India, March 13 -- Contd from page 1 I come from a fauji family, and we've lived through a couple of wars. The first thing that I did was ask my staff to stock up immediately. I packed a bag as I felt that if at some point of time, the government asks us to evacuate, I had to have a bag ready. Saira created a little space for herself underneath the staircase in the house. She had a sleeping bag, pillows and other essentials under there, and every time the alerts went off, that's where we were going until it was safe to step out again. The sadness wasn't about what was going on because we definitely felt protected and safe. But for me, it was the futility of what war is. We might feel that in India, we are very protected, but people are going to feel the repercussions come what may. I could see people who didn't have the opportunities that I do. For me, it was the helplessness that there's not really much that I can do. But in times like this, there's no right or wrong way to move. I do believe that the government is doing everything in their power, so I would just say follow the instructions. It is the best thing that you can do to keep yourself safe. When we were in Dubai, I had another friend with two kids whose husband was away. They lived in a high-rise, so the first day when the Fairmont hotel was hit in Jumeirah, I asked her to get out. She came and stayed with us. So, while the flights were very few and expensive, I refused to leave without them. I even brought my house staff back, whom I had taken from India with me. It's mentally very hard, so all that we can do is pray and hope that some sanity returns to the world really quickly....