26/11 Mumbai terror attack: Nariman House gets new name

Mumbai: Colaba’s Nariman House, which bore the brunt of the 26/11 terror attacks, now boasts a newly renovated look and has been rechristened Nariman Light House.

The Chabad Centre of worship has a memorial, which is dedicated to the victims of terror attacks, including Rabbi Gavriel and his wife Rivka Holtzberg, who ran the house. The rabbi’s two-year-old son Moshe was rescued by his Indian nanny Sandra Samuel.

The restoration has been carried out in phases. The first phase includes a memorial that is ready for public.

Rabbi Israel Kozlovsky, co-director, said once the security procedures are in place, the memorial will be opened to the general public. People interested in visiting the monument will have to register online. “The Chabad House from today will be called Nariman Light House and it will serve as a beacon of light to all. This is the only place in the city where names of the all the people died are mentioned,” he said.

A water fountain, signifying the flow of life, purification and regeneration flows down gently on the plaques. Green plants on the walls surround the plaques. On the other side of the memorial are six planks, each representing a place attacked by the terrorists. The six planks that have a replica of the place targeted are Taj, Oberoi, Leopold Café, Kuber boat, Cama Hospital and Nariman House.

The blueprint for the second phase has been finalised and the theme for the 4th and 5th floors will be “From Darkness To Light. The Nariman Light House will be symbolic of the fact that there is light at the end of every tunnel and it is only through positivity that the message of peace can be spread across all humanity. The place will serve as a fountain of peace and light and will be opened to people from all walks of life across all religions,” said Mr Kovlovsky.