Surangi, The Child Bride

Part 44

"Looks partly like an Oriental Sultan's palace, what with the onion shaped Moorish domes and the arches!" Madhav noted, wondering if the Islamic domes and minarets of the real Taj Mahal in Agra had inspired the designers of the hotel. He could visualise the trappings of luxury with which the rooms on five floors of the hotel were decorated. He had heard about the Italian marble floors and hand-woven silk carpets from Vidya who had once accompanied her husband for a wedding celebration in one of the Taj banquet rooms. 

She had spoken about being driven into the hotel foyer in a horse carriage. They had ascended the cantilever stairway to the floor above the lobby. She felt intimidated as she entered the room with the massive Belgian crystal chandeliers. The invitees at the gathering were clad in rich brocade silks, zardozi sherwanis and gold thread slippers. Vidya, who wore her understated pearl jewellery, had felt underdressed among the ladies adorned with diamonds and rubies, but had held her chin high, much to Manohar's  pleasant surprise. He had trained her in European table etiquette for nearly a fortnight so that she would be comfortable dealing with a knife and fork while dining.

"It appears so because the hotel combines  Classical and Gothic British style with Indo-Islamic themes. This was the preferred architectural style by the end of the previous century and can be seen in the city's famed buildings and monuments such as the Victoria Terminus station, the General Post Office, the Prince of Wales Museum and even the Gateway of India which is right behind us!" Manohar explained. He was quite knowledgeable about Bombay, having lived here while studying at the Government Law College during his bachelor days.

"But it is so magnificent! I am sure only Maharajas and princes stay here!" Surangi remarked, squinting at the hotel which was an icon dominating the city's skyline, as viewed from Bombay harbour.

" When the Taj opened in 1903 it was the first hotel in India to have its own electricity power plant, American fans, four German lifts, steam powered laundry, an aerated water bottling plant, mechanical dishwasher, a burnishing machine for silverware, Turkish bath, French chefs, English butlers and even a post office and wireless telegraph service. The rooms of the hotel look out to the sea so that the guests may enjoy the view." Manohar was badgered by Surangi and Chandri for explanation about the gadgets at the hotel. They did not know that Europeans had invented machines to launder clothes, to do the dishes and to polish silverware.

"The central dome was built with steel imported from France, the same that was used in the making of the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris. And the ceiling is vaulted in alabaster and onyx columns. The chief architect was an Indian called Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya but after his death the construction was overseen by an Englishman called W A Chambers. Ironically Mr Chambers killed himself soon after the hotel opened, nobody knows why." Manohar told them that most of this information was from the hotel's prospectus, except of course, the death of Mr Chambers.

"I am sure people like us will not be allowed to enter there!" Chandri noted wistfully. Not that she had any illusions. Her wry remark was not entirely unfounded. This was the fanciest hotel in the city and was rather picky about whom it wanted to entertain. Manohar told them than while one could buy a full meal for few annas in any boarding house, the full board resident experience at the Taj would set one back at least forty to fifty rupees a day depending on how much French wine one imbibed with the gourmet meals cooked by the French chefs. The guests dined in fine porcelain and sipped their drinks from crystal goblets while being entertained with musical performances by a live orchestra.

"If you think that is extravagant, then what would you say if I told you that there are some guests who are nearly permanent residents here? Sarojini Devi Naidu, for one. She has a suite booked on a permanent basis at the hotel where she works and receives visitors all day. She is a very influential lady involved in the country's struggle for freedom from British rule. And then of course there was Mrs Ruttie Jinnah, the late wife of Mohammed Ali Jinnah. You remember the story of how Jinnah was engaged to defend one of the accused in the notorious Bawla murder case?"Manohar asked.