PROFILE -- 4:

VIBHAKAR PROMOTING HERITAGE & HISTORY 

BY P S SUNDAR

What do King Edward VII, the then Prince of Wales, Harold Robins, the famous fiction writer, David Lean. Famous film Director (remember Dr Zhivago) and P Vibhakar have in common?

Taj Savoy Hotel, Ooty.

The King, the writer and the Director are among the famous personalities who had stayed at this hotel and hence added to its rich collection of historical documentation.

As General Manager of this prestigious hotel, Vibhakar has presented this rich history and the heritage associated with them and others to the Government of India’s Ministry of Tourism helping the property win the renewal of “Heritage Grand” title in April 2016.   So, Taj Savoy Hotel Ooty will enjoy the coveted classification of “Heritage Grand” for four years from now which is renewable thereafter.

What does this mean?  The Government classifies hotels into ‘Star Category’ and there are six such categories up to 5 Star Deluxe.   In the mountainous Nilgiris district, it is not possible to go into or beyond Four Star despite many top-standard facilities.  That’s where the Government’s another classification based on ‘Heritage Category’ counts a lot.  Heritage Basic, Heritage Classic and Heritage Grand are the three prestigious categories in this rising order.     

“Taj Savoy Hotel is the first in the country to win ‘Heritage Grand’ and even now, only 11 hotels, most of them in North India, have been able to get this title.   This title is equivalent to ‘Five Star’ rating”, said Vibhakar.

“We had to fulfil a plethora of parameters and present our case convincingly to the team which came for on-the-spot assessment.   It is a great honour to team with Vibhakar in this endeavour”, D Antony Gerald, Human Resources Manager of Taj group of hotels in the Nilgiris, told me.

Vibhakar is leading a team of 68 employees in various levels at Savoy which has 6.5 acres in its possession.  More importantly, he has the responsibility to balance business with heritage because each of the 40 rooms in the hotel has a piece of history and heritage.  On the one hand, the heritage concept of the buildings has to be maintained for that is what attracts the guests to the property; on the other, modern comforts will have to be provided to help the guests enjoy a pleasant sojourn. People like to see age-old buildings but want to stay in contemporary comfort !

“We fulfil exactly this dual requirement.  The history of this hotel dates back to 1829 and to mark this, we retain this first building for guests’ stay as “The Garden Cottage”.  The exterior has the original ancient look of 187 years old but well maintained.  The interior is modern to suit guests’ comfort – flooring, bathroom, TV, amenities etc.   What is important is that we have retained the fireplace, huge mirror, adjunct rooms for dressing and privacy besides the bedroom and veranda.  So, practically, the guests stay in a house, not a room!”, Vibhakar rightly detailed.

This is the case with all the 40 rooms as also the main hotel building built in 1838.  I saw a round Bridge table with four drawers used by the British, all chairs, tables and cots crafted in those days, an ancient piano in the restaurant – all well maintained.  Even the glass panes and the doors take one into nostalgia.

Vibhakar is a proven lover of plants.  I enjoyed walking with him in the well-laid out gardens when he introduced to me the gardeners.   He explained the types, varieties, families as also the history or origin of many plants.  Years ago, the hotel’s garden was a sight-seeing place in Ooty and even today, it remains so with the visitors!

To create contemporariness, he has erected a Selfie-frame in the garden where guests enjoy taking selfies!   After all, having worked for the Taj for 31 years now in various capacities in different properties, Vibhakar should certainly know the pulse of guests.

Yes, 31 years in this group having begun his career in 1985 at Taj residency in Bangalore which included a two-year stint at Taj Sheba in Yemen and opening of Manjarun Hotel in Mangalore.   He became a General Manager in 2006 at Varkala in Kerala and moved into Savoy Ooty in 2011.

Front office management has been core function but he excels in overall management at Savoy with accent on improving the infrastructure and introducing ethnic varieties for enhancement of guests’ pleasure.   Cases in point for this are his introduction of weaving traditional shawls by Toda tribe women on the corridors of Savoy, the ethnic regional food cuisine in the restaurant to represent authentic food of Badagas, the predominant community of the Nilgiris and the live counter handled by a Badaga housewife.

“I am now working on introducing Anglo-Indian cuisine because Anglo-Indians have constituted a great share in the Nilgiri life over the years”, Vibhakar told me.

His encouragement of staff for skill enhancement is another highlight.  For the first time in the history of Nilgiri hotels, a staff member of Savoy has entered the Managing Directors’ Club.  Joseph Jayaraj, a chef of Savoy, has now returned from Mumbai with the coveted award received from MD Rakesh Sarana.

Another chef M Arogyanathan now stands motivated at Savoy to introduce to  guests authentic Chinese dishes as Vibhakar has identified his interest and talent and given him the necessary training from Chinese chefs at Bangalore.

“Savoy is among the most preferred destinations for discerning travellers and we are working on providing value-addition through history and culture to the visitors”, summed up the soft-spoken 58-year-old Taj professional that Vibhakar is.   

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)