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Obama
to begin visit on emotive note at Taj hotel
Wednesday November 03, 2010 05:20:28 PM,
IANS
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Mumbai:
The first stop in US President Barack Obama's India calendar is
the famed Taj Mahal Palace and Towers, much of it reduced to a
charred shell during the 26/11 terror attack and now meticulously
rebuilt to outshine even its former glory.
It is in this landmark 107-year-old hotel that Obama and his
entourage will stay on Nov 6 and 7, before flying to Delhi. And it
is from this hotel, where armed militants fired guns and grenades,
that he will send out an emotive message against terrorism.
The architectural marvel, right next to the Gateway of India and
offering a panoramic view of the Arabian Sea, was one of the 10
sites targeted by terrorists on the night of Nov 26, 2008.
The mayhem that started when terrorists got off boats at the
Gateway of India ended three days and 60 hours later at the Taj in
a hail of bullets and blasts, killing 166 people. Blamed on
Pakistani militants, it was India's worst terror attack, striking
at the heart of the country's financial capital.
Given the sensitivities involved, it is being speculated that the
American contingent has booked all the 565 rooms in the palace and
tower wings, though there is no confirmation.
The president is likely to hold his brief first official address
from the Ball Room or Princess Room soon after landing in India
Saturday morning, well informed sources said without going into
details.
The area around Taj is virtually under siege with unprecedented
security at all entry/exit points and all staff and visitors
having to undergo security checks each time they enter or leave
the two buildings.
Besides ground security, even the Arabian Sea opposite the Taj
being made secure, plus aerial security in the vicinity.
The sea-facing landmark of India's commercial capital was built in
1903, with its architecture blending Moorish, Oriental and
Florentine styles. Visitors to the hotel have come away in awe of
its Indian influences, vaulted alabaster ceilings, onyx columns,
archways, carpets and chandeliers, its dramatic cantilever
stairway as also its collection of art and antique furniture.
For the more adventurous ones, it also offers luxurious yachts for
select guests to spend time in the Arabian Sea.
After the 26/11 attack -- when images of smoke billowing out of
its windows and traumatised staffers and guests stumbling out
after three days of bloodshed were flashed across -- the hotel has
made a determined effort to look ahead.
While the adjacent tower wing was left unscathed in the 26/11
attack, the heritage wing was extensively damaged and repaired at
an estimated cost of Rs.175 crore ($30 million).
The palace wing has got more royal with multimedia systems and an
emergency escape route added.
One feature in the rooms and suites are the special levers that
allow guests to open the window in an emergency. Upping the
security quotient, special access control elevators are installed
on the premises, allowing only guests to operate them with a valid
key.
Internationally acclaimed designers like Lissoni Associati from
Milan, BAMO from San Francisco, DesignWilkes from Malaysia and
James Park Associates from Singapore carried out the extensive
restoration of the heritage wing of the hotel.
On Dec 16, 1903, the Taj opened its doors to its first 17 guests.
Seven decades later in 1973, the Tower wing became operational.
Over the years, the hotel has played perfect host to maharajas and
princes, presidents and legends, performers and world figures,
offering them the ultimate in luxury, fine dining and impeccable
service.
Ratan Tata, chairman of Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), had said
soon after the attack in December 2008 that he would do whatever
it takes to restore the "old lady" to its former glory.
"When we open the heritage wing and do whatever it takes to get
back its old glory; we will send a stronger message - a message
that strongly resonates among all of us that we can be hurt, but
we cannot be knocked down," Tata had said.
That is perhaps precisely the message that President Obama hopes
to convey during his Nov 6-9 visit. And why he has chosen the Taj
Palace and Towers, now more than just a hotel.
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