‘IT WAS SHORTLY after 3 pm that our worst fears were realised. There was a loud banging on the door and the call for us to “come out, come out”. We knew this was our moment of truth. They would get in and kill us or our barricade would be successful.’

It was November 2008. Drew Dixon was hiding with his colleague Debra in her room at the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai. Outside, terrorists had taken over the hotel and after nineteen hours of waiting for the knock at their door, it arrived. They pulled all the pillows and cushions they had set up as protection against explosions over themselves and waited. More banging and more calls to come out and then an almighty blast against the door, in front of which the two had placed a heavy desk.