Mumbai: Colaba Causeway wears its Yuletide spirit on its sleeve, almost in defiance of the terrorists who attacked the city nearly a month ago. Christmas merchandise and decorations, from Santa masks, caps and bells to fake Christmas trees in varying sizes, crowd the streets.

While some shops and restaurants have festooned decorative lights on their porches, others want to usher Christmas in a quieter manner.

"Christmas used to be a special time at Leopolds. We used to celebrate it in a grand manner, with lots of lights and fanfare. But this time, we chose to go about it in a quiet manner," said Farzad Jehani, who runs the cafe along with brother Farhang. "Do I have to give you the reason for why this will be a quiet Christmas?" he asked.

Ten people were shot dead at Leopold cafe, including two from its staff. "It took a couple of days for people to return, but we are back to normal now," said Jehani. "I dont see fear on anyones face. Around this time last year, the crowd was the same," he added.

"The goal of terrorism is to scare people. We would be letting them win if we stayed in our homes, afraid," said Yanick Comeau, a 28-year-old tourist from Canada, who came to Leopold after reading about the place in the book Shantaram. "In fact, I now plan to leave for Goa. Even if there are no beach parties, I still want to go there."

Fellow-Canadian Christophe Auneau agreed, "Life comes with no guarantees. I dont want to live in fear."

Octogenarian Sunoo Shroff, whos lived in Mumbai all her life, chose to visit Leopolds for the first time on Christmas Eve. "I came here as a patron, to show my appreciation for how they bounced back," said Shroff.

Shroffs friend, Vanoo Munshi, 80,added, "We came here on Christmas Eve because this is a special time. And it feels great to see a crowd here."
Source : Central