Updated: 11/29/2008 6:55:27 AM
Rudrani Devi is from Oak Ridge and now calls Nashville home. She was one of the Americans wounded in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
Friday, Devi told the Associated Press, "There were bodies everywhere," and that she felt like she "was in a movie."
She said the attacks happened quickly because the terrorists were on them "within two minutes."
Devi's family gathered at their home place in Oak Ridge Thursday afternoon for a Thanksgiving meal.
"It seems that everything is shut down inside," said Celeste Varagona, Devi's mom. "You can't breathe hardly. So, it's hard."
Varagona couldn't focus on the usual turkey and dressing this Thanksgiving. Worried sick, the Oak Ridge mother could barely eat.
"I have six children and one, of course, is in the hospital in Mumbai, and the other were here today for Thanksgiving," Varagona added.
The mother described her fifth child, Rudrani Devi, as the 'go-getter'. Devi plays the violin, banjo and loves running marathons.
It is her latest passion, teaching meditation, that took her to Mumbai.
"She was going to a convention about the work she does," Varagona said.
Devi was excited about staying at the Taj Hotel. That is where she was when tragedy played out around her.
"She was having dinner in the hotel restaurant and lobby," Varagona remembered. "The restaurant was in the lobby. Apparently, the terrorist just came in and started shooting."
One bullet went through Devi's arm. The second bullet was logged in her thigh.
Devi's family said she hid under the table before crawling to a more secure location. They said medical care took a while to get to her.
The best sign yet comes in the form of a phone call that woke up the Varagona household Thanksgiving morning.
Devi was on the line. She told her mom that her surgery was successful. She is in pain and has lost a lot of blood. Devi also said she would barely move. But, she said she is going to be okay.
"I thank God for everybody that helped her and I thank God for all my children that are here today," Varagona said after finishing her Thanksgiving meal.
Varagona said her daughter's husband is on a plane headed to Mumbai. Devi could be released from the hospital in four days, but her arrival back in Nashville will depend on her recovery.
