As an American, and as a child, visiting my mother's home of Mumbai was an almost incomprehensible experience. Having accumulated many days in and around Mumbai, I have come to this conclusion: Mumbai is a city of extremes, where unfortunate beggers,snooty intellectuals, trippy transvestites and everyone else share the same uncomfortable spaces, and somehow manage to live with one another day by day by day, until events such as the recent terror attacks happen. Then chaos has a tendancy to engulf the city. But it subsides, and life returns to Mumbai normalcy. The Taj Hotel has survived all the great tragedies of Mumbai over the last century, and I have no doubt it will continue to be a symbol of India's welcoming spirit.
The area where the Taj was located was always the tourist hotspot in Mumbai, and it was an exciting place. The Taj always represented to me a link to my own culture in the west while I was in India. We would make a trip there quite often during my semi-annual trips to India from my mother's family's home in Thane. Thane is 20 miles away, but roads are so congested that it can take anywhere from 2-6 hours to reach the Taj area. When you visited the Taj, you would be blown away by the audacity of the building. It was made in a regal indo-victorian architecture, with all the sophistication you would expect from something built during the rule of the British in India. However, as a child, it was one of the only places where I could get cheap versions of the Guns and Roses, or Nirvana tapes by taking advantage of a strong dollar in the Taj bookstore. I remember getting a major allergy attack in one of there famous restaurants....who knew Kababs had so many nuts? There were world reknowed chefs making chinese food which I craved immensely, since I hated Indian food (Sorry Aji-Grandma) The staff was impeccably trained, and so cordial, you could tell the hotel owners would hire the best of the best.
The Taj bookstore definitely was a place of pride for my mother's family. It was a major source of western culture, a place where magazines, newspapers, and music on the other side of the world could be purchased. Visiting the Taj was understanding that desire to be a citizen of the world, and to be open to hearing from different voices. Other parts of India are closed off from western society, but this was a place where the West and the East could meet and have chai.
People of Mumbai pride themselves for being on the cutting edge of what is hip, and trendy, and the progressive streak of Mumbai gives it a unique status in Indian culture. The Taj often represented to them the global importance of India, the financial muscle and power deals being made, and the struggle for success. Sure it could be easily resented....it was often horrifying within view of the Taj near the Gateway of India Arch. I remember a 10 year old begger girl drunk and crying...and often I have been offered drugs right outside the Taj. But the warm sea air did it's best to keep tensions cool.
Did I feel secure? Well I was secure as I could be at any famous location in India. There were police officers everywhere, and they had a watchful eye on most happenings. The truth is, the Mumbai police are very corrupt, but with a system so out of whack and with such an immense responsibility, there is no way a security situation could have been flawless without making it appear that the whole Taj area was being cordoned off for westerners. A symbol of success in India should also be for Indians as well, right?
There were more hotels which copied the Taj's style, but those imitations can never capture the Taj's history, and definitely not the same memories it had for me. It gave me a place where I could keep in touch with America and the world,enjoy a nice meal, and feel fortunate with immense responsibility toward everyone who doesn't have it as easy as I did. It makes some sense that most of the monsters who attacked it were foreigners who hate Mumbai....those who don't believe in openess and are fanatically against everything western. Very few mumbaikers (citizens of Mumbai) are so filled with ethnic hatred, even when tensions run high.
On my last trip to the Taj, I went with my American friends Brooklyn and Nate. After being a little overwhelmed by the end of our hectic weeklong journey through India, we arrived at the Taj not knowing what to expect. Somehow, walking around the hotel was a calm experience, and it was comforting to them to see the english architecture of the buildings surrounding the area, and the sea. I remember Brooklyn saying, "I could see myself living here..."
I will visit the Taj one day, again, just as my family has been doing for generations, because our family values a tradition of sophistication, and success in the modern, ever changing world. This is the Mumbai I know and the India I believe in.
http://en.wikipedia.org/...