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Friday, November 25, 2011

The Hotel Workers Who Saved Lives During Mumbai Attacks

Residents of Mumbai light candles outside Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai, India, Monday, Dec. 1, 2008. (AP)

Three years ago, Islamic terrorists attacked several locations around Mumbai, India. The siege of the city lasted more than two days, killed more than 160 and was one of the most dramatic scenes at the city’s famed Taj Mahal hotel. As the terrorists roamed the hotel looking for fresh targets, hotel employees chose not to flee. Instead, many of them risked their lives to help guests escape to safety.

Guest:

  • Rohit Deshpande, Harvard Business School professor. He and Anjali Raina look at what happened at the Taj in their article, “The Ordinary Heroes of the Taj” in Harvard Business Review.

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. Post below. Please stay on topic and be civil. Comments may be moderated by us, but you are solely responsible for the content of your comments.

  • http://twitter.com/rapidanalysts balakrishnan

    yea true. i met a couple of them on 30 Nov. I was one of the visiting faculty at JBIMS at Mumbai. I with former director Dr. R K Jadhav met them even at Oberoi too. what is spoke about in the audio that the staffers said that it is their duty to save their customers, they proclaimed in all earnestness. Duty when it is to be loyally attended to means that one employee has to live up to it then nly it is an ernest duty and Ratan Tata not only admired but felt the impact of dedication of Taj employees. Employment if that way it is then it is the greatness of HRD management of hotel. Employees, many laid down their own lives with all sincerity. Why when the very GM at the hotel though lost his wife in the hotel in fire still he was composed to see the guests are attended to. That is the service of hospitality as such which is properly understood by the employees of the hotel. Hospitality industry means that it is shown bravely at Taj on that day of criticality. Long live such sacrifices and it had ashamed even the very perpetrators of crime of killing the innocent guests at hotel. I was told by a Mullah there that Islam cannot anyway pardon the perpetrators. Also no masques in mumbai accepted the deadbodies of 10 terrorists, that is the effect it radiated. So it is called Service before self’. Great those who laid their life in saving the guests  both from hotel employees and military, NSG,police forces have their names already in the Angels book, like that of said in Abu  Beb Adam! 

  • Sadiq Hurzuk

    hey folks……wht do u mean by islamic terrorists?? let me tell u tht those terrorists have nothing 2 do wid islam n islam never preaches terrorism

    • Awer

      u r right,no religion ever teaches terror,some dogs just do it for der own comfort

  • Iyaz

    Please do not associate Islam with terrorism… Islam does not preach violence..Terrorism has no religion..Request you to do some research and you will find what i mean…

    • Dg

      true no religion preaches terror,actually fanatics r always to see communal harmony,brotherhood,secularism n pluralism

      • Awer

        i mean r always jealous

  • Muhammd

    Islam is religion of Peace and brotherhood, Concept of Jihad is not against civilion people.  Holy War “Jihad” is only against those armed forces who are fighting against the values of Islam and Muslim Society or Army.  However America is fighting not against terrorist but to test her weapons against civilion peaceful people in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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