What146;s the Damage?

Before India woke up to luxury malls and up-market retail space was hard to come by, every high-end international brand entering India headed straight to The Oberoi and the Taj Palace and Towers in Mumbai.

The Taj and The Oberoi were popular shopping destinations as well, housing luxury brands like Gucci and Bvlgari. They too count the losses

Before India woke up to luxury malls and up-market retail space was hard to come by, every high-end international brand entering India headed straight to The Oberoi and the Taj Palace and Towers in Mumbai. The shopping arcade of The Taj plays host to Moschino, Bvlgari, Louis Vuitton and Joy Shoes while The Oberoi is famous for Gucci and many other international labels. Continuous terror attacks with grenades and a raging fire are bound to have drastically altered the landscape around the plush boutiques, but insiders say it is still too early to evaluate the damage to goods within. 8220;It8217;s unprecedented and very scary. Our store closes at 9 pm and the first terror strikes happened around 9.30 pm; mercifully all the employees are safe,8221; says Tikka Shatrujit Singh, advisor to the Louis Vuitton brand in India. The store, located in the heritage part of the hotel, though, is apparently badly affected by the fire that spread around the wing.

A lone staff member at the Ermenegildo Zegna store in the same cluster of shops was locking up for the night at 9.30 pm when he heard the first gunshots. Eventually, he managed to escape with the first lot of evacuees. Anna Zegna, the image director of the brand who was in India for another boutique launch in Delhi, has decided to cut her visit short. 8220;Ermenegildo Zegna has cancelled the press conference which was scheduled for the December 1 with Anna Zegna in light of the terror attacks in Bombay,8221; says the PR firm for the brand. Zegna, who was in Hyderabad at the time of the attacks, has decided to cut short her trip and will not be touring the boutiques as planned.

French luxury boutique Chanel, which has a back office at Maker Chambers VI in Nariman Point, was witness to the terror attacks that took place at

Nariman House, located in the neighbourhood. 8220;But we are safe and so are all the employees,8221; said Marielou Phillips of Chanel in a text message.

According to sources, the Moschino at Taj Palace and Towersstore too has suffered huge damages. Charu Sachdeva, proprietor of the brand in India, was unavailable for comment, but a company insider said, 8220;We have no clue what is happening there, anyway this is not the time to count our losses.8221;

Paromita Chakrabarti

Paromita Chakrabarti is Senior Associate Editor at the The Indian Express. She is a key member of the National Editorial and Opinion desk and writes on books and literature, gender discourse, workplace policies and contemporary socio-cultural trends. Professional Profile With a career spanning over 20 years, her work is characterized by a "deep culture" approach—examining how literature, gender, and social policy intersect with contemporary life. Specialization: Books and publishing, gender discourse (specifically workplace dynamics), and modern socio-cultural trends. Editorial Role: She curates the literary coverage for the paper, overseeing reviews, author profiles, and long-form features on global literary awards. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent writing highlights a blend of literary expertise and sharp social commentary: 1. Literary Coverage & Nobel/Booker Awards "2025 Nobel Prize in Literature | Hungarian master of apocalypse" (Oct 10, 2025): An in-depth analysis of László Krasznahorkai’s win, exploring his themes of despair and grace. "Everything you need to know about the Booker Prize 2025" (Nov 10, 2025): A comprehensive guide to the history and top contenders of the year. "Katie Kitamura's Audition turns life into a stage" (Nov 8, 2025): A review of the novel’s exploration of self-recognition and performance. 2. Gender & Workplace Policy "Karnataka’s menstrual leave policy: The problem isn’t periods. It’s that workplaces are built for men" (Oct 13, 2025): A viral opinion piece arguing that modern workplace patterns are calibrated to male biology, making women's rights feel like "concessions." "Best of Both Sides: For women’s cricket, it’s 1978, not 1983" (Nov 7, 2025): A piece on how the yardstick of men's cricket cannot accurately measure the revolution in the women's game. 3. Social Trends & Childhood Crisis "The kids are not alright: An unprecedented crisis is brewing in schools and homes" (Nov 23, 2025): Writing as the Opinions Editor, she analyzed how rising competition and digital overload are overwhelming children. 4. Author Interviews & Profiles "Fame is another kind of loneliness: Kiran Desai on her Booker-shortlisted novel" (Sept 23, 2025): An interview regarding The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. "Once you’ve had a rocky and unsafe childhood, you can’t trust safety: Arundhati Roy" (Aug 30, 2025): A profile on Roy’s recent reflections on personal and political violence. Signature Beats Gender Lens: She frequently critiques the "borrowed terms" on which women navigate pregnancy, menstruation, and caregiving in the corporate world. Book Reviews: Her reviews often draw parallels between literature and other media, such as comparing Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune to the series Only Murders in the Building (Oct 25, 2025). ... Read More