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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The Food Technologist Chetali Shah

Being from a kutchi-gujarati community, it was difficult for a girl to even think about working post-graduation as they were expected to marry guys who have family businesses and limit themselves to kitchens. This was about more than a decade ago, obviously the scenario has changed now but I am glad my parents thought differently. While bringing up all the three daughters and a son, they did not differentiate based on our gender; we were all treated equally and provided with equal opportunity to become independent. I was the lucky one to have two elder sisters who guided me on my career front. Learning from their experience, they advised me against taking the Commerce stream and opt for a professional course, which will help me develop a career.

Being good with studies and scoring well in SSC led me to choose the science stream. Like every other student, I was in dilemma what to choose post HSC, given the plethora of career options available. At that time, I had seen my neighbour work in a five star hotel as a hygiene manager and the kind of work she did in hygiene and food safety excited me a lot and I followed her footsteps of choosing food technology as a specialisation course to pursue my career in.

Read the Full Story Here: http://www.theiwh.com/the-journey-of-a-food-technologist-ms-chetali-shah/
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Odette Mascarenhas- The Goan at heart!

A graduate from the Dadar Catering College Ms. Odette Mascarenhas joined the Taj as a management trainee. She grew with the organization spending 18 years with them and then branched out on her own as a Management Consultant. She has made valuable contributions to the hospitality Industry and continues her journey in the hospitality sector, food being the centre of her focus- as a TV host, Columnist, Food critic and Author. This is her story.

The Early Life

Ms. Odette Mascarenhas did her schooling from the Convent of Jesus and Mary Byculla, Mumbai. She was a 'good' student, sports was what really 'excited' her...but those were the days when 'Engineers' and 'doctors' were considered to be the milestones for every family. Her parents being 'old schooled,  were very happy that she was selected for the Science stream, and she as happy for their sake (being the eldest in the family). Her creative way of writing was not appreciated as her parents put it- journalism was not 'paying'. Unfortunately her heart was not in it and she did not make the grade to get into medicine. She was disillusioned and her parents only comment was 'Join the Catering College, learn to cook and find a husband'. We are talking about the 70's here!

So she joined the Dadar Catering College and was accepted by Taj. Her parents believed as many did during that time that working in a hotel was not a 'clean' job for a girl. But they accepted it. With her dad getting her picked up if she had a late shift. Perhaps their dream did come through because she met her husband at the Taj!

The Hospitality Career

Selected by the Taj Mahal Bombay in 1979, she opted for Food & Beverage Service despite being warned that it was not a place for young women during that time. Within a span of 3 years she worked her way to taking charge of the Banquet Office of the prestigious Taj. Her work singled her out as she had taken all duties assigned (even night duty) at the different outlets, Shamiana, Golden Dragon, Tanjore and the Rendezvous which was the hotel’s unique supper Club and the employees posted there had to be selected after careful evaluation.

Her next assignment which she earned because of her experiences was to take over the Food & Beverage Department at the Taj Fisherman’s Cove (Mahaballipuram- Madras) in 1984. It was one of her greatest challenges. The hotel was 40 kms away from the city, governments were not very stable during that period, getting trained staff was a major issue due to the distance and procurement of fresh produce from the city (except seafood) took a lot of planning. With the help of her team (who she personally trained), the hotel hosted all the big conferences in Madras, with outdoor conferences of over 1000 people becoming a norm. Her team catered to the likes of Mohammed Ali, Jacqueline Onassis, Adnan Khashogi and even the foreign cricket teams who would spend their ‘rest day’ in the hotel. She set up the beach side restaurant called Bay View Point which even today draws in crowds from the city.

After a tenure of six years with Fisherman’s Cove, she with her husband was transferred to the Taj Goa in 1990. With both husband and wife working in hotel operations and having a 6 year old child, they had to plan their logistics on the home front. It was not possible to give quality time to the child with the couple spending long hours at work so she took a transfer into the administrative department, she was appointed as the The Group Training Manager for Goa. It was the first training department outside the corporate in Mumbai (Bombay then) and she was entrusted to set it up from scratch. She initiated the Assessment centre, the HMT and HOT training center where young college graduates were trained for various skills before being transferred to different Taj hotels in India.
In 1997, after having completed 18 fruitful and empowering years with the Taj she decided to call it a day. But branched out into opening her own Management Consultancy with Training as it’s core focus. OnM Creative Consultants was the first company in Goa which offered development of skill sets to all operating departments in Hotels. From North to the South of Goa all hotels including some boutique hotels availed her expertise and services. As the organization began to grow, she used her skills to offer workshops on Behavioral Skills Applications. With this she moved to the Manufacturing Units too with a client base of over 40 multinationals all over India.

Ms. Mascarenhas is the curator for Food as ‘Art’ for the Serendipity Arts festival held every year in Goa. She is also the Food critic for the Times of India in Goa till date and is the author of the Times food guide since 2012.  She has hosted her own local TV ‘food’ series on Goa 365 and also International TV shows with celebrity Chefs Vikas Khanna, David Rocco, and Ranbeer Brar to promote Goan cuisine internationally.
Besides writing book - 8 so far of different genres, she is the co founder of the Goan Culinary Club, which preserves the authenticity of Goan cuisine researching long lost recipes. Her work with food has made her interaction with hospitality centers her core focus and she has been awarded many times for the work done in this field.

Awards and Accolades

In 2003 on seeing the film made by the Taj Mahal Hotel on the first Indian Executive Chef Miguel Arcanjo Mascarenhas, she decided to write a case study on his life. That story impacted her to such an extent that at the end of her research it was finally made into a book. Rejected by many publishers, she took on the mantle of self publishing it with her husband Joe Mascarenhas (son of the famed chef). The book Masci  The Man behind the Legend won the ‘Special Jury award 2008’ at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Paris, the very same award that was won by Julia Childs (of the Julie and Julia movie fame) in the year 1993.
Not ready to rest on her laurels she penned more food books with The Culinary Heritage of Goa winning the Gourmand Award in Yangtai China (2015) for historical recipes competing globally with 205 countries for the Best in the World for Historical recipes.
Her other awards besides the gourmand include

• National ‘Unsung Young Entrepreneur’ initiative of CNBC TV 18 and Lufthansa.
• Certificate of Appreciation for commendable literary work by Goa Chamber of Commerce.
• Goa Woman of the Decade (Achievers award) - Woman’s Economic forum
• Orchid Award 2017 for Women Achievers in the field of Art and Culture
• The Goan Foodie for best Critic
• Trinity Medallion for outstanding contribution towards Goan cuisine presented by the Chief Minister of Goa

IWH in conversation with Ms. Mascarenhas

What have been the high points of your career? 
It was when my work was appreciated and a challenge put before me. I was Banquet Manager (Office) at Taj Mahal Bombay when I got a call from Mr. Kerkars Office in 1983. During my 'one on one' meeting with him he shared the fact that he and Mrs. Kerkar were unhappy about the fact the Fisherman's Cove (Madras) was not doing well and might be sold. He wanted my husband and me to do something about it and hence we were being transferred there. Leaving a set life in Bombay should have been 'frightening'. I had a six months old baby but the 'challenge' proved irresistible. It took us five years to turn the place around with hard work and determination. But it was worth it when we heard Mr. Kerkar say...you both have done a super job where would you like to move to next.
I guess I have always risen to a challenge and that was what gave me a 'high'. Like setting up the Training department, despite skepticism (idea was new) or a rejection from a publisher. If they can do why can’t I (self publishing). It was the 'achievement' that were my 'high points'

What challenges have you faced as a woman in the industry?
Working in Food & Beverage in the 80's did not really gain acceptance in the male dominated scenario. It was easier at The Taj overall, but in restaurants during operations there were paradigm shifts in mindsets that had to be managed. For example a girl was normally expected to handle the entrance, seating guests etc. We really had to make our colleagues aware that we could manage other areas too. Or the fact that duty charts were normally expected to be done by the Asst Manager of the restaurant at that time, mostly male (1979). They could not believe that we were capable of handling it or disciplining the wash up area staff. 'You should have brought it to our notice' I would be told. We were in a 'hands down' area of operation not administrative; we had to show our worth. I was told by the Asst Manager that he was asked to look after me when I did a fortnight of night duty at the Shamiana, the coffee shop; as I wanted to learn about the operations. It was nice and caring, but a way of life then!
Years later when I started my Management Consultancy and moved into the Manufacturing hub, I was constantly reminded that this was a job for men; “you don’t know the type of workmen we have” I would be told. But as I said 'challenges' always stimulated me, even this was taken heads on.

What do you think of IWH? 
I think that it is a great platform to share, stimulate and get people to understand their own latent dreams and work towards achieving them.

Your advice to the young professionals and students:
It's in you to make things happen. Accept all challenges; you will feel the exhilaration of achievement. And in this competitive world, do not wait for things to come your way, use your skills....the first few steps might be tough but in the end you win.

Read The Full Story Here: http://www.theiwh.com/ms-odette-mascarenhas/

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The Uncommon People!

They say to grow one needs support and bandwidth, Benaifer has been that in the journey of the IWH, Indian Women in hospitality. She brings in a lot of positivity, enthusiasm and energy on the board. The lady who has worked her way and contributed immensely to the growth of the organizations that she has been a part of.  She heads sales and marketing in her current role, travelling is a passion for her. I can say that a lot of her wisdom comes from that passion. IWH in conversation with Ms. Benaifer Kapadia.

IWH:  Tell us something about you, your growing up years, life through school, college etc
They say “learning is not a spectator sport”. I am a learner till date. I believe “Experience” is the most brutal of all teachers. But you learn & that’s how you grow as a better individual. I have always been an above average student (academically). Coming from an all girls convent alma mater, where rolling your socks down was considered offensive, to the much forward thinking college phase, where bunking was my mandatory right (I did not exercise that much though!) to the hustle and bustle of corporate life... it has been a semi circle! Each phase is and was a learning curve. And it is here where I quote my favourite learning which is “To Be Old and Wise, You must be Young & Stupid!”... I trust I am over being stupid (it’s a habit hard to break for most individuals) and continue being Young!! Old and Wise is yet to come!


IWH:  What made you select Hospitality as a career? Was it easy making that decision?
My inclination to be a part of the hospitality industry started from college. By education I am a Bachelor of Commerce with Honors in Travel & Tourism Management. To be honest, I wanted to avoid a subject that is dear to most of us - “taxation”! Enrolling for travel and tourism was not all hunky dory! Like any other subject I had to prove my eligibility for it. I was always intrigued to educate myself on & about Indian tourism, world socio-economics in hospitality, diverse cultures, languages, maps, people engagement and food and beverage. It is inspiring to note that inspite of the vast disparity in economy, tourism sector contributes 4.6% to the GDP growth of India and successfully continues to grow in near future.

Read the Full Interview: http://www.theiwh.com/the-uncommon-people-ms-benaifer-kapadia/

Website: http://www.theiwh.com/