Ratan Tata and Taj Hotel

Taj Mahal Palace  Tower

Hotel facts and statistics

Location  Mumbai, India
Opening date December 16, 1903
Architect Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya and D. N. Mirza
No. of restaurants 11
No. of rooms 565
of which suites 46
No. of floors 10?

The Taj Mahal Palace hotel resort was commissioned by Jamsedji Tata and first opened its doors to guests on December 16, 1903. Tata allegedly decided to build the luxurious 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'. The original Indian architects were Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya and D. N. Mirza, but the project was completed by an English engineer W. A. Chambers. The cost of construction was 421 million Rupees. During World War I, the hotel was converted into a 600-bed hospital.
The side of the hotel seen from the harbour is actually its rear. The front faces away to the west. There is a widespread misconception that the architects' building plans were confused by the builder so that he built it facing away from the harbor. This is not true, as the hotel was deliberately built facing inland. This decision was probably a deliberate snub to the British king by Jamsedji Tata due to nationalist feelings. Some people believe that the front of the hotel had to face inland because the horse carriages, in which guests came to the hotel, could easily approach the hotel from the city. The carriages were then taken to Wellington Mews. Five decades ago, the old front was closed off, and since then, access has been made through the harbor-side entrance.
There used to be a Green's Hotel[2] at the Apollo Bunder, which was purchased by the Taj Mahal Hotel. It was at the Green's Hotel, that a small group of pro-Indian Goans (largely employees of the Indian state and communists) assembled and formed the Goan Liberation Council demanding that Portugal cede Goa to India, in the 1950s. This was done at the instigation of Jawaharlal Nehru, and funded by the Kamani Group of Companies. In 1973, Green's hotel was demolished and the present Tower wing was constructed in its place.

The Tata Titans

Is this the most influential person in India?

Not many people can scare automobile manufacturers, and few would do it in a county where it would take the average person over two decades to buy a car.

But Ratan Tata has achieved just that. In January 2008, after four years of labour and being the joke of the automobile industry, Tatan Motors unveiled a car which can sell for less than 100,000 rupees ($2,500).

Today, India finds itself in a far more mobile economy. If the rapid economic impacts linked with affordable automobile developments in North America and Western Europe hold true, Ratan may very well have changed India forever.

Tata Group

The Tata Group () is a multinational conglomerate based in Mumbai, India. In terms of market capitalization and revenues, Tata Group is the largest private corporate group in India. It has interests in steel, automobiles, information technology, communication, power, tea and hotels. The Tata Group has operations in more than 85 countries across six continents and its companies export products and services to 80 nations. The Tata Group comprises 98 companies in seven business sectors, 27 of which are publicly listed. 65.8% of the ownership of Tata Group is held in charitable trusts.

The group takes the name of its founder, Jamsetji Tata, a member of whose family has almost invariably been the chairman of the group. The current chairman of the Tata group is Ratan Tata, who took over from J. R. D. Tata in 1991 and is currently one of the major international business figures in the age of globality.

Message from Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Sons

Smoke billows from the Taj Mahal hotel, 29/11/08

The terrible wanton attacks last night [26 November 2008] on innocent people and the destruction of prominent landmarks in India deserve to be universally condemned. My sympathies and condolences go out to all those who have suffered, been injured, and those who have lost their loved ones in this terrible act of hatred and destruction.
We cannot replace the lives that have been lost and we will never forget the terrifying events of last night, but we must stand together, shoulder to shoulder as citizens of India, and rebuild what has been destroyed. We must show that we cannot be disabled or destroyed, but that such heinous acts will only make us stronger. It is important that we do not allow divisive forces to weaken us. We need to overcome these forces as one strong unified nation.