The Taj Mahal Hotel and the Bombay I came to know....

The below is a Guest Article showcasing the guest's personal impressions of Mumbai during her visit with her future husband in 2013. For more information on the Author, please scroll to the base of the article.
*********************************************************************************

Oh, Bombay! Isn’t it the most populous, cosmopolitan, stylish, commercial, liberal, rich, Bollywoodish place in the whole of India? Take my word for that, it is. But also, it is home to infamous Mumbai mafia and the world largest slums (with 60% of Mumbai’s population living there).

Most Indians would still call Mumbai by its British name – Bombay, and there is an on-going debate regarding the original name of the city. Some say, that Mumbai is a derivative of two words “Mumba” (the name of local goddess Mumbadevi) and “aai” (“mother” in Marathi), while Bombay is an anglicized version of Portuguese “Bom Bahia” – “Good Bay”.

Seven original Islands, and later connected by land, today compose the city and like most places in India, its history goes far back in time, precisely to 1508 when the islands were taken by Portuguese from Sultan of Cambay in today's Gujarat. They built a settlement, churches and forts, however, without a clear idea of how to use the islands, they handed them over to England in 1661 as part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza when she married Charles II of England. Apparently, the British king had no use of the islands either so, in 1668, he leased them to the East India Company for 10 pounds of gold a year. The Company built the ports and business dominated the center of the city. The construction of the port and trading incentives given to the locals, attracted many industry and business communities to flood the city, thus laying ground to the diversity of the city and its commercial success.

Dimitris and I arrived in Mumbai on time, took a taxi (Rs.500) from the airport and 45 mins later checked-in into a beautiful Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. After 10 days of traveling and staying in different hotels, Taj Mahal Palace was all we wanted from Mumbai and more than we hoped to get from a hotel. It is a piece of art, monument of history and an extraordinary experience, all in one! Upon seeing our room in the Palace section of the hotel, Dimitris let go his subconscious desire never leave the hotel for the entire stay in Mumbai and frankly speaking, neither did I!

This stunning hotel is today Mumbai’s landmark and perhaps, one of the most famous hotels in the World. But of course, it is not the marble or design, the cotton count of the sheets or the bathroom toiletries that make this hotel great, it is the impeccable and attentive service, the “extra mile” the staff were willing to go in order for us to enjoy ourselves and of course, it is a “wow” effect we got from pretty much everything – and to name a few : beautiful Tibetan mandalas in the room and access to an Oxford-like lounge with drinks that compliment the mood. I was rest assured that me insisting to stay at this particular hotel was indeed wise and no less than a fairy tale relived.

After dropping off our luggage, we went for dinner to the Zodiac Grill - one of the best romantic restaurants we’ve ever been to. We ordered non-vegetarian tasting menus for both and spent an evening, worshiped by the attention of our two Goan servers, Anthony and Domnic. They were professional, well-mannered and delightfully pleasant. Our first evening in Mumbai gave a promising start and well-needed refuge!

The next morning, after having our morning coffee at the lounge, we came to the concierge desk to find out about things to do in Mumbai and Viren A. D’Sa, the Taj’s Experience Manager, whom we approached, turned out to be, an experience in himself. He, perhaps is one of the best people suitable for the hospitality business from whom I have ever met (but I guess it applies to everyone we met at the Taj). He was super knowledgeable, entertaining and friendly. He wasn’t a concierge (and he seemed to be on the run when we approached the desk), nevertheless, he spent 15 minutes telling us where to go and what to see in details. We grabbed the map he handed to us and walked out eager to explore.

Unlike Delhi, Mumbai has very few things to see. Indeed, Brits invested in building the city center, but after the Independence, Indian’s zeal to wipe away all traces of colonial rule was, unfortunately, not matched by the same enthusiasm to build a new city. Skyscrapers popped up in some parts of the city and old Victorian buildings were given names that a non-Hindi speaking person could never pronounce, but most of Colaba (southern Mumbai, where we stayed) represents a fair amount of Art-Deco buildings in a pretty good conditions.

In general, we thought that Mumbai was by far the cleanest and most organized place we have seenduring our visit in India, perhaps, it is partially due to a ban on tuk-tuks within 20 kms of city center. Our taxi driver told us that the reason for it was that “tuk-tuks don’t follow the traffic regulations and create chaos in the city”, as if the rest followed traffic regulations?!

Our goal was to check out Victoria Terminus Train Station building (locally known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus), which indeed had the most extravagant Gothic architecture of all. As historian Christopher London put it “the Victoria Terminus is to the British Raj what the Taj Mahal is to the Mughal empire”. Designed by F. Stevens, it was completed in 1887 and today, it is Asia’s busiest train station and a World Heritage sight as well. True to its reputation, it was so overflown with people that it forced us to run away and look for a refuge at the Crawford Market.

As Viren told us, Crawford market was a place where we could buy everything and he meant “e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g”, from fruits to postcards to souvenirs to puppies.

As it was Sunday, half of the market was closed, so while trying to get rid of an “I-am-a-security-and-you-can’t-walk-on-your-own-here annoying man,  we checked out a few cute pets and took a taxi (Rs.70) to Marine Drive and Girgaum Chowpatty, also known as Corniche and “the Queen’s Necklace” to enjoy warm (+30C) weather and a beautiful Arabian Sea sunset.

Dinner at Leopold's Cafe

We took a taxi back and before going to the hotel, walked around the Gateway of India monument for some fantastic shoots. It was built to commemorate the 1911 royal visit of George V, but not completed until 1924. At any time of the day, it was always full of locals, taking pictures and people-watching.

After returning to the hotel, we grabbed some snacks at the lounge and went to a famous (read “Shantaram“) and super busy Leopold Cafe for dinner.

Dimitris and I planned to meet our classmate Mihir the next day at 5 pm, to attend a tour of Taj Mahal Palace together. It was a fascinating story of the hotel, told by our favorite person at the Taj – Viren. I believe many hotels in the world could borrow an idea and start organizing hotel tours, but very few of them would have such a vibrant and eventful history as Taj Mahal Place, from its inception in 1903 to the terrorist attack in 2008 to the current celebs staying at the hotel (Scarlet Johansson and Russell Brand).

After the tour, we dropped by Sea Lounge for some tea and juice before heading to Khyber restaurant, highly recommended by everyone in Mumbai.It is a lovely, lavishly decorated restaurant serving a north India cuisine. We ordered an appetizer and some samples of meet kebab for the main course, as well as desserts. Everything was delicious.

After dinner, we continued to the stylish Harbour Bar, back at Taj Mahal Palace – the first bar in Mumbai to acquire a liquor license in 1933 – to try their signature cocktail from the Prohibition era. The story behind the cocktail is that a few Americans who had their boat moored by the Gateway of India heard about the abolition of prohibition in the US, entered the Harbour Bar to celebrate and demanded a cocktail which would blow them away. The bartender used Indian fruit juices to concoct a cocktail that is now known as Harbour Bar 1933. Our bartender came to the table to demonstrate the preparation of the drink before our eyes. Not only was his show impressive, but also the drink was delicious.

After saying goodbyes to Mihir, we went back to our room to pack and get some sleep before flying off to Mysore.

Mumbai, though rich in history, for us, it was a piece of paradise because of Taj Mahal Palace. So, my advice if you plan to visit Mumbai – book the Taj, get your swimming attire in order and enjoy the amenities! The rest of the world can wait!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meet the Author:

Sviatlana Tsiaseika-Economou is an event planner living in New York. Born in Minsk, Belarus, she graduated from Oxford, UK and has become today, by passion a proud world traveler and history aficionado. 

She visited India with her, now become, husband, to attend the Dalai Lama teachings in Bylakuppe, Karnataka, India.

If you would like to read more of her articles please log on to :
www.svetanyc.com 

Bombay Heritage - Mahim Fort

Tucked away from the madness of the Bombay City, Mahim, today is a neighbourhood famous for its roadside food stalls whose magic and charm is mostly felt as the people of Bombay gather for a siesta at sunset. But Mahim has a secret that not many may be aware…. The Mahim Fort. Let’s explore its secrets.

Mahim, whose name is derived from the Sanskrit word “Mahimvati”, meaning “Miracalous” is one of the seven original islands that were joined to make up the Bombay City we see today. In fact one of the earliest records can be traced back to Raja Bhimji who reigned over the region in the 13^th Century with Mahim as its capital.  He built a palace and a court of justice in Prabhadevi, as well as the first Babulnath temple.

In 1343, this island was possessed by the Muslims of Gujarat. It was in their reign that the old Mahim mosque was built. A dargah of Makhtum Fakir Ali Paru was built here in 1431.

In 1516, Portuguese commander Dom Joao de Monoy entered the Mahim Creek and defeated the commander of Mahim fort. The fort was the site of frequent skirmishes between the Portuguese and the Ali Shah, a Gujarati ruler, before the island of Mahim was claimed from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat by the Portuguese in 1534.

In 1661, the Portuguese ceded the island of Mahim as dowry to Charles II of England. 

After the English gained control of the fort, The fort was strengthened by the then Governor of Bombay, Gerald Aungier, in the year 1669, in order to strengthen British defences. He also made Bombay more populous by attracting Gujarati traders, Parsi shipbuilders, and Muslim and Hindu manufacturers from the mainland. It was further strengthened by Sir Thomas Grantham in 1684, and became a strategic watchtower against possible Portuguese attacks, and later from the Marathas.

The Mahim Fort was strategically located on the then island of Mahim which lied in close proximity to the Portuguese island of Salcette or Bandra and was in the middle of the Mahim Bay that had the Portuguese Bandra Fort or Castella de Aguada on one side and the British Worli Fort perched on the other.

In 1772, 111 years after Bombay was taken from them, the Portuguese attempted to attack this fort, but they were repelled by the British with cannonballs. The Mount Mary's Basilica was damaged during this encounter. According to historical accounts, the fort had 100 soldiers and 30 cannons at that time.

Today, The fort lies off the Mahim Causeway which links the suburbs to the city. The fort is heavily encroached by slums, and parts of the fort have caved in due to tidal erosion and neglect. Though the site is classified as a Grade I heritage structure, nothing much has been done to maintain it. Large boulders are strewn on the sand and crevices as high as three metres (fifteen feet) are visible. 

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, in its budget proposal for 2005-2006 intended to pay special attention to Mahim Fort. It is still encroached.