Sense of pride for father and husband who sacrificed self at Taj

Once every three months, Thomas Verghese would make it a point to donate some of his blood to those who needed it. “Now, he has donated it all to save others,” says his widow, Sunu.

Once every three months, Thomas Verghese would make it a point to donate some of his blood to those who needed it. “Now, he has donated it all to save others,” says his widow, Sunu.

Verghese, 48, a senior captain on security duty at Taj Mahal Palace’s Wasabi Restaurant, was killed by terrorists who stormed the hotel on 26/11. In the days since, Sunu, 42, has taught herself to temper her sense of loss with one

of pride.

“He lived his life helping others. He would aid people in need but not make a big deal about it. I am honoured that he went down helping guests at the hotel, and not as a coward,” she says.

That morning, Verghese had left for work with a promise to take the family out after returning. “I was dressed up and waiting for him when at 10.30 pm, I saw the news of the attack on TV. I tried to get in touch with him but all phone lines were jammed.”

Till then Verghese was safe. He called up at 1.30 am, “playful and caring as ever”. Sunu recalls what he told her, “Arre Paglee, roti kyu hai? Main theek hoon, kal tak ghar aa jaonga.” He told her he was hiding in a storeroom with a few of his colleagues and guests. “I asked him if he was at gunpoint; he said no.”

The next time Sunu heard of her husband was after he had spoken to his cousins at 2.30 am. After that, a long silence. The shock came at 4.30 am, when Asianet, a Malayalam TV channel, flashed his name in the list of the dead.

Such was his personality that Sunu and her sons Wesley and Rynell, 20 and 14, are confident that life will remain good because of the “beautiful memories” he left behind. The family remembers him as a playful, jolly husband and father, who’d spring surprises on them all the time. “Six months ago, he brought home a dog, who we named Jake,” Rynell says. “He told me he wanted the dog to protect our family.” Sunu adds, “Maybe he knew he is going to leave us and brought the dog for our protection.”

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Verghese’s mother Gracy Thomas breaks down, but she too takes the loss in stride. “God gave me a gift for 48 years and asked me to look after it. When the time was up, He took it back from me.”

“We were preparing for Christmas,” Sunu says, “This year, he bought clothes a week in advance, two saris for me and other clothes for the kids. We had great plans, our party would start on December 25 and end the next day. And he had already made all the arrangements,” she smiles wistfully.

Yet she holds nothing against the terrorists. “They were impressionable teenagers. It is not their fault that they have chosen the wrong route; they were brainwashed to take the route.”