Incredible
Interior Designer Anjali Pollack, whom the gallery has worked with in the past, was with her husband Michael Pollack at the Taj when it was attacked. They appeared on Charlie Rose monday night to tell their story. It’s pretty incredible and moving….especially hearing Anjali speak towards the end of the piece. I can’t imagine what it must be like to experience something like that. I was reading a letter her husband wrote that was forwarded to me from a co-worker and it just brought tears to my eyes.
For the next seven hours, I lay in the fetal position, keeping in touch with Anjali via BlackBerry. I was joined in the stall by Joe, a Nigerian national with a U.S. green card. I managed to get in touch with the FBI, and several agents gave me status updates throughout the night.
I cannot even begin to explain the level of adrenaline running through my system at this point. It was this hyper-aware state where every sound, every smell, every piece of information was ultra-acute, analyzed and processed so that we could make the best decisions and maximize the odds of survival.
Was the fire above us life-threatening? What floor was it on? Were the commandos near us, or were they terrorists? Why is it so quiet? Did the commandos survive? If the terrorists come into the bathroom and to the door, when they fire in, how can I make my body as small as possible? If Joe gets killed before me in this situation, how can I throw his body on mine to barricade the door? If the Indian commandos liberate the rest in the other room, how will they know where I am? Do the terrorists have suicide vests? Will the roof stand? How can I make sure the FBI knows where Anjali and I are? When is it safe to stand up and attempt to urinate?
You can read Micheal’s full letter on Forbes website
