The Taj Mahal Hotel

As I’m sure you have heard, terrorists have laid siege to the city of Mumbai in India yesterday. Many locations were attacked, including the headquarters of the Chabad Lubavitch (orthodox Jewish group), the hotel Oberoi, and the Taj Mahal hotel. While the events over there are worth writing about, I want to write more on a personal note tonight.

In 1993, back when I was sailing commercially, my ship anchored in Back Bay to the West of Bombay (the name of Mumbai at the time). We arrived into the bay in the early evening and started doing cargo operations. Unfortunately, the crane aboard ship had a cable fail, halting operations for the evening. Due to the delay, a handful of us from the ship decided to go ashore for the evening.

In the dark, you could see the Gateway of India rising up from the water, glowing in the night. The launch (small boat) from the ship to shore dropped us off down near the monument. We walked along the streets, checking out the local shops and the nightlife, gradually making our way up to the Taj Mahal hotel. From the sidewalk outside the hotel, the ornate structure dominates the skyline, with the classic Indian architecture creating a unique look compared to other hotels I’ve seen before. At the front door, a doorman in colonial dress would greet hotel guests arriving by limo and taxi alike, highlighting all the touches of luxury.

However, walking along the right side of the hotel along the street was a totally different story. For even though Bombay was the growing financial center for the nation, there was still many living in poverty. Built up along the side of the hotel were little shanty huts, with many poor people hoping for handouts from the tourists. I remember one kid running up to me with his hands out asking for money. His eyes were wide open and excited, seeing a group of Americans walking around, almost as if he was thinking to himself that he hit the jackpot. Needless to say, he did walk away a richer person, though I know it was hardly enough to make a major change in his position in life.

Bombay was just one of the three Indian cities I would visit on that trip (the other two being Madras to the South and Visakhapatnam to the East), but I distinctly remember my night there. Watching this magnificent hotel burn in the dark is a distinctly different image than what I remember that night. To hear that one wing of the hotel is severely damaged, and the thought of what additional damage all that water is doing to the structure, makes me wonder what the future holds for the building. I hope and pray that the local authorities are able to bring the current crisis to a quick resolution with no further loss of life.

If I can find my photos from Bombay, I will upload them for you to see.