Will Taj Hotel's glory be restored post terror attacks?

Taj Mahal Palace and Towers was a symbol of national pride even before it was built. There is a story that Jamshedji Tata built Taj Mahal after he was refused entry into one of city's hotels because he was an Indian. It might just be irony that Taj went on to become a favourite with foreign tourists in India. Why not? After all, Taj Mahal Palace was constructed even before the Gateway of India was finished in 1928. And till today, it attracts more onlookers than the Gateway.

Jamshed Khanna, Heritage Building Expert, said, "Tata bought geysers from Germany, chandeliers from France, and he wanted to make it into one of the most beautiful iconic structures.”

Legend also says that when the hotel went into losses once, Jamshetji had put in money from other businesses to support it. Tata Group which is now known for its strategic acquisitions also might have made its earliest with Taj Mahal. In 1970, Green's Hotel at Apollo Bunder was bought out by the group and was integrated into Taj Mahal making it Taj Mahal Palace and Towers.

But this hotel had its share of bad times. A story says that this beautifully adorned hotel was turned into a hospital during World War I. But it probably saw more blood and violence last week during terror attack than it did during times of war.

Gerson da Cunha, Social Activist, said, “Taj was ablaze, the roof was ablaze and I went to sleep with an immense sense of disappointment that this is the end of Taj.”

But the end was not come so soon. After all Taj Mahal, which is built in stone, is a pillar of strength, literally and otherwise just like the spirit of Mumbai.

4,100 terror attacks since '74 on India

India faced more than 4,100 terrorist attacks between 1970 and 2004, accounting for more than 12,000 fatalities, according to the Global Terrorism Database.

The database is maintained by the University of Maryland and the US National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START).

START's Terrorist Organisation Profiles (TOPs) collection has information on 56 groups known to have engaged in terrorism in India, including the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

About 12,540 terrorist-related fatalities in India between 1970 and 2004 - an average of almost 360 fatalities per year from terrorism in India. These fatalities peaked in 1991 and 1992, when 1,184 and 1,132 individuals (respectively) were killed in such incidents, a University of Maryland statement said.

These figures are on the lower side as official figures in India put the toll at around 70,000 deaths.

Terrorists in India have employed a variety of attack types over time, 38.7 per cent of terrorist events were facility attacks, 29.7 per cent were bombings (in which the intent was to destroy a specific facility), and 25.5 per cent were assassinations. Last week's terror attacks in Mumbai, which left at least 183 dead, would be classified as a series of coordinated facility attacks.