A family had a shock of their life when they were not allowed to enter the Hotel Taj Mahal in Mumbai because the elderly woman, Manjamma, 82, was not wearing an expensive 'footwear', rather she had ordinary slippers (chappal) in her feet.
Ironically it happened in the same hotel that was founded by Jamshetji Tata because he was denied entry in a hotel because of his dark skin in the Watson Hotel where only the whites were supposed to enter. That was way back in 1910. And a century later the wheel has turned full circle.
The old lady from Karnataka had come to meet her engineer granddaughter Sapna. She came to Mumbai and wished to have coffee at this grand hotel. But the ordinary 'chappals' turned off the guard so much that he told Manjhamma that the Coffee Shop that remains open 24 hrs was closed. When they again tried to reason, they were asked to go back.
Unfortunately this has happened in our own country with us", said Sapna. Majamma's son-in-law Laxman was also angry and said that it was humiliating and the Hotel staff hadn't apologised. As the controversy hit national headlines, the hotel later termed it 'unfortunate' and said that an inquiry would be done.
