DIFFERENCE IN THE WORK

CULTURE OF TAJ GROUP

BETWEEN CHENNAI AND
NEW DELHI.

SUBMITTED BY:
KHUSHBOO SETHI
PAYAL JHAWAR
HARI KISHAN TRIPATHI
RUPALI GOEL
JAGRITI SHIVAPURI
SWEETY TRIPATHI

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INTRODUCTION TO TAJ GROUP OF HOTELS

The Taj was built at a time when Indians were not allowed entry into most of the
prestigious hotels and clubs in British ruled India. Legend has it that this was one of the
reasons why Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata, the first Indian industrialist built India’s first
luxury hotel. He went ahead with the project although he was busy with plans to
industrialise India.

The first Taj Hotel, the flagship of the Group was born in 1903 and stood alone for
almost half a century. Initially it was smooth sailing, even though the original hotel was
conceived and built when the hotel business was not even considered an industry.
Right from the beginning, the Taj stood for class and comfort. It was a place where the
viceroys of the Empire arrived and departed amidst scenes of splendour. Scenes which
were typical of the Raj. In fact, it soon became one of the wonders of the Orient.
Singapore’s Raffles or Hong Kong’s Peninsula did not come up to the level of the Taj
inspite of their rich ancestry.

Notably, there was hardly any advertising directly to the consumer. In fact, this element
of the marketing mix was not visible until the late nineties! Advertising was not
considered necessary. Secondly the company was conservative and media shy for many
years.

The reason the hotel towered above the rest was because of the amazing attention to
detail that was paid by it’s founder Jamshetji Tata. As far back as 1900, he made sure
that the Taj would have it’s own laundry, an aerated water bottling plant, electroplating
for it’s silverware, a Mora sliver burnishing machine, a crockery washing plant and
elevators. The hotel was built completely at a cost of 500,000 pounds in 1903.

Vision

Says Managing Director, R.K. Krishnakumar, ‘The vision for the Taj Group is for it to be
a select chain, present globally. Asian, perhaps in character, but absolutely international
in terms of systems and processes and with a strong West European focus. The way
forward was to make sure that the entire Taj team is imbued with the missionary zeal
to sell the brand.’

Customers
International travelers from the bulk of the market for the Taj, particularly in the
metros. Even the profile of the Indian customer was changing. But overall, the Taj has
a higher dollar rate of revenue – approximately 70 per cent comes from international
guests.

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Taj (luxury full-service hotels, resorts and palaces ) is our flagship brand for the world’s
most discerning travelers seeking authentic experiences given that luxury is a way of
life to which they are accustomed. Spanning world-renowned landmarks, modern
business hotels, idyllic beach resorts, authentic Rajput palaces and rustic safari lodges,
each Taj hotel reinterprets the tradition of hospitality in a refreshingly modern way to
create unique experiences and lifelong memories.

Taj also encompasses a unique set of iconic properties rooted in history and tradition
that deliver truly unforgettable experiences. A collection of outstanding properties with
strong heritage as hotels or palaces which offer something more than great physical
product and exceptional service. This group is defined by the emotional and unique
equity of its iconic properties that are authentic, non- replicable with great potential to
create memories and stories.

At the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces luxurious living and fine dining find common
ground. Whether it is introducing exotic world cuisines to India or taking authentic
Indian fare to the world, the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces is renowned for the eclectic
culinary experiences it brings to its guests. Through a vast repertoire of award-winning
restaurants, legendary recipes from royal kitchens and celebrated food festivals, the Taj
has pioneered innovation in fine dining across the world.

Tamil Nadu Culture

Tamilnadu has a great tradition of heritage and culture that developed over 2,000 years
ago and still continues to flourish. This great cultural heritage of the state of Tamilnadu
evolved through the rule of dynasties that ruled the state during various phases of
history. Many of the ruling dynasties gave patronage to art and culture that resulted
into the development and evolution of a unique Dravidian culture that Tamilnadu today
symbolizes with.

Under the rule of the Pallavas, Cholas and the Pandya kings, there were tremendous
growth and development in the field of art, architecture and literature, which reached
great heights. The history of Tamil language can be traced back to the age of the
Tolkapiyam, the Tamil Grammar text, ascribed to around 500 B.C. Similarly, the
Sangam literature dates back to 500 B.C.

Tamil Nadu is one of the most urbanized states of India but most of the people still live
in villages. In Tamil Nadu, there is an established caste system with traditional
differentiations a lot more pronounced than in many other parts of India. A large part of
population is confined to the Chennai (covering industrial areas, townships and the
surrounding villages) and those around Madurai, Tiruchchirappall and Coimbatore.

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About 80 percent of the people in Tamil Nadu follow Hinduism. A substantial
percentage of population in Tamil Nadu follows Christianity and Islam.

Languages Spoken in Tamil Nadu

Tamil is the official language of Tamil Nadu state and one of the 18 languages
mentioned in the eighth schedule of the Indian constitution. Tamil is one of the classical
languages of the world, with a rich heritage of literature. It is the most widely spoken
language in Tamil Nadu. Besides Tamil Nadu, Tamil is also spoken by a number of
people in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Mauritius and Malaysia. The antiquity of Tamil is
comparable to Sanskrit. Tamil is written in a derivative of the southern 'Brahmi' script.
The alphabet of Tamil is unique (phonetic). That is, in Tamil language letters represent
sounds, rather than ideas, as is the case in the 'Mandarin' language of China.

Religions in Tamil Nadu

The history and culture of Tamilnadu goes back to thousands years back. For centuries,
people of various religions have been residing in the state. The main religions in
Tamilnadu are Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Jainism. Hinduism, along with its
various sects, is the oldest religion in the state. Hindus are followers of number of
sectarian monastic institutions (called mathas).

Tamil Nadu Cuisines

Like all other South Indian states, Tamil Nadu is also known for a wide variety of
delicious food both for the vegetarians as well as the non-vegetarians. Grains, lentils,
rice and vegetables are the main ingredients of the traditional foods of Tamil Nadu.
Spices add flavor and give a distinctive taste to the Tamil cuisines. Some of the most
common and popular dishes of the region are idly, dosai, vada, pongal and Uppuma.
Coconut chutney and sambhar invariably form a part of most of the Tamil dishes.

CULTURE OF DELHI

There is nothing as a unique culture of Delhi. This is so because Delhi is the capital city
of India, where people from all over the country have come and settled. Therefore, the
culture of Delhi represents the culture of all the states of India in parts. In other words,
it is a kind of synthesis and reflection of the culture of India, as a whole. Being the
capital of India, New Delhi has also become the main center of politics, from where all
the decisions are made and policies passed. However, the city does have a history of its
own which has made some impact on its cultural scenario.

Delhi comes as a merger of the modern lifestyles as well as the old traditions and
values. On one hand, we can see the Old Delhi still living in the past to some an extent
and still upholding the values of the past. While, on the other we see culture in New

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Delhi where people have become slaves of ostentations. There is the sound the
Qawwalis of Nizamuddin Shrine, Gurbanis of Bangla Sahib and Aartis of Chattarpur
Mandir. At the same time, one can hear the loud and blaring music of pubs and
discotheques.

Still another aspect of the culture of Delhi is the numerous fairs and festivals celebrated
in the city. The Chhat Puja of Bihar is celebrated here with as much festivity as the
Durga Puja of Bengal. There is also no difference in the celebrations of the Muslim
festival of Eid-ul-Fitr and the Punjabi festival of Lohri. It is interesting to note that the
culture of Delhi also shows some influence of the people of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh and Punjab, since these states border the capital city. Last but not the least,
the various monuments of the city like the Jama Masjid, Qutub Minar, etc further add to
the culture in New Delhi, India.

It is this diversity that makes Delhi so lively and colorful. Indo-Persian art is reflected in
Jama Masjid while the Birla Temple and the Chattarpur Temple complex exude
amalgamations of North and South Indian architectural styles. Some of the famous
Gurdwaras of Delhi are Gurdwara Raquab Ganj, Sheesh Ganj and Bangla Sahib while
Churches such as St. Thomas and St. Columbus are popular places of worship for
Christians. Bahai Lotus temple is notable not only for its representation of the Bahai
way of worship in Delhi but also the splendid architectural designs. Jains and Buddhists
also have their own shrines in the city while the Tibetan monastery near the Interstate
bus terminus is representative of the Tibetan culture in India.

Arts and Crafts of Delhi

The capital of India is not only known for its rich historical background but also for
some exquisite arts and crafts. Infact, the arts and crafts of Delhi have been patronized
since the times of the royals. As a cultural center of its time, Delhi attracted the best of
painters, musicians and dancers.

Delhi Cuisine

There is no such thing as typical cuisines of Delhi. This is so because there is no specific
identity of the city. With time, people from different areas of India came and settled,
making Delhi an assortment of sorts. Slowly and gradually, Delhi assumed some of the
aspects of the identity of all the types of people living in it, making multiple identities
for itself.

Delhi People

People of Delhi, India, count amongst the most hospitable ones in India. one will find
them very helpful and cheerful, always smiling and eager to help. Just like the rest of
India, Delhi people also treat their guests with great honor and respect. Coming from

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different parts of the country as well as the world, they are multi linguistic and multi
cultural.

Delhi Religions

There are a large number of religions that are practiced in New Delhi, the capital of
India. Infact, one can say that there is hardly any religion of India that does not find a
presence in the capital city.

WAYS IN WHICH TAJ GROUP OF HOTEL DIFFER IN THEIR CULTURE IN

CHENNAI AND DELHI:

1. Ambience: when the ambience of the two hotels are taken into consideration
then we see that the ambience of new delhi has pictures and sceneries related
to the culture of north india , pictures of various kings and queens of north
India,whereas the ambience of Chennai is related to the sculptures and pictures
of kings and queens of South India.

2. Dresses: The dresses of employees especially females differ in both the hotels,
though the dress is saree ,but then the color of the saree depends upon the
color most acceptable in the region.

3. Cuisine: The cuisine is similar in both the hotels but the priority in south india is
given to dosa,idly and in north india the priority is given to parathans.

4. Festivals: In south india Onam,pongal,Natyanjali, Karthigai Deepam etc and

other festivals are celebrated in TAJ hotel ,whereas in Delhi festivals such as
lohri,Deewali,Christmas,Holi etc are given more importance.

5. Way of greeting Customers: In south india when customers visit the taj
palace hotel then they are greeted by garland and coconut water who have their
bookings done,whereas in delhi they simply say “namaste” to their customers.

6. Music: The music that is played inside the restaurants of Chennai are mainly
south Indian and there are various dances performed which are Bharat
Natyam,Kummi,kavaadi,karagattam etc once in a week,whereas in delhi there is
proper orchestra and Dj night once in a week.

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7. Language:main language of Chennai is tamil language and it should be known
by all the employees of taj hotel ,whereas the language spoken in Delhi is a
mixture of Punjabi and hindi,and therefore all the employees should know these
languages.

8. Names of the restaurants: There is a difference in the names of the

restaurants as in south india the dining has names related to south such as
southern spice,prego,golden dragon etc,whereas in delhi it has names such as
emperors longe,machan,ricks etc.