Reuters India
Prayers and flowers mark Mumbai hotel opening Mon Dec 22, 2008 9:32am IST
By Rina Chandran
MUMBAI (Reuters) - People of Muslim and Hindu faiths held roses and chanted religious verses to mark the reopening of Mumbai's Trident hotel on Sunday, three weeks after it was damaged in a militant attack.
Police with sniffer dogs patrolled outside the hotel, which welcomed guests for the first time since Islamist gunmen attacked the Trident and nine other sites in Mumbai last month killing at least 179 people.
"We are feeling sad as we are reminded of the events, but we are also happy that the hotel is open again," said Rashmi Mehra, a regular at the Trident's Frangipani restaurant, who lost a friend in the Nov. 26-29 attacks.
"We are going to see if we can get a table for lunch -- we were told it's fully booked."
Earlier, guests were handed pink roses as they listened to prayers uttered by leaders of the Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist faiths gathered in the 550-room hotel.
India's foreign minister urged Pakistan to take action against Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based Islamist militant group India, Britain and the United States have blamed for the Mumbai attacks.
Hotel staff said inquiries for rooms and restaurant bookings have been pouring in, although cancellation rates have been 30-35 percent following the attacks.
Officials at the Trident said at least 100 rooms would be occupied at the hotel, a favourite among foreign business executives, and the restaurants were expected to be full.
"A guest walking in will find no trace of what happened," said Rattan Keswani, president of the Trident Hotels.
TIGHTENED SECURITY
Tight security marked the opening of the hotel, which three weeks ago was strewn with broken glass and stained with blood.
Baggage scanners, metal detectors, and armed police behind sandbags were positioned at the entrance to the hotel, with guests also being frisked.
Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Pakistan had enough evidence to take action against the suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba gunmen.
"We have evidence like the satellite phone conversations, which were intercepted," Mukherjee told reporters in Kolkata during a visit on Sunday.
"We also have chilling account of the entire Mumbai terror plan from (Ajmal Amir) Kasav (one of the 10 militants captured alive in Mumbai)," he said.
In Mumbai, the historic Taj Mahal Hotel, site of a 60-hour siege, was due to throw open its doors later on Sunday to more than 1,000 clients and guests for a gala reception.
Regulars and curious visitors have flocked back to Leopold Cafe, another of the 10 sites that were attacked, despite the bullet holes that are still visible in its walls and windows.
(Additional reporting by Sujoy Dhar in Kolkata)
-- My humanity is in feeling we are all voices of the same poverty. - Jorge Louis Borges