Wah Taj!

Last week I got an opportunity to enter & see the famous Taj Mahal Palace hotel at Gateway of India, Mumbai. I had seen it from outside so many times & have always desired to spent sometime inside it. If i remember correctly when i was doing my summer internship in Mumbai in 2004, me & my friend entered it & came out after using the restroom on the top floor of its new building or tower. That was a very juvenile effort & a short lived adventure. The longing to see it from inside was still there. Last week it got fulfilled partially. It was more of a confident & relaxed visit as I had the invitation to enter it & attend one session in its Gateway Hall. The few hours i was inside flew away in no time. It was as if earth was spinning at speed of light. I have been to only few five star hotels but this one is beyond any scale of rating. A sheer beauty.

The building is always like a beautiful Indian bride on her wedding day waiting anxiously for its groom. You feel the aura of its hospitality in the air. An ascetic may get tempted to appreciate its luxury. The halls are warm and quiet, galleries are majestic, staircases are magical and lobby if full of life. Each of its gallery wall is a history book of this building & India. They tell you about those famous gatherings and parties it has played host to. The dance that was performed on its red carpet or the menu that was served to queen or the melody that was played to made the ambiance. You get an insight into how princely & wealthy India was. My slow senses took too long to comprehend the portraits and pictures on its wall. When you look outside from the window of Gateway Hall, you see the Arabian sea & its waves desperate to touch this building to make love. The various boats being attracted towards it. The Gateway of India guarding the palace and welcoming the guests. You see people below on street happy to click themselves in front of this Palace. Photographers still managing to find business in this age of digital camera. Various tonga-wallahs giving royal rides to people. So much of euphoria.

Yes I was in awe for few hours !