Chef Hemant Oberoi talks Mumbai 2008

Gulf News

Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/2KLvFUY  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos  Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  Hemant Oberoi became emblematic of humanity and compassion worldwide when he helped dozens of hotel guests to safety during the events of November 2008 in Mumbai at the iconic Taj Palace Hotel.  #GulfNews #India #Mumbai #TajPalaceHotel #MumbaiTerrorAttack

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00:00At the time of, you know, intense duress, I can't even imagine the kind of stress you

00:07must have been through.

00:08Have you…

00:09There's no stress.

00:10I know, hospitality, it's like, you know, what every educational institute or culinary

00:16school must have taught you, that guests are king, they…

00:20Nobody teaches you anything.

00:22It is your presence of mind in those situations.

00:28Those situations are totally different in life.

00:32It is your instinct, it is your duty towards the human cause, to save human lives.

00:41For us, the only thing we learnt, and we passed it on to others was, guest is God, he's

00:48come to your house, you have to save his life.

00:52That's it.

00:53You put that to actually to, you know, it sounds great on paper, but to translate it

00:57into an actual thing, it's not easy these days, right?

01:01People are selfish.

01:02You care for your own life more than ahead of others, but you didn't, which is in a

01:06way…

01:07Why should you?

01:08Let the 300 people's lives be saved first.

01:12Their lives are more important.

01:13But did you come out stronger though, when you look back on it?

01:17Much, much, much, much more stronger.

01:20I had vowed that in 21 days, we will reopen all our restaurants.

01:24Nine restaurants, right?

01:25And you did.

01:26We did it.

01:27Is that your, in a way, you know, your way of showcasing triumph of human spirit versus

01:34any kind of calamity?

01:36This was man-made, of course, but…

01:37Yes.

01:38No, no, no.

01:39We wanted to send a message loud and clear that we won't be cowed down with these terrorist

01:45activities.

01:46We'll come back very strongly.

01:49In fact, I did my son's wedding, was the first banquet, which took place after the

01:54attack.

01:55But you are also a risk taker.

01:56If I've noticed it, after that episode, you seem to have taken more risk.

01:59Am I just reading it all wrong?

02:01I don't know you, but I know you from the profiles I read.

02:05If you don't take risk in life, what is a life?

02:08There's no challenge.

02:10I'm not a follower.

02:13Either be a leader and be ahead of people, or me too, I have not learned.

02:23Me too, it doesn't work.

02:25Me too, you're standing in the queue.

02:27You're one amongst the many.

02:29So you have to stand out.

02:31You have to take initiative, you have to be ahead of others.

02:35That's what all my life I did with the Taj Group.

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