The Taj - A Labour Of Love...

Despite having lived in Mumbai for 10 years, I hadn't visited her. Despite having adored this beauty for so long, I had never experienced her. 

I am talking about the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. The first time I saw the beautiful structure was way back in the early 1980s when the UK edition of the Illustrated Weekly carried a feature on the best hotels of the world. The Taj was featured in it. I was absolutely smitten and awestruck. 

My Dad told that this beautiful structure was in Mumbai, or Bombay as it was known then... and I wanted to see it myself, with my two little eyes...

The first I laid my eyes on it was in 2003, when I visited Mumbai for work. But I didn't get the chance to visit it. After moving to Mumbai in 2004, I saw the Taj many times but it was only last week that I got chance to visit this amazing place, a structure symbolic of my city, Mumbai, and India as well, a symbol of our fight against terror.

We drove into the Taj to attend a function early last Saturday.... After the function was over, we took a round of the property...

The jharokas are reminiscent of a Rajasthani haveli....

While the architecture is in typical 19th century European style, the interior was distinctly Indian....

Such a regal structure....

Anyone would fall in love with these sights

Surely those men who attacked the Taj were madmen and they deserved the end they finally met...

Wonderful jaali-work in the lobby...

The grand staircase...

The dome from the grand staircase...

The bust of Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata..

Legend has it that he decided to build the hotel after he was refused entry to one of the city's grand hotels of the time, Watson's Hotel, as it was restricted to "whites only"....

As fate would have it, Watson's decayed over time and is a dilapidated structure, but the Taj still stands strong after a century...

The very look and feel of the property shouts out loud that it is a labour of love.... you can sense it, you can feel it...

And the way the Tatas restored the property after the 26/11 attacks speaks of that love and that steely resolve to give us the best....

We dropped by at the Sea Lounge for a cup of tea...

A lovely view of the Gateway of India made the experience very exciting...

The Sea Lounge was replete with old world charm...

The waiters seemed to be oldtimers here.... and made us feel as though we were at home...

This kind of hospitality is a rarity these days... in hotels that pride calling themselves modern and contemporary...

The oldtimers' hospitality at the Taj would embarrass their younger counterparts in the newer hotels with the superiority of their service....

Larry entertained us with his lovely renditions of classics on the piano...

And finally my tea came - I had the Monkey King Jasmine Tea that had come from afar, China...

Complimentary coconut cookies came alongwith the tea - these reminded me of my Mom's legendary baking skills....

After splurging on a rather expensive tea (I wasn't complaining, as the hospitality more than made up for the damages), we took a walk on the Apollo Bunder....

This was the scene of a bloody massacre on 26/11... people jumping out of these windows... smoke belching out... firemen rushing to save whatever they could...

Hope we never see that here, or anywhere else in India...

But it is indeed a feat how the Tatas restored the property after the Pakis screwed up the place...

We walked around the promenade enjoying the views... Indeed the Taj heritage wing is an imposing structure, but the adjoining high-rise wing is no less impressive...

Indeed, whoever has seen the Taj will forever remember the Bombay of yesteryears, the Mumbai of today and terror we faced on 26/11.... Indeed the Taj has been, is and will be a labour of love...., a love that's timeless...

T2: From Where Dreams Will Take Flight!

A few months back, I was travelling to Hyderabad. I was taking an early morning flight from Mumbai's Chhatrapati International Airport. Since our aircraft was parked on a remote parking bay near the international terminal T2, we were ushered into a bus to take us there. 

The bus had a group of American executives from Du Pont - their conversation was so animated and engrossing that I intently eavesdropped on them.

Their conversation centered on India and clearly they were impressed with the new X-shaped Terminal 2 which was under construction. They marvelled at its size and splendour. That made me secretly happy!

Last Friday, the new T2 was unveiled. I had waited for the T2 for long, especially after Delhi got its new integrated terminal T3. While the T3 made me feel proud of India and my home city, Delhi, I cringed at experiencing the Soviet style, musty and bursting at its seams T2 here in Mumbai.

Mumbai certainly deserved something better, for Mumbai is the city that midwifed the birth of Indian aviation with stalwarts like JRD Tata who headed one of the finest airlines of those days, Air-India, out of this city. Air-India had developed Mumbai as hub for traffic into India. Global carriers made Mumbai their port of call in their flights between Australia / South East Asia and Europe.

But things stalled - traffic out of Mumbai stagnated. Mumbai's airport was bursting at its seams. Air-India shifted its headquarters and operational hub to Delhi. When Air-India inducted the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Delhi was chosen over Mumbai as their homebase - that anguished me. Carriers like Qantas, KLM, Aeroflot, Alitalia, Virgin and Austrian Airlines pulled out of Mumbai.
A lousy deal between Jet Airways and Etihad promised the development of Abu Dhabi as a global hub, and not Mumbai (sic!).

The new upcoming carriers  - Tata-SIA and Air Asia India did not choose Mumbai as their hub. The development of classy airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore also sucked traffic away!
Mumbai, it seemed was dying a death as an aviation hub.

However T2, an impressive development, promises to change that all. The terminal not only would help expand capacity but would also showcase India's warmth to the world, to passengers who would transit through Mumbai, with its 3 kilometer long art-wall. 

Development of Mumbai as a hub is what is key - Mumbai is right in the middle of major flight routes of the world and there is no reason why we can't develop Mumbai as a major transit hub like Dubai. Transit passengers would bring in a lot of revenue for the airport - these passengers would spend on food, drink, shopping and the warmth that a terminal would exude would make a difference. That's upto the airport to market itself to carriers.

Then I saw an advertisement in today's newspaper - Air-India is to launch Dreamliner flights from here to Shanghai via Delhi! Wow, I this is a sign that things are changing already.
As for me, I just can't wait to travel to Delhi on this Dreamliner flight from the T2 - it'll be a double first when it happens - a first at T2 and a first on the Dreamliner.

Is that right, Mr. Tata?

The Retail Association of India (RAI) had recently come out with a notification to implement the Indian Government's initiative to curb the usage of plastic bags in retail. These changes were rolled out in the megapolis of Bombay this week. Buyers are now required pay Rs. 3 to Rs. 7 for taking plastic bags from stores in the city.

Yesterday I happened to visit the Croma store at Juhu knowing fully well that Croma had been handing out eco-friendly paper bags. So I decided not to carry bags alongwith me - yes, I would not be charged for paper bags - the Government notification being implemented by RAI is only for paper bags not the plastic ones.

Now Croma has an impressive lineage - it has been promoted by the much loved and revered House of Tatas - an Indian business group that is well known for its ethics and a principled approach to business. For years I had always looked up to the House, and Mr. Ratan Tata, their Chairman, in awe and admiration for their innate capability to stand up for what is right and what should be.

I was searching for some add-ons for my computer at the store. I picked up some stuff, the bill ran into a respectable amount - a couple of thousands.

I got into the queue. There was a couple ahead of me who had picked up a laptop and some accessories. Their bill was about Rs. 20,000. The cashier refused to give them a paper bag, instead asked them for a charge of Rs. 7 for a paper bag. This led to an argument between the cashier and the couple - don't the people who spend a decent amount of money have a right to an eco-friendly paper bag to respectably carry their stuff? I butted in in support of the couple to no avail. The couple relented and agreed to take their stuff without carry bags. In the course of the argument, the cashier did mention that there had been at least 20 irate customers who lodged complaints with the store manager, Mr. DJ (I am using the manager's initials to protect his identity) during the course of the day.

When my turn came, I demanded to meet Mr. DJ. My logic was that plastic bags were to be charged not paper bags. Croma had anyways been giving paper bags for over 2 years now and there was no reason to charge for that. The RAI notification prominently displayed at the store did mention that plastic bags were to be charged. If do spend a couple of thousands, I would not mind spending Rs. 7 on a plastic bag, but Rs. 7 for a platic bag is a rip-off and is in contravention of the norms.

After a while, Mr. DJ came to the counter. He looked reasonable and educated, but was utterly disappointed on how he had interpreted the RAI notification. Mr. DJ was stubborn to the point that he even refused to see the logic and spirit of the RAI notification.

I would like to ask Mr. Ratan Tata whether Croma is looking to juice out profitability from the sale of "paper bags" when actually they are going against the letter and spirit of the RAI initiative on plastic. In case it is Mr. DJ's narrow interpretation, I am prepared to accept the argument, however, if that's the Tata management's call, then God save them. And I will be genuinely concerned as a long-standing admirer of the House, and, as a shareholder as well!

In all, this was a lousy experience at Croma, Juhu!

Things to Do, Before I Die....

There are things that I want to do, to complete in this lifetime, so when I kick the bucket, I have no regrets. This list has a bit of everything, from all aspects of life. Some of these, I feel, are worth dying for....

Here goes....

1. 
   
   Drive from Bombay to Goa, along the Ghats, and spend a week in Goa - a guided tour conducted by my in-house 'Goan' guide, Neeti


2. 
   
   Meet Mr. Ratan Tata in person. Thank him for all that his Group has given us


3. Join Anthony Bourdain for a culinary tour across India


4. 
   
   Open a French - Mediterranean cuisine restaurant by the waterfront - the USP would be that guests would get an opportunity to play Chef for their meals...


5. 
   
   Visit the Golden Temple, be there from dawn to dusk, engaging in sewa


6. 
   
   Drive from Delhi to Ladakh, and have my music CD collection playing in the car


7. 
   
   Buy a Volkswagen Beetle


8. 
   
   Meet Tom Hanks and Morgan Freeman in person


9. 
   
   Take parents back to Kampala and Mwinilunga for a visit. Also show Neeti where I came from


10. 
    
    Spend a week in an Israeli kibbutz, a fun filled week of work....


11. 
    
    Laze in a hammock on the slopes besides the Nakuchiataal lake in Nainital, with my favourite book


12. 
    
    Publish a compilation of my poems


13. 
    
    Hike along the Black River Gorge in Mauritius


14. 
    
    Learn French, bon jour


15. 
    
    Have a greasy porky breakfast of bacon, ham, sausages, without having the guilt of cholesterol


16. 
    
    Visit Christ the Redeemer in Rio and Machu Pichu in Peru


17. 
    
    Do a Serengeti safari


18. 
    
    Do island hopping by boat through the emerald atolls of Palau


19. 
    
    Dance and sing in the rain - perhaps somewhat like Shahid in Jab We Met, I wonder?


20. 
    
    Go on a Victoria trail - Lake Victoria followed by Victoria Falls


21. 
    
    Do a road trip across the cradle of Aryan civilisation from Turkey into Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan - rolling green hills, blue streams and an unspoilt environment


22. 
    
    See Tibet free again - visit Lhasa's Potala Palace


23. 
    
    Meet Dr. Manmohan Singh, Nelson Mandela and Dalai Lama in person


24. 
    
    Open a small farm growing organic herbs and vegetables and raising animals for milk and meat


25. 
    
    Fly in the cockpit of a Boeing 747


26. 
    
    Travel in an Ilyushin IL76 - I am in awe of this amazing beast after I saw this aircraft at Jamnagar airport


27. 
    
    Visit the Sunderbans for tiger spotting, before they vanish


28. 
    
    Feed the elegant beast, the elephant


29. 
    
    Visit the Sun Temple


30. 
    
    Meet all the people, family, friends and colleagues, who have helped shape me, all at one place for a big bash


31. 
    
    Donate my organs


32. 
    
    Learn wine making


33. 
    
    Trek in the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand


34. 
    
    Gorge on the Nawabi delights of Lucknow, chaats of Delhi, Vada-Pavs of Bombay (in the rain)!


35. 
    
    Observe life as it goes on in the backwaters of Kerala...

But for now, I am enjoying the rain, with nice music playing.....