My memories of Taj Intercontinental

[Rajiv]

Unlike so many guest, I was a frequent patron at the 1900's ( gotham city ) nightclub at the taj - I remember the valet, the club bouncer, the lawn and the barman I frequented the 24 hr coffee house and those exquisite burgers with curly french fries, the place used to be packed ---- In 1996, I did my Hotel mgmt trainee program there for around 3 months ( it was a nightmare to find parking )..the place has narrow and extending to wider gaps with classic paintings and off course the place has one of the most expensive rooms You always had this great feeling inside the Taj it is such a shock to see a place you frequented been held hostage like this and wonder if it will ever be the same Alternatively, was a patron of the night club at Oberois too which used to be in the basement, a place where we caught up with celebs showing their true colors. I am not sure if these jerks have a point to prove or simply want to attach the haute couture of India

[Desi Cartman]

:((

[Rajiv]

If i close my eyes I can go back to 1994 and still feel it

[Desi Cartman]

must be hard for u , especially when they tell on the news about what is happening in the basement .. or a certain room or a floor ...

[Dirty_South]

:((

[Lurker]

Beautiful monument and one of the architectural gems of India. To me it has been inspirational both as an Indian and an engineer. Indian because Jamshed Tata built this hotel as a sign of defiance against British establishment that had allegedly mistreated him in one of the Whites-only establishment(by the way where have the proud nationalist Parsis vanish?). As an engineer because the hotel's map was read wrongly by the person who implemented it and the direction of the hotel is actually the opposite of what is there on the map. For years I would use that as a self-depracting line in my debates - When a doctor makes a mistake the patient dies, when an engineer makes a mistake he makes it a masterpiece. As a struggling migrant who tried to come up the ladder I loved standing at the Gateway of India and looking at the Taj Hotel(old and new). I have been there only once, that too for a Corporate gig. Frankly never had enough money to walk in. This time when I get down in Bombay I will make a point to go to these places. The place is dear to me and this would be my way of showing Indians dont flinch. By the way I hope Indian Govt listens to Ratan Tata right now. Heck I want him to be the PM/President instead of the two ch***as we have right now. xx

[Gambit]

Beautiful monument and one of the architectural gems of India. To me it has been inspirational both as an Indian and an engineer. Indian because Jamshed Tata built this hotel as a sign of defiance against British establishment that had allegedly mistreated him in one of the Whites-only establishment(by the way where have the proud nationalist Parsis vanish?). As an engineer because the hotel's map was read wrongly by the person who implemented it and the direction of the hotel is actually the opposite of what is there on the map. For years I would use that as a self-depracting line in my debates - When a doctor makes a mistake the patient dies, when an engineer makes a mistake he makes it a masterpiece. As a struggling migrant who tried to come up the ladder I loved standing at the Gateway of India and looking at the Taj Hotel(old and new). I have been there only once, that too for a Corporate gig. Frankly never had enough money to walk in. This time when I get down in Bombay I will make a point to go to these places. The place is dear to me and this would be my way of showing Indians dont flinch. By the way I hope Indian Govt listens to Ratan Tata right now. Heck I want him to be the PM/President instead of the two ch***as we have right now. xx

:top: That man is an utter legend.

[zubinpepsi]

Im not watchin the news.. can Lurker or Gambit, tell us what Tata has said..?

[suma25]

Im not watchin the news.. can Lurker or Gambit' date=' tell us what Tata has said..?[/quote'] that the govt hasnt learnt from its past mistake the city should have a crisis management plan otherwise the city will be royally ****ed like it has been today and yesterday

[Holysmoke]

Loved the Taj. Shamiana was one of my favourites. Other places like frangipani, zodiac grill etc were the best places in town, and its shocking that these places were targeted.

[vroomfondel]

ratan tata: "will rebuild taj brick by brick". legend.

[Rajiv]

..still remember my 1st day, most of the trainees were from Indian Hotel Schools and I did my schooling in Switzerland. I remember this guy vijay who picked on me and said " arre yeh angrez aaya hain ", a bengali chef scolding me for not shaving. The staff changing room in the basement, the pastry department where I cut my hand and was taken to the house doctor for tetanus injection There are around 6 major kitchens and 1 just for room service, everything was huge in size and around the clock. The staff lunch room had Marathi influenced cuisine like pooran poli and different kinds of dal Worked at the shamiana, did front desk where I could almost take a bicycle from one end to the other. I earned a stipend of rs 500 whereas I spent more in fuel cost while driving to work I used to give my car to the valet and walk in to work before I was caught - I didn't know where to park ..and today I can't imagine all that being demolished

[milkman]

What so you think is the structural condition of the building now?

[beetle]

ratan tata: "will rebuild taj brick by brick". legend.

He shouldn't.He should refuse to rebuild till this effed up govt comes out with a crisis management policy and till some big heads roll.He should leave it to remind the people about what happened and what will happen again and again till some thing drastic is done!

[gs]

He shouldn't.He should refuse to rebuild till this effed up govt comes out with a crisis management policy and till some big heads roll.He should leave it to remind the people about what happened and what will happen again and again till some thing drastic is done!

Knowing the thick skin of the Indian public/administration, I dont think this threat would work. In 10 days time all will be forgotten, and things will be back to normal. The dilapidated Taj would become another chawl. :((

[beetle]

PLANNED 9/11 AT TAJ: CAUGHT TERRORIST Zeenews Bureau Mumbai, Nov 29: Media reports claimed on Saturday that the terrorist, who was involved in the Mumbai attacks and was caught alive by security forces, has confessed during interrogation that they had planned to blow up the historic Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. Police sources revealed that the terrorists had brought enough explosives with them to blow up the building. The terrorist – 21-year-old Azam Amir Kasav from Pakistan's Faridkot – reportedly told police that they wanted to replicate Islamabad’s JW Marriot Hotel attack, do a 9/11 in India, and reduce the Taj Hotel building – a symbol of India’s economic prosperity – to rubble. Azam and his accomplice had opened fire at Mumbai’s CST station on Wednesday night before moving to Metro Cinema and then to Girgaum Chowpatty in a stolen car. There, they were intercepted by a team from the Gamdevi police station. In the ensuing encounter, Azam's accomplice was killed and he himself was injured and caught alive.

[beetle]

Akrita Reyar It stood brave, silent and stoic. In face of terror, it did not relent. This was the Taj of India, not a Mariott in Islamabad. Its giant weary shoulders did not succumb. Trampled under damned feet of mindless terror, its soul cried in pain, but its stamina did not vain. Mumbai’s icon, its most loved landmark….appearing from the shadowy horizon to a million sailors’ gaze, as they gently floated over the swaying Arabian Sea. It was the first symbol that the Indian shores were near. A piece of living history, it breathed life not without a cause. When Indians were turned away from the haughty “White Only” doors, the legendary Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata in 1903 erected the Indian dream, heralding the message of equality in times yet steeped in colonial snobbery. So if the Europeans boasted of elegance, India was capable of greater beauty. Each of its over 500 rooms was decorated uniquely in traditional Indian, Moorish, Oriental and Florentine styles. Its rubicund domed body rests opposite the Gateway of India, from where it bid farewell to withdrawing British troops in 1947; not as foes, but as friends. Its antique walls, so rich in lithography, speak of times gone by with more conviction than reams of history. Associated with so much that pleases, it regaled with lucullan spreads for Queen Elizabeth II, Gamal Abdul Nasser, John Lennon and so many more stars, who virtually thrive on front pages. In its 105-years of its existence it has seen several tumultuous epochs, a carousal of the changing face of India. And while the scape of Mumbai was slowly lined and dotted with towering masses of steel and glass, Taj stood in its pristine magnificence. But Nov 26 was different. As if entering a forbidding chamber of the night, the sinister episode began in a whisper. Like a dreadful dream, with lurking images of execrable creatures softly creeping into its immaculate precincts. However the nightmare did not end with a new dawn that would put behind it a story that wasn’t. It stretched through the gloomy night into the next morning and slipped into night again. Its agony unending. Enemies of India were determined to assault, Taj resolute to endure, and survive. Its dense bulwarks were rigged to injure and demolish. One after the other explosions were set off. The last count at over 26. Its interior walls converted into a mesh by incessant bullets. Its marbled floors stained with blood, perhaps forever. Thick flames licked the dark sky. But its steely bones would not melt, even in searing temperatures. With courage it swallowed all harm inflicted on its hoary body. Mumbaikars saw their beloved Taj wrapped in misery. But its legacy was in safe hands. Ratan Tata, a few generations down the founding father Jamsetji, has also the blood of a patriot running in his veins. The grave heir promised with emollient words, more determined than ever, that the Taj would be restored….and to its full glory. The Taj will live another day. But its sacrifice should not be allowed to erase from our fragile memory. Through its ordeal, even though we have shed a tear, we must learn to hear deeply its sapient counsel. ”Don’t cry for me, but live my dream.” http://www.zeenews.com/zee-exclusive/2008-11-28/486920news.html

[veer]

Knowing the thick skin of the Indian public/administration' date=' I dont think this threat would work. In 10 days time all will be forgotten, and things will be back to normal. [b']The dilapidated Taj would become another chawl. :((

ayee koyi baap ka maal nai he ki chawl bann jaye.. we have not progressed this far at the back of politicians.. we have progressed because of ordinary people and because of extra-ordinary people like Tatas..

[beetle]

People have more expectations from this humble Tata than they have from the entire government...

[PaiN_KiLLeR]

The GM of Taj lost his wife and 3 kids when one of the floors caught fire. He was helping other guests escape from the hotel, unaware of what was happening in floor his family was put up.