It was the defining image of the 26/11 attacks - when the 105-year-old Heritage Wing of the Taj Hotel went up in flames. Over 30 people were killed in those attacks, many of them hotel staffers who stayed on right through helping guests.
Three days later when the attacks ended Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata made a promise, "We will reopen to send out a strong message - we cannot be knocked down."
And now, from the ashes, the iconic Mumbai landmark is set to rise again.
On August 15, India's 63rd Independence Day, the heritage wing will reopen its doors once again to its guests. The promise has been delivered less than two years after the attacks.
"I cannot tell you how significant today is for the spirit of Mumbai and for our staff that the Heritage wing is reopening after what we went through," said Raymond Bickson, CEO, Taj Hotels.
The opening is an emotionally charged moment for the staff, many of whom were sent away to other Taj hotels during the renovation.
Thirty one people were killed at the Taj, many of them staffers who stayed on helping guests.
"We can add the marble but the heart and soul of the hotel experience is the people we have. Some of the people we have are family," said Bickson.
Four international designing agencies have worked on its restoration which has cost about Rs. 200 crore. The idea was to retain the distinctive classical look of the old Taj but give it a contemporary feel.
But the new look comes with heightened security - barricades and CCTVs on every floor which has become the new reality for hotels in Mumbai.
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