The deafening sound at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower lobby could have put any AK-47 to shame. As the 540-odd Taj staffers, who went beyond their duty when terror struck on November 26, walked the red carpet, Mumbai’s movers and shakers clapped non-stop.
That was perhaps the most defining moment of the select high-tea party organised by Taj for 1,000-odd guests, just a couple of hours before it threw open its gates at 7 pm. The get-together was attended by India Inc's leading lights and the state's chief minister and his deputy.
A few minutes before welcoming the first guest, Krishna Kumar, Vice Chairman of Indian Hotels, said he is looking forward to hearing “the peals of laughter” when Mumbai rediscovers its nesting place and plays host to the world again. The pride of place at the lobby, which bears no mark of the bullets that killed 31 people on November 26, was given to 'Tree of Life’, a brass, bronze and alloy casting which withstood the attacks on the sixth floor – the most damaged part of the old heritage building.
The painting has been moved to the lobby, with a giant plaque bearing the victims’ names and will be shifted to its final resting place when the renovation work is finally over. Taj Managing Director Raymond Bickson said Egyptians referred to the Tree as something in which life and death is enclosed connecting the two worlds. “Nothing can be more symbolic”, Bickson said.
In his speech, Chairman Ratan Tata said the hotel’s reopening sent out a message: “We’re back in business” and that “we can be hurt but can’t be knocked down”. Thanking the chosen guests that included India Inc’s leading lights for supporting the Taj all these years, Tata said the destruction at the heritage part of the building reminds him of a war zone. “But we will build every inch and make it a more modern and better hotel,” he said.
Taj reopened the hotel — the tower wing only, as the heritage building would take up to a year to be fully restored — with 65 per cent bookings. All the restaurants in the wing, including Shamiana which was severely damaged, are also fully operational as is the Chambers, the exclusive club for business executives. During the siege, it served as a place where guests were gathered before being rescued. That Taj is back in business was evident from the fact that all the restaurants were choc-a-bloc late in the evening.
The lobby and the other parts of the tower seemed perfectly in shape, but it was a bit eerie to see plyboards blocking the view of the Harbour, Mumbai’s first licensed bar, and Wasabi, the famous Japanese restaurant.
While Christmas trees festooned with lights twinkled outside the main entrance, the shine was taken away somewhat by the forlorn and dark look of the grand heritage wing, which has been surrounded with barricades blocking a direct view of its front entrance. White covers have been used to conceal the damage.
So no one seemed to mind as armed policemen stood watch among bunkers of sandbags outside the entrance and private security guards manned all lobby entrances, passing bags through metal detectors and X-ray scanners. All roads leading to the Taj were cordoned off, but the atmosphere outside was electric as curious Mumbaikars found ways to sneak into the alleys around the hotel to take a closer look.
Some tourists were seen having themselves clicked against the backdrop of the Taj instead of the Gateway of India. Mumbai seems to have decisively won its battle against what Krishna Kumar said “evil forces that arose from the sea”. Not many would disagree with that.
