Regular fire drills for all 1, 300 people who work at the Oberoi and the adjoining Tridenthotel certainly saved lives: During the first two hours the staff, familiar with all the exits, guided 200 guests to safety.
To build the Oberoi Sheraton (now known as the Trident) in 1972, the first rival to the opulent Taj hotel, he reclaimed land under water in the Bay of Bombay.