Columnist Devansh Patel brings you first hand reactions from the stars of Bollywood just hours after the horrifying terror attacks that shook not only the city of Mumbai on November 26, but the entire world

THE city that never sleeps has come to a grinding halt as Mumbai sees its darkest night ever. The term 'terrorism' or 'terrorists' is enough to scare the living day lights out of you but terrorism is a criminal act that religious beliefs or political positions can never justify.

The removal of terrorism should be carried out through reasoned judgment in accordance with laws, not by military retaliations or wars.

Two and a half years have passed since the Mumbai train bombings on July 11, 2006, where our police and politicians concluded: 'Mumbai is safe and our security is tightened throughout the city'.

The reality, however, is the opposite of this. What has become clear in the past two and a half years is that our security and intelligence has not only failed to remove terrorism but has given even more room for such hideous activities.

Today these radicals threaten the safety of the Indian people. Like our Independence, securing our freedom now is a long-term struggle but the road to victory will begin and we as Indians won't back off.

Bollywood is united once again as celebrities turn into citizens of this city, bringing out their support and sympathy for those unlucky few who have been victims in what's considered to be Mumbai's worst ever terror attack at the Taj Mahal and the Trident Oberoi hotels:

Anjori Alagh (above):

"I WAS pretty close to the Taj hotel yesterday. I couldn't travel to Andheri where I live and am now at a friend's house in south Mumbai. The entire area is sealed off and for once I think that the city of Mumbai has changed. What's scary is the fact that people coming in boats with no security or patrol at sea can get down at the Gateway and enter the Taj, Trident and Oberoi with guns and grenades and create havoc. It does raise a question on the security, but having said that, we do have security in all our hotels but it's not up to the mark. I mean, I can't see many CCTV cameras outside the hotels or in the nearby vicinity. Every Indian is concerned and I am hoping that we make an effort to increase the security of our country. I hope we learn something from this so that we don't turn vulnerable again. We really need to fight back against these terrorists. They should be killed as ruthlessly as they are killing innocent people."

Vatsal Seth:

"RIGHT now there is so much of anger in me that I cannot help my own citizens in the time of crisis. There are a couple of my friend's brothers and sisters trapped inside the hotel so I am really messed up in my mind. I couldn't sleep last night."

Celina Jaitley:

I'VE been stuck at the Four Seasons Hotel in Worli which had been cordonned off for security and had to stay the night there. I had come for dinner with colleagues of my father. Suddenly there was chaos. We heard all the major hotels were being targetted and I started getting phone calls to stay put where I was by friends and the security head of my bodyguards' company. The hotel staff were incredibly nice in keeping everyone calm and quite. I started getting calls from my friends in London and Ireland and from my father in Lebanon who were watching all the carnage on TV. We were up till 3am last night until we finally went up to the rooms. I was meant to go to the Trident for dinner but some gut feeling made me change my mind. I am still shaken and scared and will head back home as soon as it's safe. My brother Rakhi is heading the NSG commandos' operation. They haven't come out yet. Aashish Chowdhary's sister and brother-in-law are missing at Trident. Our city is falling apart. I have only one thing to say these terrorists - "We are not scared and will fight back".

Anil Kapoor (below):

"IT'S the worst ever attack to take place in India. But I am in no mood to talk about this incident because I want the police, the army and the government to answer the questions of what has happened."

Jagmohan Mundhra:

"I AM at my in-laws' house in south Mumbai which is just few hundred yards from both the Taj and the Oberoi. All night long we have been up and alert. I could hear the blasts and firing all night long. Never before have I seen south Mumbai in such a shape. This is going to have a tremendous impact on the tourism of India in the near future. This is such a cruel and a random act of violence that there seems to be no logic behind it. It's scary when you think what could be the terrorists' motive."

Gul Panag (below):

"I DON'T know how my comments will be taken but this had to happen and is not a complete surprise. Me and you only take notice of terror when it enters the malls or the hotels. But if the same thing happens in the slums we are OK with it. This is a much larger issue than it looks.

Have you ever taken into consideration the Islamic population of India? It's in the region of 18 to 20 per cent. Do you know what percentage of Islamic population is living below the poverty line? It's 40 per cent. I am not a fundamentalist but I am looking at a much bigger picture. There are certain segments of society which have not got their due, whether you agree or not. Whatever the population of Muslims in India, is that population reflected in the jobs of this country? When people are poor and have nowhere to go, they have no choice but to turn into radicals. I hope my views and comments make people understand the broader picture."

Vidya Malavde:

"MUMBAI needs to change since a very long time and now such incidents are becoming a regular nuisance to all of us. I can't understand how we as politicians or people can't stop this act of terror. This is becoming something like a habit for Mumbai. I am so sad today that people are dying. I am not angry but helpless that I can't go out there and stop people from being killed. There are a bunch of people who come on a boat and blow things up - what kind of a security or intelligence are we talking about? Mumbai will bounce back but that's not the point. The point is that somewhere something needs to be done with our security system."

Vinay Pathak:

"YESTERDAY'S attacks are the worst I've ever witnessed in Mumbai. I hope that the security measures in the city

will change after all this. Such attacks will never break the spirit of Mumbaikers and this will bring us all a lot closer than ever before to team up against anti-social elements."

Madhur Bhandarkar:

"MUMBAI won't be the same after this dreadful attack because the scene was the epicentre or the hub of the city where you have heritage sites like The Gateway of India and The Taj hotel. What was considered to be the safest place in the city is now not safe any more. People seem to be in a state of shock. The question of all the high profile personalities and celebrities will also have to be looked into now. My sympathies to those who have lost their near and dear ones and for those who are hostages. I hope peace prevails soon."

Kunal Kohli:

"THIS is the worst attack on Mumbai. The Taj is not just a hotel. It's a symbol of the heritage and culture of Mumbai and when we saw the images of The Taj burning, it was beyond our emotions to describe the scene. This attack is as bad as 9/11. November 26th will be remembered as the darkest day in Mumbai's history. This is not the time to think whether our film industry is at threat or not. It's the time to save more people. You cannot be sitting and putting blame on people regarding lapse of security. How do you secure every corner of the city?"

Mugdha Godse (below):

"I DON'T know what are the consequences which will come out once this dark day is over but I think people, whether it's us as civilians or the government, should pull up our socks. Right now I am just praying for all those who are in the hotels and are injured and have died. I am in a shocked state of mind. Our city of dreams is no more the same but we Indians haven't learnt how to bow down."

Eesha Koppikhar:

"I AM fine but in no mood to talk about what has been happening in Mumbai. What's happening is very sad and I hope the law and order situation comes under control soon."

Abhishek Kapoor:

"I DON'T know how this incident will change the city of Mumbai but I know one thing for sure - that it's going to change the way our security measures are in and around the city. This will put a certain amount of fear in people's mind for a few days to come but normality will prevail in days to come."

Minissha Lamba:

"THE city of Mumbai is extremely resilient. It's a survivor city. An attack on our city is an attack on our country. I don't know whether it's a lapse of security which has led to such an incident. I mean, how far can the police force protect such a big city like Mumbai? They are doing the best they can to save our brothers and sisters today. It could easily have been me in one of the hotels. This is like an eye opener and has taken the terrorist activity to the next level where they are taking hostages now. This is the scariest day in Mumbai I've ever witnessed."

Gulshan Grover:

"THIS is absolutely the worst terrorist attack in India. I am very much disturbed and shocked by this behaviour and the way the terrorists have taken innocent people as hostages. I would like to believe that Mumbai will change for better after this horrific incident."

Arjun Rampal (below):

"IT IS ridiculous that we are experiencing such events in our city. Every Mumbaiker has the right to ask the government questions about our city and country's security. How the terrorists got in so easily and created so much damage is unbelievable.

We are all upset but the anger should not be directed towards innocent people. We have to put our concerns about the security and intelligence lapse to the government. There is a lot of corruption in our country and that needs to be addressed."

Apoorva Lakhia:

"AS FAR as the change in the city of Mumbai is concerned, the government and the army need to see where such attacks can happen from. I mean, people coming in from boats and all looks like some kind of a commando film. It just shows that we need to get a proper cell which deals with terrorism like they do it in the west. Mumbaikers have always shown unity whenever such horrific incidents have taken place in our city."

* As the Observer went to press, we learned that Aashish Chowdhary's sister and brother-in-law had died in the attack on the Trident Oberoi. Our sincere condolences go to Aashish and his family at this terrible time.