Eight blasts rock IT city of Bangalore, one dead

Read the article
The kids and I were downtown at the time. We were in a mall about two blocks from one of the blasts. I was there on a "cultural orientation" when our guide got a phone call. After he hung up, he turned to me and said "now is not a good time" and tried to usher me and the kids out of the store. I, of course, had no idea and just thought it was a cultural thing.

Once we got back in the car, we started driving away and the guide turned to me and said "Now is not a good time, we need to cut today short and maybe we can resume on Monday" And again, I had no idea.

After we were on the road home for a little while Erik called me on the guide's cell phone (I had left my phone at home by mistake) and he was frantic and told me about bombings in downtown Bangalore and how I should NEVER leave my cell phone at home again. I got off the phone with him and talked to the guide about what Erik had told me. The guide was surprised that Erik would tell me about the bombings.

So, there we were, trying to get home, while EVERYONE in Bangalore was leaving downtown at the same time. It was reminiscent of the 1989 quake when everyone in the Bay Area tried to get home at the same time...