In the midst of the inhumanity of the Mumbai attacks, incredible tales of bravery are emerging.

Anonymous hotel workers, often invisible to wealthy tourists, went beyond their expected roles during the crisis, serving food to those trapped, hiding and evacuating guests and, in at least one case, taking bullets.

Imagine Prashant Mangeshikar's shock when he and his family, along with other hotel guests, followed hotel staff through a service area, only to come face to face with a young gunman.

What came next, though, was even more unbelievable.

When the gunman fired, one of the maintenance staff - known only as Mr. Rajan - used his own body to shield Mangeshikar's family from the bullets

As most of the guests fled, the 53-year-old gynecologist and a few others dragged Mr. Rajan into a hotel room, where they attempted to push his intestines back into his body and stop the bleeding with bedsheets.

Mr. Rajan was evacuated 12 hours later, but his condition is still unknown.

Mangeshikar, knowing he owed his life - as well as the lives of his wife and daughter - to Mr. Rajan, vowed to find out what happened to the brave man.

On another floor hotel staff struggled to secure the doors with bedsheets, tables and beds. Meanwhile, Kanda Noriyaki, a chef at the hotel, calmed screaming and trembling guests and hid them in his restaurant.

And then there were the commandos - who initiated, and completed, several heroic rescue missions.

"It was dark and there was blood all over the steps," said survivor Patricia Scott, recalling her rescue.   "Everybody grabbed hands.  The commandos were so powerful, we felt so protected, they did such a phenomenal job."

Birds fly around the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel on November 27, 2008 in Mumbai, India. The city of Mumbai was rocked by multiple coordinated terrorist attacks that targeted locations popular with foreigners, including the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, late on the night of November 26 and into the morning. (Photo by Ritam Banerjee/Getty Images)