As New York reeled under a severe power cut, the action of a restaurant owner in the city earned much praise for the Indian tradition of hospitality.

When the lights failed on Thursday night, several restaurants downed shutters. Those that remained open doubled or tripled their prices. As ATM machines did not work and credit cards became useless, those with little cash had a tough time.

But Madras Mahal on Lexington Avenue, owned by Nitin Vyas, came to the rescue of a few offering free meals to the hungry. More importantly, it provided free cold water when the going rate for a small bottle of drinking water was $5 compared to the usual $1.