Where Gucci now resides is where The Palms used to be. The coffee shop of the then Oberoi, now called Trident, was where much of Verve’s first issue of 1995 was conceived, punctuated by gulps of frothing cappuccinos, thick mushroom soups or sinful crème brulees. Month after month. It almost served as an impromptu office, making up for the lack of one. Then we moved to our permanent base at Colaba. But on occasion when the cabins and cubicles still reeked of weekend pesticide control, we would gather our folders and head to the Taj, a mere five minute trot away. At Sea Lounge, post window seat squabble, we would expectedly forget the paperwork and listen instead to the fascinating anecdotes of one of our colleagues, who had ‘seen’ and been ‘shown to’ 60 potential spouses in this very restaurant. Even the waiters were aware that when she ordered cold coffee, it meant, ‘Let’s leave’ and that hot coffee stood for ‘Maybe’! It was at the Taj’s Zodiac Grill, that our editor treated the Verve team to a lavish meal where we were first introduced to the sublime flavours of camembert dariole and kahlua mousse. And it was at the Taj where Verve composed for posterity much of its iconic fashion imagery.

The fashion girls in particular are known to nurture special feelings for the hotel’s grand ball-rooms, the cantilever stairways, legendary tapestries and mar–bled corridors. One summer morning a huge crowd gathered outside the heritage wing as a maroon Mercedes glided to a stop. When model Viveka Babajee stepped out, swathed in silk and diamonds in readiness for a pose, they thought she was an exotic Hollywood star! When luxury giant Louis Vuitton wanted Bollywood to serenade its handbags, Verve conceptualised a challenging special feature which saw a clutch of screen sirens all but colliding with each other in the hotel’s portals. Two days of mayhem and not a ruffled feather at the Taj. The staff was charm and courtesy personified. Providing plug sockets where there were none, shifting a piano, pulling out a polished telescope, creating a special space for Ameesha Patel at Wasabi…all in anticipation for that perfect frame.

Our 10th anniversary saw us jiving it up at the Regal Room, at the Trident (formerly Hilton/Oberoi) Towers, where we recall Verve cover girl Elizabeth Hurley, resplendent in a deep-cut blue Versace dress, being ambushed by a shutter-happy battalion of photographers and Aqeel Ali unleashing a repertoire of remixes and retro rock causing the ever serene Nita Ambani also to shake a leg.

When sushi made a swishy entry at the Oberoi along with a fine dining Italian eatery, Verve was there, toasting chefs and celebrities with specially designed events, showcasing the essence and spirit of the magazine. It was at Vetro that Tony Alston of the London School of Fashion enlightened Verve’s circle of friends about the 100-year-old venerable institution and at the airy Tiffin where we felicitated Yves Carcelle and his wife Rebecca.

If we’ve chased Clinton at the Oberoi, we’ve snapped Cate (Blanchett) at the Taj, and if we have caught up with Yash and Avanti at Frangipani, we’ve framed Pierce Brosnan at the Taj poolside lending an elegant edge to the simple coconut. At the Trident rooftop, the wind lashed a maharani’s tresses while we engaged her in a never before interview and at the Taj, the grand staircase, itself a heritage structure within another, became the backdrop for an exclusive Verve picture of four top ICICI women bankers who sat on the red carpet, smoothed their saris and smiled for the camera.

Today, as both our much-loved hotels, true symbols of resilience, bravely open their doors to the world once again in spite of their scarred psyches, Verve salutes their indomitable spirit and cherishes the deep bonds of yesteryear, while we look forward to creating fresh new memories.

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