The Siege: 68 Hours Inside the Taj Hotel Hardcover – 29 Oct. 2013

R.I.P to all those that lost lives families and loved ones in November 2008.I recently visited Mumbai and ate at the Leopold cafe when my aunt told me and showed me the places where these attacks had happened my curiosity wanted to know more. I found this book which was stunning, in the sense so well written it made you feel like we knew these people like they were are own. This was one book I couldn't put down and read cover to cover and seriously it's so well written!

This is a very good book. I read it with great interest as my wife and I actually stayed in The Taj to attend a law conference at The Oberoi { which was also attacked} a week before the attack. So I can picture clearly where the attack unfolded minute by minute as described in this book.The book begins with how the 10-man terrorists slipped into Mumbai by sea. It then describes the lives, aspirations and hopes of the victims, hostages, police and the terrorists played out over the 68 hours of the siege. At the end of the siege, 31 people were dead and hundreds injured. My heart goes out to the victims in particular the staff of the Taj who treated us so well during our stay.From the ' A note on Sources' it is clear the authors have spent a great effort tracking down testimonies of witnesses both in India and Pakistan , reviewed court documents, audio files and cctv footage. There is a useful dramatis personae and maps of the ground and first floors of The Taj. I highly recommended this book.

If this book would have cost Rs.2,500/- I would have paid. If for God's sake I would have not been working, I would have begged or would have taken loan from my father to purchase this book. Yes the book is "that" good.Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott has down a commendable job. In some way they have risked their life to write their book. In the Afterword section they have mentioned about their tenure in Pakistan and interviewing Lashkar-e-Toiba as well as visiting the training camps to know about their rebel. Few points about this book:(1) It is not an ordinary book.(2) On many occasions you have to consult the internet and know the history and the acronyms and(3) The book is very strong in terms of vocabulary. This is no ordinary English -- you have to consult dictionary several times, both technical and literary terms. The authors have used very strong vocabulary.The book would:(a) Help you know a detailed history of The Taj, Mumbai(b) Understand the philosophy, hierarchy and structure of Lashkar-e-Toiba and similar other organizations(c) About commandos and their gallant activities(d) The plan and execution and a detailed activities of the members of the Taj and Oberoi – how they have helped to save lives of people that nightThe book starts with “Dramatis Personae” – the guests and diners Will Pike and Kelly Doyle, Andreas Liveras, Sabina Saikia – the famous food critic, Kuttalam Rajagopalan Ramamoorthy banking executive from Tamilnadu (who faced the attack and was tortured), Amit and Varsha Thadani – came at the wedding reception in the Crystal were saved by fireman from the window with the hydraulic ladder and many other.The book also gives a detailed account of the terrorists David Headley, Ajmal Kasad and the other members of Lashkar-e-Toiba.The book starts with the chapter Jadu Ghar (House of Magic) – different personalities settling a busy morning. The authors provide almost in “clinical details” the layout and architecture of The Taj, its’ history founded in 1902, how the building developed and how the internal architecture and the internal rooms and decoration evolved. In the chapter “Prince David” – the book details on the childhood and the life history of David Headley, born as Daood Gilani, his involvement in the drug cycle and how he provided a detailed map of The Taj to the Lashkar. The authors have done an excellent job to carry out the witness, even fake email id(s) that they used from Mumbai to get the connection.The chapter “Salaam Alaikum” starts with the attack, the CST and then the Leopold Café which underwent sufficient damage. Many people got killed and in this book you would almost see, events unfolding before your eyes. You would fall in love, feel sympathetic with the hostages and would whimper in the pain of the sufferings. Intelligence, desperately trying to intercept the caller…….They could not recognize who is calling. The attack at Leopold Café, followed the one in The Taj, Oberoi and Nariman point almost got the entire nation on the run.The books also examine the radicalisation of the youth and how they have been fed by the idea of hatred, anger and religion. Levy and Scott actually takes you into the journey of the attack, crossing the borders and entering the Indian water, how they hijacked the boat and then…………..The rest is history.The fight was a fierce one – the gunshots were among the alleys, behind the doors in the kitchen. Lot of chefs were executed in the Kitchen Massacre. People like Amit Peshave, saw the terrorists gunning down the halls and they have been patient to help their eminent guests. The complexity of the Taj baffled everybody. Police officers, commandos, guests, staffs – they were unable to understand where to run and where to hide – yet the gunmen almost had the blueprint in their memory; their mentors guiding them from remote.Karamvir Kang could not save his family. Uday and Samar Kang (photograph you would find in the book) along with his wife died. Karamvir saved at least 100 lives. Amit Peshave, former manager at the Shamiana restaurant saved many lives in the hospital. The author explains the massacre at the Nariman House and then the fierce battle . At one point the fidayeen attacks were so intense that they were unable to win over. The author points out at one point of bringing down the entire Taj with air support. The MARCOS were prepared.Officials died, a fierce battle took place, when the commandos finally took down the gunmen. Taj was saved. Most important is the “Afterword”. The authors here give their experience about how they met each officials, sharing their memories, nightmare and brave act of saving people. The desperation were immediate, the grief was insurmountable, the loss was unaccountable – yet the zeal of human beings to survive made it possible. In the memories of the survivors it would always remain accountable, for Indians….. Yes, we made it possible, to survive and defeat the evil from the good.The book is really something to read. The authors have done an extraordinary job to bring to us the saga of the Taj.Jai Hind !!

A harrowing and compelling account of one of the worst terrorist attacks in recent memory. It follows the stories of locals and tourists caught up in the terrifying attack, and investigates what makes young men kill without mercy for a cause. It is also a fascinating and sensitive account of Indian culture and society.

Totally gripping read with stunning back detail of the attackers and those killed in the senseless and vicious attacks on innocent people! The Taj staff and the Tata family were breathtakingly brave! I travelled there with a group o India this Sfebruary and took the hotel your that the planner advanced and we stayed in Room 629 and on the other floors and paid tribute to those killed on the staff at the monument in the beautifully restored lobby ...just an incredible happening and story telling that just ouzel out if the book into the lives of those I'm Mumbai and around the world!

Meticulously researched by authors Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy, The Siege: 68 Hours Inside The Taj Hotel is a riveting account of the Nov. 26, 2008, terrorist attack on Mumbai, India, by ten young Pakistani men affiliated with the group Lashkar-e-Toiba.The staff of the Taj Hotel — men and women who were chefs, waiters, restaurant managers and security personnel — performed countless acts of heroism during the siege and many sacrificed themselves so that others could escape. Although ill-prepared materially for the attack — some patrolmen were armed with pre-World War II bolt-action rifles, others only with bamboo canes — many of the Mumbai police displayed exceptional valor and commitment while attempting to stop men armed with assault rifles, grenades and plastic explosives.The narrative is gripping, filled with tension and stories of heroism and heartbreak. In turns the reader will experience dread, triumph, tragedy and simmering frustration at the inadequate response by city, state and national authorities. Mumbai was not prepared for the violence these ten men visited upon it, which is all the more staggering given its proximity to Pakistan and prior record of terrorist bombing activity.I give full credit to the authors, as they tell a highly complex story — interweaving the personal stories of a dozen or more people swept up in the attack — in a natural, eminently readable style. I’ve seen this book favorably compared to Mark Bowden’s Black Hawk Down — an assessment I wholeheartedly agree in.Veteran investigative reporters well versed in the region, Scott-Clark and Levy provide insight into the motivations of the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the different paths the ten men took to get to the point where they were stepping off a boat on the shores of India, bent on killing and sowing terror. Without relying on a linear timeline, the narrative shifts seamlessly between various eyewitnesses and participants, with some events told from multiple perspectives.Although the attack against Mumbai involved more targets than the Taj Hotel, as the title suggests the luxury hotel is the prime focus of this book. The events at the Trident-Oberoi Hotel, train station and Chabad House are referred to, but not examined in detail. The narrower focus doesn’t make this book any less critical to understanding what happened; future readers should just be aware it is not all-encompassing.I highly recommend it.

This book has all the hallmarks of becoming a classic in reporting the reality so that you, the reader, actually feel as if you were there. When this happened in 2008, I didn't actually understand all the complications, never having been to Mumbai. The authors seamlessly wove in all the many stories within the larger picture...where the terrorists were trained, the hotel workers who did their best to help the besieged guests. I recommend The Siege: 68 Hours Inside the Taj Hotel unreservedly. I shall reread this book and pass it on to interested friends.