Mumbai: Rising like a Phoenix after 26/11 - the Taj Mahal Palace and Oberoi Hotels

Entering Mumbai’s storied Taj Mahal Hotel, the first thing you notice is the strong scent of jasmine and roses.  It is so overpowering, it seems to be masking a dark past: the stench of blood and dead bodies from the 2008 terrorist attack - known as "26/11," evoking memories of New York's 9/11 and London's 7/7.

Once the favorite of celebrities, royalty and rock stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Prince Charles, Mick Jagger, Zubin Mehta and Jacqueline Kennedy, the century-old Taj features powerfully in one's fondest memories of Mumbai. Facing the Gateway of India and the Arabian Sea, it is as much an Indian landmark as, say, the real Taj Mahal in Agra or India Gate in Delhi.

Siege of Mumbai

Six years ago, a group of 10 Pakistan-based militants from the Lashkar-e-Toiba group, took boats to seaside areas in and around Colaba, entered various prominent landmark buildings including the Taj Hotel, and killed 166 people in Mumbai over the course of a three-day siege. The siege paralyzed much of the city and shocked the world. Despite warnings, Mumbai was so ill-prepared that commandos had to be flown in from Delhi. It finally took the combined firepower of police and commandos to bring the situation under control. 

The sheer brazenness of the attack and the fact that it was so well planned and executed by so few young men, dealt a significant psychological blow to the city and the country.  It was also an economic blow from which the Taj took two years and $37 million to recover.

Rohit Malhotra

Rohit Malhotra, who owns a jewelry store in the Taj's new wing, was having dinner with his wife to celebrate their wedding anniversary in a Taj restaurant near his store when the attack occurred.  It took most of the night for them to be safely evacuated. Malhotra removes a large Ganesh figure from inside the shop and shows us bullet holes embedded in the wood. The Ganesh was miraculously untouched, he says, adding that it was God's mercy ("upparwale ki kripa") that he is alive and his store relatively unharmed despite having the front glass doors shattered by gunfire and the premises left wide open for more than 72 hours.  

The militants were finally cornered and killed in the Harbor Bar. Malhotra attributes the number of deaths in the Taj to the fact that the media was reporting how and where people were being evacuated from, thus unwittingly providing their location to the terrorists.

Memorial

A memorial wall and waterfall have been erected opposite the main entrance on the far side.  It is inscribed with the names of 31 staff and guests who died and is a fitting tribute.  The new wing was reopened within 21 days of the attack.  The old heritage wing - where the roof and two floors were set ablaze and destroyed by the militants - underwent major renovations and finally reopened in 2010.

Malhotra tells us that many former guests made it a point to come back and stay in the Taj to show their solidarity and support. 

Oberoi Hotel 

The 2008 attack by Pakistani gunmen, which brought Mumbai to a standstill, also targeted a major train station, the Jewish Centre or Chabad House, a café popular with tourists and the Oberoi Trident Hotel at Nariman Point. 

The Oberoi has undergone a $45 million reconstruction. The lobby, which had been completely ravaged by gunshots and grenade blasts during the three-day siege, has been rebuilt.  The Tiffin restaurant, where many guests and employees were killed, is now called Fenix. In fact, the hotel looks even more opulent and luxurious than it used to be! 

Recovery

The renaissance of the Oberoi and the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower are significant milestones for Mumbai. Tourism and travel are rebounding.  The terrorists are a bad memory but Mumbai has recovered. It is almost as if the attacks never happened!

Mumbai, India

November 16, 2014