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Thousands have offered to contribute to bring heritage wing to its past glory; Rs 10.5 crore already collected

this room is no more: The Rajputana suite on the sixth floor of the Taj, where this shoot took place last month, has been gutted. Ameesha Patel talks about it.

The phone at the office of India Hotels, which runs the Taj Group of Hotels, hasn't stopped ringing for the past few days. It is either one eager patron wanting to contribute to the terror welfare fund or another who wants to contribute towards the restoration of the 105-year-old palace wing.

Pressed to act, the board of directors of India Hotels has decided to accept token contributions towards the restoration of the heritage wing. "We have been flooded with such requests," said company vice-chairman R K Krishna Kumar.

While artist M F Husain will contribute a couple of paintings to the hotel, Taj authorities are still pondering over the integrities involved.

"I was told that a call on whether this would just be a monetary donation or if any piece of exquisite art can be contributed is yet to be taken," said a J J College of Art student, who wants to contribute to the restoration.  

Krishna Kumar also informed that within a week of the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust being created for all victims of the 26/11 terror attacks, contributors, who include "institutions and individuals", had pooled in Rs 10.5 crore. "Contributions are just flowing in from across the world," he added. 

An India Hotels spokesperson also confirmed that the first beneficiary of the Trust was a victim at the Taj, who is being treated at Bombay Hospital for multiple gunshots. Her bills have already accumulated to Rs 8 lakh and, according to hospital authorities, they may eventually run up to Rs 25 lakh.