Twenty-eight years ago, 20-year-old Farhat Jamal was manning the front-office desk at Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi. It was his first job. And last. Meaning, Farhat belongs to that minuscule group of people who believe in loyalty and don’t hop jobs, seeking greener pastures at a whim. Or do I mean whiff. Today, at 48, he is still with the same hotel chain, but with a difference — now he is top brass. Running the flagship hotel of the group, Taj, Bombay. And doing so with utmost zeal and sincerity.

Farhat was born into a zamindar family in Meerut and studied at St. Mary’s. One day, standing outside a
five-star hotel in Delhi where he went
to college at St. Stephens, he caught the hotel bug. “This is where I want to be,” he decided.

After finishing his management training in ’78, he went to Switzerland for practical training at Burgenstock in Lucern. Young, on his own... and the one year that he spent there changed his outlook completely.

He returned to take charge of Machan at Taj Mahal, Delhi, a coffee shop where the movers and shakers of the city would converge. He then opened Casa Medici in the same hotel. In 1988, he shifted to Bombay to become the Food and Beverage Manager, controlling and directing all catering operations of the Taj.

But his first real break came in 1995 when he became GM of Taj Coramandel in Madras, and the serious responsibility of running a hotel was thrust upon him. He must have done it right, for in three years, he was back in Bombay, this time in the saddle as GM of the Taj President, 340 rooms, and some of the best restaurants in the city to look after!

Around now, Farhat got married to the very intelligent and pretty Kulsum and the two went off on a working honeymoon to London. Farhat was now put in charge of St. James Court, which he successfully re-branded as Crown Plaza St. James! Also, the attached apartment complex was converted into five-star luxury suites and renamed 51 Buckingham Gates. Three years down this eventful road, Farhat was back in India, heading the hottest and newest property that the group had just purchased at a whopping 450 crores. The Taj Land�s End at Bandra in Bombay. After making sure the magic man had left his shine on this property, the management gently pulled him off this post to hand him his crowning glory � Taj Mahal Hotel Palace and Tower.

So what are the milestones, memories that light up Farhat’s heart? It’s times like in 1981 when Farhat was restaurant manager at the rooftop restaurant which was the in thing and buffets cost Rs 32, and senior citizens paid half of that! Or the time he was sent on the Orient Express, London to Venice, to study the luxury train because Taj was planning to start its own Orient Express, the Restaurant. He even trained at the Gavroche, to understand fine dining where he learned nothing is second best. He was ecstatic, he had never seen a variety of 100 cheeses in one go, or 100 wines, and now he had to prepare trolleys with all these goodies! But what remains etched in his memory is the time when he was asked to go serve wine to a special customer at the restaurant, a Sheikh with a woman guest. The bottle of wine the Sheikh had asked for cost £600! Farhat was nervous as hell, but did a good job. Good enough to earn a tip of £50, a small fortune in those days!

All of his experiences have held Farhat in good stead. While working at St. James Court in London, he had to contend with staff which belonged to 29 nationalities. Just planning the cafeteria menu was a challenge. Or understanding the psyche of the mixed bag. All of which he did admirably well. Components which have contributed to his overall development and made him an executive who can be compassionate, approachable, who connects with the last denominator. And one who can work 48 hours in a day.

Which means he has a wife at home who may be displeased, two young girls, Batool and Aaliya, who want to see more of Dad, books lying by the bedside waiting to be read, cricket and tennis almost forgotten, and holidays, a thing of the past. But then, Farhat can’t help it; he is married to the Taj and his philosophy that each day is an ordinary day, not extraordinary and one must take it that way, works very well for him.

And what works for the Area Director and GM of Bombay’s most prestigious hotel, works for us.