Malavika’s Mumbaistan: In Step With History

To say that the Taj Mahal Palace at the Apollo Bunder is a stockpile of some of the most significant moments of contemporary history would be an understatement

For 120 years, like a colossus, the Taj Mahal Palace at Apollo Bunder has presided over Mumbai’s consciousness, its majestic Indo-Saracenic dome, a symbol of the city’s celebrated aspiration, its sparkling lights, a beacon of eternal hope and its commanding gaze into the Arabian Sea a reminder of India’s eminence over times past and present.

Malavika’s Mumbaistan: In Step With History

Most Mumbaikers will have a Taj memory to share with you: perhaps an awkward first date at the Sea Lounge; then a tentative box of almond rock chocolates from La Patisserie to convey one’s amorous interest; followed by many giddy nights of roses and romance, culminating in a fairytale proposal at the Rendezvous; a glamorous wedding reception at the Crystal Room and of course, an unforgettable first night in A suite, overlooking an ink blue sea, reflecting a glorious full moon...

Besides of course the more quotidian moments of everyday existence: haircuts and beard trims at the barber shop, book browsing at the Nalanda, a communal post-party cappuccino at its all-night coffee shop- Shamiana- and dancing the night away in the 1900s.

Because for Mumbaikers, the Taj, is more than just a hotel, a grazing ground, a watering hole, a famous address or a familiar landmark: for them it is a living, breathing emblem of the trajectory of their lives, a repository of the many steps that make up the stories of their journey.

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To say that the Taj Mahal Palace at the Apollo Bunder is a stockpile of some of the most significant moments of contemporary history would be an understatement: This is where Italian opera singers serenaded women in ball gowns and men in tuxedos at winter balls; to which blues songstress Asha Puthli who went on to be the toast of New York’s Andy Warhol and his avant-garde Factory crowd, credits her international sophistication: where the Jetliners had a generation of the city’s movers and shakers, shaken and stirred at the Blow Up.

Where horse carriages glided down from the adjacent Wellington Mews to ferry resident guests back and forth; where no less than the premier artist of the country, Husain painted the backdrop of the lobby, much like Michelangelo at the Sistine Chapel, where Turks and tycoons would converge at India Inc’s wood-paneled chambers, its unofficial headquarters, to swap stories that would have direct impact on the next day’s headlines in all of the country’s pink broadsheets, as well as Dalal Street; where a horse named Ataturk rode up grand staircase 1952 when some one had the bright idea of inviting guests to bring their beloved pets; where not only did Pierre Cardin host the country’s first major fashion show at the majestic Ball Room, but where India’s first Fashion Week was hosted at the Crystal Room in the nineties, that had set the Fashion Ball rolling; where George Harrison had jammed with Ravi Shankar in his private suite and decades where later AR Rahman and Andrew Lloyd Webber had played side by side on a piano the first notes of their grand collaboration ‘Bombay Dreams’ at the Rendezvous with the likes of Parmeshwar Godrej and Hrithik Roshan cheering them; where the roster of guests read like a revolving door of legends and icons and included Steven Spielberg, Somerset Maugham, Mark Twain, Douglas Fairbanks, John Barrymore’s The Shah of Iran, Arthur C Clarke, Bruce Lee, Stephen Hawking, GB Shaw, Francois Mitterrand, Margaret Thatcher, Edward Heath, Gina Lollobrigida, Alfred Hitchcock, Mia Farrow, Muhammad Ali, Gregory Peck, Duke Ellington and Jackie Kennedy.

Where the city’s bold and beautiful were introduced to treadmills, surya namaskar and saunas by the then high priestess of good health the late great Rama Bans at what was India’s first foray into a five-star health club; where the best of the city’s savants had kicked up their heels to bring in Amitabh Bachchan’s fiftieth birthday; where The Zodiac Grill had introduced putative foodies to a Camembert soufflé craze; where not only did Viceroy Lord Louis Mountbatten deliver his farewell speech to a newly minted nation but where a grand ceremonial banquet was hosted to welcome King George V and Queen Mary at the majestic Gateway of India, whose construction the Taj had preceded by 20 years!

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So, what is it like to helm the Taj group’s prestigious 120-anniversary celebrations, I ask Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and CEO of IHCL and the man at the centre of its year-long 120th anniversary celebrations which began this December 16 and will be marked with a series of celebrations throughout the coming year.

Chhatwal, who assumed responsibility in November 2017, is a global professional with close to four decades of leadership experience at highly acclaimed hotel groups in Europe and North America. His vision for the group and able steering of it (including the almost 2 years of the Covid-19 challenge) to achieve unprecedented growth has become a Harvard Management School textbook turnaround.

“The iconic Taj is a symbol of pride not just for me, you but also for the country. I feel a sense of pride on the momentous occasion of The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai completing 120 years,” he tells me at his office overlooking the Nariman Point.

On his watch, over the past few years, IHCL has demonstrated accelerated growth in line with its vision of being the most iconic and most profitable hospitality company in the country exhibiting a strong financial turnaround underpinned by PAT (Profit After Tax) growing 10x to INR 101 Cr in FY18 to INR 1,003 Cr in FY23. The first two-quarters of the current fiscal have continued the momentum of setting record performances.

“India is the fastest growing large economy and has broken into the top five economies in the world. Keeping stride with “he says” Taj has grown its footprint to become a 100+ luxury hotel portfolio.”

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Perhaps unknowingly, Chhatwal has articulated what underlines the true significance of what it means for the Taj Palace in Mumbai and the Taj Group worldwide to celebrate its glorious 120 anniversary at this moment in India’s trajectory. The Taj Group has kept pace with the country’s breaking into the top five economies in the world, with its success in the international hospitality landscape. And like Mumbai, the city it presides over so magnificently, which is witnessing an upgrade, the Taj palace hotel at the Gateway of India, is also putting its best face forward, to celebrate its 120th anniversary.

Let the celebrations begin.