I was surfing last night and found a harrowing but humanizing account of a New York hedge fund manager who survived the Mumbai terrorist attack last week.

On Monday night, Michael Pollack and his wife, Anjali Pollack shared the story of their near death experience at the Taj Mahal Hotel on the Charlie Rose Show, according to the blog Wall Street1440.

Pollack is a managing partner who helped found Glenhill Capital Management LLC in 2001, which invests in the public equity markets across the globe and employs a long-short strategy as a hedging technique in small cap stocks.

Pollack and his wife credited the kitchen workers at the Taj Hotel for saving their lives. “The real gift beyond the second chance of life is to see the selfless nature of others in a period of mayhem and barbarity,” Pollack told Rose in the interview.

In a 12-hour standoff, Pollack and his wife were concealed in an office off the kitchen and later in an area known as the Chambers. Amidst the gunfire, explosions and firefight occurring around them, Pollack hid curled up in a toilet stall for seven hours. As a typical Wall Street with Blackberry in tow, Pollack was able to text his wife who he separated from to make sure that one parent survived for their small children, and connect with the FBI.

For the full video on the Charlie Rose show – click here:

Pollack also told his story to Forbes Magazine.
Here is an excerpt:

“My story begins innocuously, with a dinner reservation in a world-class hotel. It ends 12 hours later after the Indian army freed us.

My point is not to sensationalize events. It is to express my gratitude and pay tribute to the staff of the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, who sacrificed their lives so that we could survive. They, along with the Indian army, are the true heroes that emerged from this tragedy. Forbes