User:Ishanikanadia/sandbox

= Karambir Singh Kang =

= Introduction = On 26 November 2008, Wednesday a group of 10 terrorists attacked Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. One of their targets was a beautiful Taj Mahal Palace Hote l in south Mumbai. They attacked at 9:30 pm when major events and parties were at their peak. As per psychology "in dreadful situations staff evacuate for their lives and families" but something flabbergasting occurred when all the 600 staff members without thinking of their lives helped 1700 guests to evacuate from the hotel rooms. And the person to whom the credit goes is "The hero of 26/11 Karambir Kang. He is the general manager of taj mahal palace hotel. Karambir Kang with his leadership, the presence of mind became the captain of the ship rescued all the guests and was the last one to leave. He lost his wife and 2 young sons as they perished in a fire that swept through their living quarters on the hotel's sixth floor.

== Early life == karambir Kang was born to Kanwaljit and Jagtar in punjab. He was the first child. The name karambir means "one who eradicates sins from society". He was named karambir after 8 months of his birth. He had a younger sister. Since childhood, he was very modest and caring. He was called binny by his parents and relatives because he had blue eyes and white skin. Jagtar his father was a military man. Karambir had many friends and was loved by all the relatives. being a simple boy he avoided quarrels and fight. In childhood he was engaged with community services and helping people around was not a choice but the way of living.

= Personal Life = Karambir met a woman named Neeti Mathur, a North Indian girl, in a sales conference in Jaipur, 1994 and fell in love with her. Neeti was an employee in The Taj Hotel but soon after marriage she left The Taj Group and joined The Grandlay’s. He found her to be full of life and compatible. He could be himself in front of her as with his mother. Neeti was his first serious love. They got married soon after they met. Their marriage ceremony was held in Delhi. Together they had 2 children, namely Uday Kang and Samar Kang. Uday was older then Samar by 7 years.

Karambir Kang lost his wife and kids in the 26/11 attack at the Taj Hotel where they were living in the 6th floor suite. Reports say, “They were either burned to death or asphyxiated by smoke as fire-fighters struggled to reach them. Having barricaded their door against the gunmen she believed were in the adjoining rooms, Mrs. Kang had then locked herself in the bathroom with her sons. When commandos finally broke down the doors, the three of them were found together - the mother cradling one son, the other lying on the floor beside her.”

Karambir Singh Kang remarried her former classmate Priya Nagrani on May 16, 2010. Priya is a former director (sales and marketing) with Oakwood Premier and Residence in Pune. They were in the same college in Fergie and got reunited in their college reunion. Priya Nagrani has a 21-year-old-daughter from her first wedding and together, she and Karambir, has a 7-year-old daughter.

26/11
On November 26, 2008, the biggest terror attack was faced by India in Taj Hotel in Mumbai. About four important places in Mumbai were targeted and 183 people were killed and over 400 were injured. It ended after 60 hours when nine out of 10 terrorists were killed and the 10th terrorist, Ajmal Aamir Kasab, was caught alive. On that day a dinner party was hosted by the CEO of Hindustan Unilever. The attendants of the party mistook the sound of gunshots for fireworks. The staff of the hotel stayed calm and tried to manage the havoc in order to protect the guests.

When Karambir Singh Kang, the Taj Hotel’s general manager, came to know about the attacks, he immediately left the conference he was attending at another place in Taj. Being the manager of the hotel he accepted his duty to protect the guests, so he looked forward to the evacuation of the guests and also helped the firefighters in the entire chaos. Kang’s wife and children were on the sixth floor where they actually lived. The terrorists were also on the same floor. The sixth floor was completely in flames by the midnight and there were hardly any chances of the survival of his family. The heroic deeds of Kang and his duty towards the guests of the hotel, forgetting about his family was quite appreciable and awful at the same time.

He informed his parents about the death of his wife and children and in return his father asked him to perform his duties till the end. Kang responded that he would fulfill his duties in the best possible way and would fight till death. The hotel’s guests were quite empowered emotionally by the dedication of the employees’ as well as Kang’s duties and their service towards them.

The acceptance of duties by Kang towards the guests of the Taj Hotel proved him to be a true patriot and a great duty fulfilled. He also proved that “One has to be present when duty calls.”

Achievements and Awards[edit]
As Karambir grew under his who was Major General in the Army, he too was influenced by the heroics of his father. Karambir Kang's first achievement as a Manager for Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces Delhi where he took the hotel from 5th position to 1st position in one year .He also increased the occupancyrate to 80 percent from only 30 percent. In 2006, R.K.Krishna Kumar the Director of Tata Sons promoted him to General Manager position. In January 17, 2009 he was felicitated with the 'special awards-Corporate Citizen' from their group CEO Raymond Bickson on the behalf of all the Taj employees. Also in 2009 at the Virtuoso Best of the Best Hotel Awards which took place in Las Vegas during the Virtuoso's 21st Annual Travel Mart Conference he was awarded the prestigious 'Virtuoso Hotelier of the Year Award'.

The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower won many awards under his leadership, which were Conde Nast Traveller - UK Reader's Travel Awards 2008 For Best Overseas Business Hotel, USA Gold List 2009 For Best Places to Stay in the World, National Tourism Award - Atithi Devo Bhava: Pride of India for exemplary service going beyond the call of duty, Travel & Leisure 2009 - World's best city hotels in Asia