The most common question since the incident, of course, is: “How are you doing?”

Admittedly, the first few days were not great, and I was quite a nervous wreck, quite jumpy at the smallest of sounds, and not really confident to go outside in my own city (since almost every day here, someone assumes I’m a “bideshi”).

Pretty quickly however, realisation started to set in of just how miraculous it was that myself, my business partners, friends, and family were not there that night.

That Martyna Bandosz, our maitre d’, left for home just a few days before -- she would have been standing by the front door normally.

That Diego Rossini and Jaco Bio were able to escape very narrowly also, and that Gastón Palacios was on holiday back in Argentina.

We are all very lucky that we were not only spared with our lives, but spared a life without the memories of the horrors that the hostages have.

Yes, a flourishing business was reduced to rubble overnight, but it seems very petty to complain when, as a nation, we couldn’t save our own in Faraaz, Ishrat, and Abinta, nor could we protect Tarishi, the nine Italians, or the seven Japanese.

Market forces could have been responsible for the loss of the business also -- it happens.

What pains me most is that 20 good souls lost their lives that night, to cowards who did not last even a second against armed opposition.

What matters to me most is that it never happens again, and it seems that our various police and intelligence agencies have stepped it up.

Time will tell.

It is also at times of adversity that the strength of the community spirit in Bangladesh shines through.

Although our plight is very minor compared to the families of the victims, we are grateful to every friend who came by, every call from a family member abroad, and every message of support from a stranger on our Facebook pages.

Till today, no one has let us bear this burden alone.

We take great heart from the fact that the number of good people in this world far outweigh the bad.

Meanwhile, I’m extremely grateful to be alive.

We all have to go sooner or later, and I would rather continue to make the most of every beautiful day, and every daily opportunity, than to live in fear from terrorists.

So in short: I’m doing very well, thank you! And just excited about the future again.

I would request everyone to keep in their prayers all the victims and the two police officers who gave their lives that night.

May we live our lives in a way that theirs were not lost in vain.