Never Give Up: Ms. Melania Parmisari

We meet some people, who we connect with instantly. One such person was Ms. Melania Parmisari. I met her at Cornell University where we did two Professional Development Programs. She came across as a great professional and a warm human being. She has been in the cruise industry for over two decades and has travelled the world, knowing a lot about different cultures and human nature as such, I was really impressed with her thoughts and vision. Also her leadership style. I thought she could be an inspiration and a mentor for people specially women who aspire to build a career in the cruise line industry. When I got in touch with Melania for an interview for the IWH, she said, “I am very glad to share my experience and opinions hoping that other women may find some of this useful and be of benefit in their path to continued success”. IWH in conversation with Ms. Parmisari, General Manager, Princess Cruises ship, the lady who believes in ‘Carpe Diem’ and ‘Never Giving Up’!

IWH: Tell us something about you, your growing up years, life through school, college etc.
Melania: I was born and raised in a small town in Northern Italy, close to the Swiss border in a touristic area where it was normal to deal with people from different countries, in our case mostly from Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. I have always been fascinated by travelling and thrilled at the opportunity of meeting people, which led me to major in foreign languages and eventually to graduate from the Milan’s college for Interpreters and Translators. As a student I took up several jobs around Europe, to improve my language knowledge whilst earning some money and enjoying meeting people. My first “real” job was as a translator in an office in Milan, but I knew this was not my thing; through some connections I had forged whilst working as a tour guide in Germany I eventually landed my first job on a cruise ship, doing river cruises in Europe, where I definitely fell in love with the hospitality business whilst fulfilling my dream of traveling and meeting people.

IWH: What made you select Hospitality as a career? Was it easy making that decision?
Melania: My first interest was actually tourism in a broader sense, which is however very closely connected to the Hospitality industry as such. I have always been dreaming of traveling and meeting people, and a profession that would allow me to combine both was my ultimate goal. As a student I worked summer jobs as a group leader and tour guide, and had the fortune of forging good relationship with the various business partners which opened my eyes to opportunities as well as eventually the one right door which allowed me to board my very first ship back in 1989. It was a small ship so I worked together with each and every other crew member, soon coming to appreciate how important everyone’s role is in achieving success. I was 21 at the time and I had not planned a career at all, but after the first year when I served as a Social Hostess I was promoted to Assistant Purser and this was the boost I needed, I never looked back!
I should also add that as a kid we used to watch the “Love Boat” series on TV and as a girl I was dreaming of becoming another “Julie”, the Cruise Director. Well… many years later I actually worked on the original Love Boat – the Pacific Princess – it was a dream come true!

IWH: What is your current role?
Melania: I am the Hotel General Manager on one of the ships from Princess Cruises. My role is similar to that of a land based Hotel Director, with a few basic differences: Contracts with partners, suppliers etc, Hiring Process, prices and products are decided at Corporate level shoreside with little to no input from onboard management, though our feedback is always appreciated when dealing with situations. Plus, our guests are with us 24/7 when the ship is at sea and most of the day when in port. We have thus a very close, prolonged contact with them and can develop good, personal relationships, whilst having to cater to all their needs at all times.

Continue reading at:

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The Free Spirited - Anagha Phadnis

Anagha and I go back to 21 years  when we were work colleagues and of course have remained friends for life. We met at the Taj Mahal Hotel Mumbai, when I was posted at the Housekeeping  for on the job training. We were three in a group, Arti, Anjali and I, who went for training to the department. We followed our own schedules consisting of both theory classes and on the job training. During lunch breaks we’d meet the lively ladies of the Housekeeping department then. They used to have so much fun, we’d envy them …. waiting to see when we could be a part of the gang and they in turn never used to leave any opportunity to pull our legs; I was the favourite…. the chosen one! They’d find ways to pull a fast one, be it my ‘perfectly draped saree’ according to them….. they’d say so much about my matching bindis. Infact my bindis and other apparels are still spoken with so much fervour, we have a good laugh whenever we think of those days. I worked at the Taj Mahal for about 4 years but the learning and Tajness is something that I have always carried with me. Anagha has kept in touch, we exchange notes and thoughts often. She has had an incredible journey with the Taj. An amazing person that she is, she is a role model to her colleagues and associates. Loved by her seniors, teams and subordinates equally. She is a star in the gatherings, her love for the mountains is also something to look up to, a passion that she has been committed to for long and it has continued to grow.

IWH in conversation with the dynamic lady Ms. Anagha Phadnis.

IWH: Tell us something about you, your growing up years, life through school, college etc.

I was born and brought up in Mumbai.  Did my schooling from ‘Nadadeep Vidyalaya’, Goregaon, in Marathi medium school. Fortunately till then education was not considered as a ‘business’ and our school was great with all senior teachers around, who felt that it was their responsibility, to not only  educate us, but also groom us to be better citizens.

After 10^th board exams, me and few of my friends started going to different colleges to see the best suitable institution for us for further studies. As a youngster I was not sure of what to do next. Somehow I was feeling that I didn’t want to do the stereotype Science, Commerce or Arts. But then ‘what to do’ was also not clear. Suddenly one suggestion came from, one friend’s father, to check ‘Home science stream at SNDT College at Juhu, Mumbai. And we went to see it. I fell in love with the college campus. Huge campus, hostel building, three grounds, modern facilities, smart girls and teachers around, lovely laboratories. Suddenly felt some connect with it. Then we read the syllabus and understood the course. A couple of contacts also gave  references of some professors there, and I decided to join the home science stream for my higher studies.

I had to put in a lot of hard work in the college since there were no tuitions and no Google to help; 80% of our submissions were presentations and references. We had to sit in the library for hours to get presentations going. But I loved it since this was my type of learning, mugging up and only studying from books was not my idea of learning. Along with studies, I got addicted to trekking. Every 2/3 months I would crave for mountains. That was a big learning canvas in my life. People are very genuine in the mountains.  I also started working with theatre group for intercollegiate competitions. Both these activities were shaping up my personality unknowingly and I was thoroughly enjoying it all.  My work efficiency was at peak in those years, I was managing submissions, attending classes, exams, theatre and trekking all at the same time. I guess work life balance of my hotel career must have come from there!

During last three years of our graduation we had to select the major subjects and I chose Hospitality Management and Consumer Studies. This was my beginning in the service industry.

IWH:What made you select Hospitality as a career? Was it easy making that decision?

As said earlier it was a pure accidental decision to go for home science. I chose hospitality for my major studies since I liked subjects like interior designing etc. No one in my family had ever got anything to do with  5 Star hotels, hence no one was there to advise me on this. As a part of college internship I got training at the iconic ‘Taj Mahal hotel.’ The new glamorous world attracted me and my decision was fixed after my internship with Taj.

IWH:  What is your current role?

I am currently working as Executive Housekeeper at the Taj Santacruz, Mumbai.

IWH: How has your hospitality journey been so far? Pros, cons etc.?

My journey of 24 years in hospitality has been with Taj and it’s wonderful. I am extremely proud to work with such a noble brand like the TATA.  Taj has been a family now. I worked with only one company so far but got opportunity to work on many different projects like opening ‘Taj Club’ Taj Mahal Mumbai. Did a lot of renovations at the Palace and Tower wing as well as a few restaurants and other public areas. That gave me good knowledge and I worked as a pre-opening team member for two other hotels of Taj and operated it further, successfully. I also opened Imperial club by Taj, a small project of club. These are few to name.

Of course hospitality industry  has its own merits and de merits like every industry. Let’s talk about positives first as we always do….it’s great fun to work in operational department since each day is different with full of activities. There is learning every day in communicating, convincing people, getting the work done through them, teaching them and much more. You learn the latest trends , meet great people and celebrities, gather some unthinkable moments. Its amazing to learn from millennials about their expectations from career  as well life.

Talking about some cons, work life balance is much a challenge here. But if you have a great support team like we have at the Taj, then everything gets managed well. Long working hours and constantly being on the helping end for others can be taxing at times.

IWH: Who has been your mentor or a role model? In what way has that person helped you?

There is no one mentor as such, but every single lady I have worked with, right from the general manager to room attendant has taught me something. Every lady working in this industry makes me think that if she can do this or manage this why can’t I? All my bosses at the Taj were having great knowledge and personality and I have learnt something from each one of them. Like one of my ex boss used to say that even a worst person has at least one quality which we can learn. I learnt different skills from different people Ms. Shirin Batliwala, Ms. Celine D’souza, Ms. Saldanha, Mrs. Rege, Ms. Fiwiger, Ms. Zornerger,  Mrs. Bakshi, Mrs. Mahadik, Mrs. Nagar, Ms. A Matcheswala ,Mrs. Singh were a few to name, but there are many more like all you friends. Not only these great ladies but all my general managers were also great source of energy and learning.

IWH: What have been the high points of your career? Highlight at least 3.

Difficult to pick any as such however I think best  as

1. When I was pregnant and still worked till 3 days before delivery. This was only possible because of the trust of my bosses at that time and great team. While working hard, the team took care of me like family.

2. When I moved to the Taj Wellington Mews as a pre opening team member. I had immense learning and very different learning than my experience in Taj Mahal. Pre-opening is a must experience to all.

3. When I first became head of the department. Of course you feel a sense of achievement then.

4.  I did my masters, 10 years after graduation.  I was feeling the need to update myself with the latest knowledge. When I did my masters, my daughter was 1.5 yrs. And it was only possible to study then, with the support of my Taj team and my family.

IWH: What challenges have you faced as a woman in the industry? How did you deal with them?

I do not think in today’s day and world there are any challenges which you face specifically because you are woman. There are few challenges in general, and not as a woman, however you may feel it more as woman, being more sensitive. I think work life balance it the first and foremost. Men and women both have this issue but unfortunately we feel more stress of this. Attending school open days, unwell family members, helping kids with their homework projects etc. gets challenging. Also if are emergencies in the families. I recommend that every lady should have her own support system which might consist of  parents, other close relatives, friends, Maids etc. they can reach few places in given situations in place of you and be a saviour. Very important is not to act like superwomen and challenge yourself to do everything by yourself. It’s absolutely ok if you are not best on all fronts at the same time. Be best where its required at that point. Decide your priorities and sometimes you will have to give more importance to family and sometimes to work. 

That could be actually reason for having less ladies on Top most leadership roles. Unfortunately you don’t see many ladies in our industry who have managed personal and professional life well, one has to choose either/ or.

Working in this ever demanding industry can really get on to you and best way to deal with this is to have your own world. By ‘own world’ I mean your hobbies, likes and your passions. With my career I continued with my passion of trekking and travelling. Each year I make sure that we as a family explore at least one new place on this earth. I plan all my trips on my own, do a lot of study about the place, travel arrangements, stays etc. on my own and never hire agency for it. That gives us real quality time to spend with each other  and unwinding from our busy routine.

IWH: If there was anything that you could change about your life or career what would that be?

If I could change something, I think I will choose to take more risks than I did it in the past. Somehow due to many reasons I could not do this but given a choice again I would take smaller risks like changing city for better opportunities or changing departments in initial stages to learn more.

IWH: What do you think of IWH?

IWH is great idea that came from Laxmi. The response is unbelievable and she is such an incredible person, so full of life and positivity.  She has created some amazing stories and brought out the life and times of stalwarts that not many common people knew about, like Ms. Camellia Panjabi and Ms. Shirin Batliwala. Great work ….keep going…it’s a nice platform to share, learn and get noticed.

IWH: Your advice to the young professionals and students.

I am working more with millennials now a days and I notice that their way of living and expectations are very different from us at that age and time. Their energy, enthusiasm, knowledge, exposure and understanding is probably much better than what we had. My only advice would be to have patience and work hard . ‘There are no free lunches’ so you will need to earn it.  Unless you get your hands dirty initially, the foundation will not be strong, don’t hesitate to work in any area.

Read The Full Story Here: http://www.theiwh.com/the-free-spirited-ms-anagha-phadnis/

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Life comes full circle!

My association with Bianca goes back to more than 24 years, we have been batch mates at IHM Mumbai and then Batch mates at the Taj Management Training Program, we worked as colleagues there for over 3 years. Then we got the offer from our alma mater to join onboard as faculty, we both deliberated over that, she decided to move to Australia for higher studies and then ultimately settle there and I chose to take the offer and get into teaching, learning and development. We moved organizations and job profiles but have been in touch all through. What I have seen about Bianca is her affable nature and very pleasant personality.

She connects with all at equal levels, making friends and associations wherever she goes. She is a role model to many, a thorough professional, a doting wife and a loving mother to her two children. She is a great leader who motivates her teams to give their very best- Always! She works with many nationalities but manages her work and teams very well. She is a training school in herself, her extremely supporting husband Andre and two children complete her world. I thought it would be great to hear her inspiring story and she obliged. Here’s Bianca’s story.

Having grown up in Dahanu, India , as a little girl I was always fascinated by hotels whenever we visited Bombay and I think I was 10 or 11 when mum and dad took us to Gateway of India. That’s when I saw the Taj Mahal Hotel and said to myself “one day I could work here.”

Back then it was only a dream....

Read The Full Story Here: http://www.theiwh.com/life-comes-full-circle-ms-bianca-desouza/

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I can and I will - Ms. Daruwala

"I can and I will"- Here's the story of a woman who believed that nothing was impossible if one had put his or heart to it. She'll remain an inspiration to generations of hospitality professionals for her exceptional work and life.  If ever there was a woman in the hospitality industry who consistently re-created herself and pushed towards excellence; it would be Ms. Bachi Daruwala (1932-1988) who dedicated decades of her professional life to the Taj, empowering herself and others by creating opportunities for growth.

She started as an executive secretary at the Taj Hotels and was among the first to push the profession, one predominantly held by women stuck in a back office, into the limelight. She not only represented the secretaries at Taj but in fact all secretaries in India at the Asian Conference of Professional Secretaries in the Philippines in 1976. She brought clout and prominence to the role played by secretaries in the smooth functioning of the industry.

She soon realized how skilled she was at public relations and created a role for herself as VIP Coordinator. She was the iconic first face many dignitaries and celebrities from around the globe met and interacted with when they arrived at the Taj. She re-invented what came to be known as the Taj Touch or the white glove experience that was synonymous with Taj hospitality.

Ms. Daruwala knew right from the start that if the entire organization was to continue to provide service that went above-and-beyond, everyone in the organization needed to be trained with an eye towards detailed and meticulous service. She once again switched roles and took on the task of leading the company's training and development In this capacity, she lead regular training seminars and hands-on sessions for all staff -- from perfection in making a well-folded bed to bringing in top chefs from around the world to collaborate with kitchen staff. She introduced the professional staff and executives at Taj to a variety of organizational behavior and development concepts and paved the way for excellence in management.It is said that the mind once stretched by a new idea never returns to its original dimensions. She was among the most forward-thinking and gutsy women in the industry. Liked by many and respected by all, she lead the way for so many women and men at the hotel to find their path, shine, and succeed in their chosen endeavours. She was truly exceptional and loved by all.

Ms. Zaver Sepoy who worked with her says, "I had the honour of working with Ms. Daruwala who was a wonderful human being. So kind yet so much in command, I can see those qualities in her children and I can say that she'd have been proud to see them." Her work and dedication was missed at the Taj.
Ms. Vanaja Rajan another colleague of hers adds, "I was truly fortunate to have started my career working with Bachi and I learnt a lot from her. Even now I try to practice her work ethics in the way I handle my work and to this day I am still in awe of her efficiency. Bachi was an amazing person".

Ms. Shirin Batliwala who was the first woman to work in the Food and Beverage department and who went on the become the GM of the hotel, is a role model to hospitality professionals said, "When I joined the hotel, we all were scared of her as she was secretary to Mr Kerkar. But I got to truly know her as a warm hearted person when she switched roles to training. I still remember she used to say “never assume anything because when you do, you make a ass out of you and me (a/ass/u/me)".

The Early Life

Bachi Burjorji Batliwala was born to Mrs. Pilu and Mr. Burjorji Batliwala. She did her schooling from the Dastur School in Poona. She was a Girl Guide during her school days, was selected to go to Delhi to participate in an Independence Day parade.  She was also chosen to deliver a speech at the post event function. There she met Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru, Ms. Vijaylaxmi Pandit and Ms. Indira Gandhi,  she took their autographs a tiny book that she cherished as a prized possession.
At the age of 17 she would ride her uncle's 400 cc Norton motorcycle on the quiet streets of Poona, believing in the fact that there was nothing a man could do that a woman could not.
Her father Mr. Burjorji Batliwala, was an avid photographer. But his favourite hobby was crocheting and seeing this she also believed that there was nothing a man shouldn’t do that only a woman usually did. Speaks so much about the conditioning and thought processes that she developed as a young lady.
The one piece of advice she gave freely was, "Do whatever you want to do in life, be a barber if you must, but strive to be the best at it". Success to her was not a measure of how much money you made but by your skill and moral character. Her extreme kindness and generosity to all was ingrained in her by examples of her grandfather the philanthropist Khan Bahadur Ardeshir Hormusji Mama of Karachi.

From April 1974 to May 1976 she served as the President of NIPS (National Institute of Personal Secretaries). In 1976 she led a delegation to the 2nd Congress of Secretaries in Asia, in Bangkok.
At the time she was working at the Taj Mahal Hotel as a secretary to Mr. Ajit Kerkar. Some years later she was promoted as the VIP coordinator for the hotel.

In her late 40's she decided to go back to studying and earned an MA degree by correspondence from the Osmania University. After this she joined the HR & Manpower team at the Taj as Training Coordinator, working alongside her colleagues Mr.V. Mahesh and Ms. Ramola Mahajani.
She did a very basic school education in Pune and came to Bombay (Mumbai) to study secretarial services — basic typing and short-hand dictation. She did not receive any formal advanced education, she was self taught and always tried to read up on new ideas and learn from them.
It was in Bombay that she met and married Mr. Noshir Daruwala (NBD). They both served many years at the Taj. Back in those days, Ms. Bachi Daruwala, Ms.Elizabeth Kerkar, and Ms. Mona Chawla became a trio of women who supported each other and paved the way for other women to thrive and succeed. They lead by examples and were crusaders of empowerment.

Ms. Bachi and Mr. Noshir Daruwala have two children - a son Pallon and daughter Nilloufer (Nikki). I am grateful to them for sharing with me some facts and insights from their mother Ms. Bachi Daruwala’s  life. Also, a few valuable pictures that they allowed me to use in this story. This is a tribute to her and the legacy that she has left behind. I am extremely honoured to have been able to cover a few aspects of her life.

Attached photos:
- 1976 when she represented Taj and India at the Asia Conference of Secretaries.
- 1977 with JRD Tata
- 1988 (the year she died) with her close friend Liz Kerkar of Taj.
-  Conducting a training session
-  Delivering a speech at the Scouts and Guides meet at New Delhi.

Read the Full Story Here: http://www.theiwh.com/ms-bachi-daruwala/

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