Mumbai: What drives a terrorist to indulge in mindless massacre of innocent people without batting an eyelid? This question still haunts the mind of 16- year-old Arshiya Mittal, a survivor of 26/11 terror attacks.
"A person has to believe there is no goodness left in him or the world for him to go on a killing spree. I believe every person is born good and so the terrorist in a person has to be killed rather than killing the person," Arshiya, who was at the Hotel Taj on the fateful night, said.
The audacious assault that left behind a trail of death and destruction has changed Arshiya's perception about the metropolis. "Before 26/11, Mumbai was just one of my favourite cities in the world, but after the attack it became my dear home."
Arshiya, along with her mother and cousin, was dining at the Wasabi restaurant in Taj on the night of November 26 when a group of backpack-toting terrorists struck at theiconic building in South Mumbai.
"Every Mumbaikar changed from being just another inhabitant to being a part of joint family during and after the attack," the teenager said.
Arshiya and her family was rescued from the hotel within six hours of the attack, but she feels sad about those who were not that lucky and perished in the mayhem unleashed by the terror squad.
"When I heard the second explosion on that night, I told myself - this is how I am going to die. I immediately called up my father in Kolkata and brother in New York, not knowing whether I would get another chance to speak to them after this," she said, recalling those horrifying moments.
Arshiya finds it strange when people ask her if she was comfortable to revisit Taj after the attack.
"Nothing can keep me away from the place. If I do not go back there, then it means I let the terrorist attain his aim which was to instill fear in our minds," the college student said with a resolve in her voice to stand up against the menace.
