Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

Vibha Shah and her husband, Fenil Shah, who live in Barrington but are from India, have many family members remaining in India, in the suburbs outside of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) -- both sets of parents, her brother and sister, and aunts and uncles on both sides.

Her husband's parents heard one of the bombs in Vila Parle, a suburb of Mumbai, she said. Fenil Shah's brother, who also lives in Barrington with his family, was in Mumbai at the airport to fly back to Rhode Island when the attack began, she said.

Snehal Shah's plane had not yet taken off when the attack began, but his flight left Mumbai safely and he is now home in Rhode Island, preparing to go out to dinner with his brother's family, Vibha Shah said.

"It's sad. I know people say Bombay has been through this a lot of times, but still, seeing it on CNN all the time, and knowing it was so close to ..." Vibha Shah said, as her voice trailed off. "I just wish it was not there. But I guess everybody does."

Vibha's husband, Fenil, plans to travel to India on Monday, a trip that was planned before the attacks, she said. They've heard nothing of flight delays or anything of that sort, she said.

"It should be fine," she said. "I'm not worried about it."

Vibha Shah describes her family as "lucky," a word others in the local Indian community are probably uttering as well these days.

The Rhode Island Indian community appears not to have direct ties with anyone injured or killed in the attacks in Mumbai, according to the head of a local community service group.

The Indian community here numbers about 5,000 people -- some 1,200 to 1,500 families, said Dr. Amrut Patel of Cranston, who heads Namaskar India, which holds cultural functions, promotes education about India and does charity work within the Indian community.

"So far, to my knowledge, there is no bad news," said Patel, whose organization's name stands for Salute India. "Fortunately, personally here in our community, locally no one's been involved."

Patel knows the Shah family, and he knows another Rhode Island woman whose husband is in Mumbai for a wedding. Yesterday, he saw that man's wife, who did not go to India on this trip, and she said her husband is safe, Patel said.

Patel said most in Rhode Island who are from India fly into Mumbai when they return to their country because that's the international airport.

Patel, who is a medical doctor in private practice in Cranston, said his organization has perhaps 50 to 100 volunteers. He described Namaskar India as "fairly active."

Comments

Richard Sanetti said:

My heart goes out to the Nation Of India. My wife and I have traveled all of India, have stayed at the Hotels which were attacked and are simply in a state of shock. The people of India and their culture(s) are a great example for the entire of the Middle east of how Muslims, Hindus, Catholics and Christians can live together in Peace.

I'm confident, with my blonde and blue complexion, I certainly would not have survived such an ordeal. My wife said to me we shouldn't go there anymore and I completely disagree. I will continue to visit the beautiful people and culture, albeit more cautiously. It's like asking me not to go to New York anymore.

Our prayers and thought go out to all of India.

Link | November 29, 2008 8:58 AM
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