“It is because of Mr Ratan Tata that my life has dignity”

“He is like an angel, to tell you the truth… He has changed so many lives, not just mine.”

“The man did not have to stand outside the burning building worrying for his people. But he did. He did not have to visit hospitals to reassure people like Manoj Thakur, a hawker injured outside Leopold Cafe in the terrorist attack of 26/11, and promise him that everything would be all right. But he did.”

“I was too dazed to understand what was going on. It is because of Mr Ratan Tata that my life has dignity.”

These are just some among the many voices that remain eternally grateful to Ratan Tata – the legend who is no more today.

The Trust

The Taj Public Service Welfare Trust was formed by Ratan Tata, then Chairman of Tata Sons, and RK Krishna Kumar, then vice chairman of Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), in December 2008, in just two weeks of the end of the siege, to not only provide relief to those affected by the 26/11 terrorist acts, but also to set up a system to help and rehabilitate those recovering from such tragic events in the future.

Puneet Chatwal, MD and CEO, IHCL, who is on the board of the trust, says, “This trust has now been in existence for 10 years. It is not just for the employees of Taj, but for any body who was impacted by the attacks on Mumbai. We tried to re-establish families and most of them, I would say, have done well under the circumstances. The trust continues to help out people in need.”

Any Indian citizen who has suffered injury due to a terror attack, war, bomb blasts and/or natural disaster in India can apply to the trust for financial, medical, educational or welfare assistance.

Apart from significant monetary compensation for the family of every Taj employee who died in the 26/11 attack, the settlement included full last salary for life for the family / dependents, complete responsibility of education of children and dependents — anywhere in the world, full medical facility for the whole family and dependents for rest of their life and counsellor for life for each person. All loans and advances — irrespective of the amount — were waived off.

Relief and assistance were also provided to all those who were injured and the families of all those who were killed, including railway employees, police staff, pedestrians and vendors. Apart from monetary compensation and hospital aid, the aid included the establishment of a psychiatric cell to counsel those who needed help.

The group even took responsibility of the education of 46 children of the victims of the terror attack.

As victims of the 26/11 attacks still try to cope and move on — often aided by the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust — Chatwal says, “Our Chairman Emeritus Mr Ratan Tata said (at the reopening of the hotel less than a month after the attack), ‘We can be hurt, but we cannot be knocked down.’ This message was so powerful that it has got inculcated in all of us and we try to live by that message every day in whatever we do.”

Incidentally, even though the Taj was reopened a month after it was attacked, it took 21 months to restore the iconic hotel to its glory.

The heritage wing of the hotel, which was severely damaged, opened in phases. The grandeur of this heritage structure was brutally violated as fire and gunshots ravaged its corridors, rooms, and restaurants, leading to an unimaginable loss of life. But from the ashes of destruction rose not only a rebuilt Taj, but also a testament to the leadership and vision of one man: Ratan Tata.

The Taj was a symbol of India’s progress, luxury, and resilience. This hotel, steeped in history, was as much a part of Mumbai as the people who lived in the city. When the attacks destroyed its heart, Ratan Tata took personal charge of its restoration.

As part of the restoration project, the iron pillars of the grand ballroom got a golden touch, luxury suites were completely revamped, and the domed palace wing of the hotel got back its radiance. Modern security systems were installed too.

Today, the Taj Mahal Palace stands as a tribute not only to Mumbai’s resilience but also to the values that Ratan Tata embodies: leadership with compassion, strength in adversity, and the belief that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope.

(Information in this article has been excerpted from https://www.tata.com/newsroom/rising-phoenix-taj-2611)