's also burnt down. I think there is just a general sense of fear and terror on the streets. No one knows what's going to happen.
"This morning I saw people even with their briefcases going to work in this area, so that's the spirit of Mumbai. Life must go on."Mumbai resident Priyanka Kripalani
"Every now and then they fire shots in the air and about half an hour ago there was another bomb explosion.
"What they are trying to do is break down our economy. Mumbai has had a series of events starting from '95 riots and the train bombings a couple of years ago. Mumbaikars have had their share of experiences.
"This has definitely shaken up the city. These are two important landmarks which are now shattered. So it's definitely shaken us up, but I'm sure that Mumbai will fight back.
"We've lost five top cops, which is definitely going to create a big dent for us, but we're just taking things as they come.
"This morning I saw people even with their briefcases going to work in this area, so that's the spirit of Mumbai. Life must go on.
"They just want to tell the terrorists that they're not going to stop their lives and and they will go on. The terrorists are not going to win. That is why they are making it to work today."
American tourist Gary Hvass
We were stopped at a blockade about a block from the Taj and they told us to go back. We moved over to the Colaba Causeway. I stayed in a cab with my wife for about 20 minutes or half an hour.
We finally asked the soldiers if it was OK for us to go up the Causeway, and that's where Leopold's is, the restaurant that was the first place where the terrorists actually hit last night.
Obviously there was some major thing that had happened there, but they had closed up the front so we couldn't look in to see exactly what had happened. We just kept going.
We were told that there were some gangs fighting in the area. We walked passed there and then some people told us that we should get off the street because whoever it was, they were targeting people like us - that is westerners.
Business leader Gul Kripalani
Gul Kripalani is the incoming president of the Indian Merchant's Chamber, Mumbai.
"India was looking a very, very solid force to recon with. Unfortunately this event is going to be a big deterrent.
"I know Mumbai is a very strong city, the business capital of India, and we will bounce back as we have done many times in the past when such things have happened.
"But what has happened on this occasion has never happened before. It's been truly terrorism of the absolutely top level, and we were not prepared for it.
We have gone through terrorist acts in the past, and we came out of it pretty quickly, pretty well. The same will happen this time. But of course it will have an effect."Mumbai business leader Gul Kripalani
"Not only do we get foreign investment into our state and into our country, but also it provides a lot of opportunities for employment as well as opportunities for ancillary businesses, and therefore it is very, very important for our state of Maharashtra to get foreign investment.
"In the short-run, it will have a tremendous impact on the operations of the companies, but as I said Mumbai is a very resilient state.
"We have gone through terrorist acts in the past, and we came out of it pretty quickly, pretty well. The same will happen this time. But of course it will have an effect. It's not that we are such a strong state that we will not feel the pinch.
"Their main purpose is to bring destability into the country and only when they can destabilise the main business centre, which is Maharashtra, which is Mumbai, will they be able to succeed in their efforts.
"That is why they first came here. In New Delhi if they were going to do anything of the sort, it would not have any effect on the business factors concerning India, it would not have any effect on the GDP and other growths of the country as it would have in Mumbai."
Interviews by Penny Ayres.
