Chef at Taj saves guests, but not himself

MUMBAI: Trainee chef Sadanand Ratan-Patil was at the start of a promising career at the Taj. It was abruptly terminated on November 26. The 24-year-old stepped into the lobby after escorting a few foreign tourists to safety when he was hit by a bullet.

When the firing began, Patil took refuge in a toilet along with a few colleagues and his brother Anil, also a trainee chef at the Taj, the latter said. According to sources, a restless Patil decided to venture out of his shelter after the gunfire ceased in order to help more people.

Ignoring warnings, he stepped alone into the lobby where he saw a group of frightened tourists. Patil had just ushered them into an adjacent room when terrorists entered the lobby and fired the fatal bullet. ���A soft-spoken guy, he was always the first to come forward and help,������ recalls close friend Bhaskar Khurange.