I took a couple of days off and boarded a 15 hour overnight train to Kerala. It was in the middle of this journey that I learnt of the attacks in Mumbai.
As I lay in my bunk I reflected on the fact I was one of two Westeners on the train and the other was an American. Some of the passengers on the train were pilgrims, dressed all in black. I’m sure they were harmless, but as I lay in my little bunk, in the dark, I remembered the stares we had attracted as they past though our carriage and convinced myself they were coming to get me imminently.
Not the best nights sleep ever.
The return journey was much more pleasant and we got talking to a group of young space engineers, but the reality of recent events hit home when I saw armed soldiers at Chennai central station.