J.R.D. Tata and Origin Hotel Taj

As per the historical information, over a century back when the founder of Tata
Business Empire went to London and tried to check in one of the posh hotels
there, he was refused entry because he was an Indian and not a white skinned
man. In Britain some die-hard British were still believing in and practicing
apartheid if not officially then at least in a disguise manner. When Tata asked
the real reason for this negative answer, the Hotel management said Indians are
not fit to stay in such a luxurious hotel. In an ensuing heated argument, Tata
banged his hand on the Counter Table and demanded from the hotel management to
quote him then and there the price of that hotel to purchase it outright.
Annoyed by Tata’s demand and financial might, the hotel management to humiliate
Tata in particular and Indians and blacks in general, put a board at the
entrance of their hotel saying “Indians and Dogs Are Not Allowed”

Humiliated by this insult, Tata after returning to India, decided to retaliate
and towards this direction constructed a beautiful and most luxurious Hotel in
Bombay and named it as Taj Mahal in 1903. Then exactly in a retaliatory manner put a
big name plate at the entrance of his new hotel saying “Dogs and British are
Not Allowed”. The colonialists British irked by this move by the owner of
Bombay Taj tried to bring pressure on Tata to change his attitude even
approaching Nehru to impress upon Tata to change his mind but Tata remained
firm even by suffering heavy losses due to the absence of British and Western
clientèle.

Bombay Taj was like a home for many of the Goan employees whom Taj management
had unique affection for their dedication to hard work faithfully and
diligently. Many of the high and low grade employees of Bombay Taj since its
inception were Goans and it was they who put a strong base to Bombay Taj a
century back. Best of the Goan musicians who played beautiful music were
engaged by the Taj. Chef Mascharenhas from Anjuna and Pastry Chef Pasku from
Sangolda were the two pillars of Taj and they both worked for a longer period
there in spite of attaining the retirement age. It is these two finest Chefs who
helped Taj to attain the highest standard that finally made Taj what it was. As
a matter of fact, Chef Mascharenhas was never retired, instead he was retained
till his last days not only as an employee with all the facilities but kept as
a guest of Taj. Both these two stalwarts were not graduates of any Catering
College but they were graduates of the
cooking skills they inherited from their parents. They were the real geniuses
in their professions and both good hearted persons having lot of compassion
befitting the tradition of Tatas.