This is a black and white photograph of the old wing of Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai. It depicts the grand building in all glory. I photographed it at dawn, with a hint of pink still visible in the sky. There are no distractions in the foreground, which gets quite crowded during the day. The Taj Mahal Palace hotel welcomed the first 17 guests on 16 December 1903. It offered 30 private suites cum apartments and 350 double and single rooms, with the best in luxury and technology. It was patronised by Europeans, Indian Maharajahs and Princes and other elite gentry. During the freedom movement and when India gained independence, it also hosted luminaries like Mohamed Ali Jinnah, Sarojini Naidu, Mohandas K Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, and foreign visitors Aldous Huxley and Somerset Maugham who were supportive of the movement.