A SEA VIEW

Repeating my piece published in Times of India on 30 November 2010. May interest you .

26 November will mark two years since terrorists struck the Taj in Mumbai and tried to decimate the hotel. They failed to break the spirit of the Taj and whatever damage they caused has been repaired and the hotel functions smoothly again. As an old seadog, I have my own memories of the hotel.

In the years before the old Bombay shoreline got cluttered up with ungainly skyscrapers, naval officers were familiar with the Taj as a navigational landmark whether they visited the hotel or not. The Taj Dome was a prominent spot on the naval chart (map) and was frequently used for taking a bearing to fix the position of the ship, checking the compass error by using it as a transit with another landmark such as the Rajabhai Clocktower, or for making a run-in for anchoring the ship. 

The Taj though is within walking distance from the Naval Dockyard and that makes it very accessible to naval personnel. The Sea Lounge was a frequent haunt from where one could look back at one’s own ship and at ships coming in and out of the harbour.

On one occasion we had a cocktail party on board which went on late into the night. Three of us, Jayanto Roychowdhry, Tally-ho Talwar and I decided to go out and eat at the Sea Lounge. We ordered Swedish Open Sandwiches and the waiter brought a big tray with a large assortment of them. We all had one each and were hesitating to have more when Roy Chow averred we could eat as many as we liked and would only be charged for one much like a buffet. So we had three to four each and when the bill came we were stupefied to see that we had been charged for each and every piece! As only Tally-ho was carrying his wallet, he had to shell out the cash for which he curses us to this day!

When one wanted to impress a girlfriend, there was the Blow-Up, India’s first real discotheque. The music and the psychedelic lights were mind-blowing. With songs like the Rolling Stones’ “I can’t get no satisfaction”, the night would be most satisfactorily spent.

Very late at night with all its restaurants closed, the Taj provided a reference point for the Bade Miyan stall which was located just behind the hotel building. Fresh, succulent kababs could be had there till the early hours of the morning at very affordable prices. The Navy was introduced to it by 'Pedro' Khanna, a roly-poly bachelor who frequented the place often. Bade Miyan became so popular that he would be called on board to cater for parties. I believe his son is following in his father's footsteps.

I am now only an occasional visitor to Mumbai. When I do, I hope the Sea Lounge will serve Swedish Open Sandwiches and this time I will happily pay for more than one!