Oberoi gets Businessman of the Year award

Hospitality major Oberoi Group chairman Prithvi Raj Singh Oberoi was conferred the Business India's Businessman of the Year 2008 Award in Mumbai.

The award was given to Oberoi for his 'daring to be different', Mahindra said at the ceremony on Friday, adding the 79-year-old had built a culture where nothing short of perfection was tolerated.

Accepting the award, Oberoi said, "Our biggest asset is our people. The award is a recognition that we have the best employees in the hospitality industry."

The country must put behind the tragedy and resolve to defeat the evil intent of terrorists, he said.

Oberoi was unanimously chosen to be the recipient of the award in the middle of November, two weeks before the 26/11 terror strikes in which the Oberoi-Trident was a prime target along with the Ratan Tata-run Taj Mahal Hotel.

The leadership that Oberoi showed in the days after the attack validated the jury's choice, Mahindra added.

The Oberoi-Trident was attacked by terrorists on November 26 and suffered damages to the tune of Rs 40-50 crore (Rs 400-500 million) and Rs 45-50 lakhs (Rs 4.5 to Rs 5 million), respectively.

The Trident reopened on December 21 within four weeks of the attack.

Praising Oberoi's achievements, newly-elected Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and chief guest at the award ceremony, Omar Abdullah, said Oberoi had come to symbolise the 'quality of what India can and should be'.