THE BRAINCHILD of wealthy industrialist Jamsetji Tata (1839-1904), the Taj hotel was built at a cost of a £250,000 more than 100 years ago, and boasted such features as the first air-conditioned ballroom in the country and a Turkish bath.
One story of its origin is that Tata took a foreign friend to dinner in a plush Mumbai hotel, only to be told he was not welcome as he was Indian.
Slighted, he vowed to build a finer hotel that would welcome all Indians, and set about his mission with zeal. He leased a plot of reclaimed land on Mumbai's seafront, and became involved in the hotel's design and interiors, shopping in London, Dusseldorf, Berlin and Paris.
With its vaulted alabaster ceilings, onyx columns, graceful archways, crystal chandeliers and dramatic cantilevered staircase, the hotel always makes a big impression on visitors. - (Reuters)