His crying face was perhaps the most photographed one on 26/11 — Ashish Chowdhury was standing near The Oberoi with his father, wiping his tears. His sister Monica and her husband Ajit were having dinner at Tiffin Restaurant at The Trident when tragedy struck the family. After being held hostage for 24 hours, they were killed the next day.
“My children (he’s bringing up Monica’s kids now) have moved in with me and their dada, dadi after the incident. I am trying my best not to remind them that 26/11 is coming up. I will switch the TV off and try to take them away from everything that might remind themof that day. I am not having any memorial service at home just to ensure that the children don’t get affected,” says Ashish.
Ashish admits it’s been a horrible year for 13-year-old Kanishq and eight-year-old Ananya to come to terms with the fact that their mamma and papa are no more. “They are real fighters. It was just one day that changed their lives forever. They have struggled hard, they have gone back to their school and I must say that they have come up really well. But I know that the wound is still raw and any incident can reopen the wound. Only positivity around them can heal it,” he adds.
Ashish abhors the fact that he might get to see the old tapes played all over again. “I am not a big actor in Bollywood. I was happy in my small little world when this thing happened. I am getting thousands of calls to talk about it everyday. I have penned a letter which I might forward to everybody. But nothing that I say can make you see the immense hardship these two little children are putting up with,” he ends on an emotional note.
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