How do you look back at working with JRD? It was great working for JRD — he gave me the opportunity to build the Taj. In my 32-year-long association with JRD, I never had any problem. I worked very closely with him to take the Taj from two properties to a 56-hotel chain. But after Ratan Tata took over, almost all the satraps — including Russi (Mody) and I — found themselves unfairly removed. There was a vast difference between their work cultures. JRD gave complete charge of the businesses to the CMDs. Our equation with him was so good that JRD would not even question our major decisions. He was a very patient man, which Ratan is not. Ratan wants to do everything fast, he can even be temperamental. In fact, he would even stay away from the Indian Hotels board meetings. So our interactions were not good. But working with the Tatas was one of the best things to happen to me. Do you think Ratan’s ideas have prepared the group for the future? Ratan’s ideas are modern and practical. You can’t run a business on sentiments alone. That is perhaps why the Tatas are not investing in social sectors as they used to earlier. People like us and Ratan may come and go but the institution built by the Tatas over the years is strong and it will remain like that. It will always stand tall because of the goodwill it has generated among the common people. So how do you build another Taj? I have bought the Centaur Hotel in Juhu, Mumbai, from the government of India and renamed it Tulip Star Hotel. I am also operating properties in Hyderabad, Kerala, Goa and Rajasthan. Today, Taj is celebrating 100 years of its existence and I am the happiest person.
