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the-south-asian.com September 2000 |
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Page 3 of 3 RAI BAHADUR M.S. OBEROI A Century Of Hospitality
Manager Clarke was a fiercely ambitious man. He had made a small fortune in England before taking up the prestigious appointment at the Hotel Cecil. When he came to know that Hotel Carlton on the Mall was on sale, he summoned all his financial resources and bought it. The first two things he did after the purchase were to re-name it as Hotel Clarke and coax Mohan to leave Hotel Cecil and come to Clarke as the manager. Guests poured in and the season's houseful board went up even before the summer had begun. Within a year Oberoi had become a working partner in the hotel. Four years into running the hotel, fortune came calling at Oberoi's doorstep all over again. Clarke's wife fell very ill and prevailed upon her husband to return to England for good. He offered the hotel to Oberoi for Rs. 20,000. At today's prices, a modest sum, but a king's ransom in the thirties. There was no way Oberoi could have raised that sum. But hope flickered like a candle in his mind. If only he could...If only he could. He spent sleepless nights conjuring up schemes of somehow getting his hands on Rs. 20,000. Wife Ishran Devi seeing the turmoil in his life went quietly to a jeweller with all her valuables. The gold weighed 30 tolas (a little over an ounce) which at Rs. 15 a tola those days fetched her just Rs. 450. Far short of the Rs. 20,000 in demand. That night Ishran Devi had a brainwave. Why not ask Oberoi's village uncle Khanchand Kapur for a loan. After all, he had retired from the Indian Provincial Services and had gone on to become Dewan and Prime Minister to several royalties because of his excellent administrative abilities. When they reached Nahan the elderly uncle, always fond of Oberoi, now became even more proud of him. Here was a young man risen from the roots who was vying with the 'gora' sahibs. Khanchand Oberoi willingly loaned him Rs. 20,000---a small sum considering his enormous wealth. On August 14, 1934, Mohan Singh Oberoi became the 'sole, absolute and exclusive owner of Hotel Clarke, The Mall, Simla. The miracle happened a day before his thirty fifth birthday. As his daughter Rajrani gave him a kiss for his achievement, Oberoi whispered in her ear, " I have just begun. By the time you grow up, wherever you go there will be an Oberoi hotel!" Seven years later Oberoi was to acquire the Associated Hotels of India (AHI) which owned the Cecil and Corstophans in Simla, the Maidens and the Imperial in Delhi and a hotel each in Lahore, Murree, Peshawar. He then went on to buy Flashmans---the first hotel he had ever seen in his life in Rawalpindi. By the time the British left India, Oberoi had become the first Indian to run a hotel chain in the country. In 1965, he opened the first five-star international hotel in India at Delhi, besides launching flight catering operations and a travel agency. He also converted dilapidated palaces, historical monuments and buildings into premium hotels. In 1962 and 1972 he was elected to the Rajya Sabha. He was also elected to the Lok Sabha in 1968. To place his group on the world map, he exported management expertise to Australia, Egypt and Singapore, besides taking over properties overseas. His entrepreneurship has ensured nine of his properties a place in the "Leading Hotels of the World". Rai Bahadur M S Oberoi, who turned 101 on August 15, 2000, is today credited with changing the idiom for hospitality in the country. In 1969, he started his first international venture, The Soaltee Oberoi in Nepal. In 1973 he set up the Oberoi Towers in Bombay. The chain has 28 hotels now, 14 in India and 14 abroad. A native of the obscure Punjabi hamlet of Bhaun, Oberoi went on to become India's most "exclusive hotelier" as he was called by none other than the late J.R.D Tata. When he was honoured with the Newsweek Award in 1977 for making significant contributions to the world of business, the editor asked what motivated him to become one of the biggest hoteliers in the world, Oberoi replied, ``The idea was never merely to make money. The compulsion was to think big, always to offer the best and let it happen. Name, fame and profits would automatically come in.'' _____________________
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