Bangalore’s Taj West End Celebrates125 years
By kamla bhatt • Dec 31st, 2012Category: Bangalore, Featured, India, Life
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Bangalore’s Taj West End Hotel turned 125 years old in 2012. This iconic Bangalore hotel is perhaps one of the oldest hotels in India. Established in 1887, the Westend was initially known as Mrs. Bronson’s Boarding House and had 10 beds. The original building where the boarding house was located is still intact and is home to a high-end spa at the West End.
The understated and classic hotel with its traditional monkeytop roof has hosted guests like the Raja of Chettinad; Devika Rani, the first lady of Indian cinema; Winston Churchill, Dilip Kumar, a well-known Hindi film actor, Amitabh Bachchan and others. British filmmaker David Lean shot part of his film “The Passage to India” at the West End.
What was the West End like in the 1950s? Mrs. Iris Clark (86), who worked at the Taj West End for over 30 years takes us back to the Westend of the 1950s and shares some fond memories of the hotel, when the cost of a single room was less than Rs. 20.
Related Links:
A series of Bangalore Special podcasts from the 1930s to the 21stc
Kamla Bhatt is the host and producer of an Internet Radio show where listeners can find stories about the new and emerging India and the global Indian community. As a pioneer of 'internet radio' format in India Kamla started her first show News about India, followed by TalkNewsIndia in 2005. In 2006 she premiered her new show: The Kamla Bhatt Show: Life, People and Ideas. 
