Where the Hotel Lobby Becomes a Classroom 

Prabha Khaitan Foundation and Taj Hotels signed a Memorandum of Understanding under Project Prayas, the Foundation’s flagship social inclusion initiative, supported by Shree Cement Limited. The agreement covers all Taj Hotels in Kolkata and commits both partners to building confidence, communication skills and real-world workplace readiness for children and young adults with special needs — not in a classroom, but on the hotel floor, guided by hospitality professionals.

The afternoon opened, fittingly, with a traditional welcome ceremony performed by the young members of Project Prayas themselves, followed by the ceremonial lighting of the lamp. On the dais were Chief Guest Mr Suhel Seth, Mr K Mohanchandran, Senior Vice President – Operations (East & North East), The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), Ms Anindita Chatterjee, Executive Trustee, Prabha Khaitan Foundation and Mr Parvinder Bual, General Manager, Taj Bengal. Also present were Ms Esha Dutta, Ms Shefali Rawat Agarwal and Ms Gouri Basu, Ehsaas women of Kolkata, Prabha Khaitan Foundation.

“It is a privilege to partner with the Prabha Khaitan Foundation to skill special needs children for employment. We look forward to a long and rewarding association,” said Mr Mohanchandran, noting that the initiative aligns with IHCL’s Environment Social and Governance (ESG+) framework, Paathya, under which the company has committed to training 100,000 youth by 2030.

Mr Suhel Seth spoke of the shared responsibility of institutions and individuals to empower young people with special needs, describing the partnership as “a watershed moment” for inclusive opportunity in India — a reminder, he said, that truly progressive nations are built on inclusive societies.

For the participants, drawn from a partner NGO with more organisations set to join, Prayas is less a training programme than a doorway. Each shift spent welcoming guests builds something no classroom can: self-confidence, independence, dignity and a sense of belonging. The initiative seeks to:

• Build confidence, self-esteem and interpersonal skills through real interactions with guests
• Develop workplace readiness through hands-on, experiential learning
• Encourage independence and fuller participation in social life
• Foster empathy and acceptance within the wider community

Together, the partners envision workplaces — and a society — where individuals with special needs are recognised for their abilities rather than their limitations, and where the path to employment, dignity and independence is open to everyone.

About Prabha Khaitan Foundation: Prabha Khaitan Foundation is a Kolkata-based non-profit trust established in the 1980s by the late Dr Prabha Khaitan. Over four decades, it has grown into one of India’s leading cultural organisations, promoting literature, arts, education, gender equality and social inclusion through platforms that celebrate creativity and foster dialogue and community engagement across the country.

About Project Prayas: Implemented with Taj Hotels in Kolkata and supported by Shree Cement Ltd., Project Prayas gives young adults with special needs the opportunity to work alongside hotel professionals in a live hospitality environment — welcoming guests, serving beverages and supporting front-of-house activities. By demonstrating what its participants can do, rather than dwelling on what they cannot, Prayas is quietly changing how workplaces, and the people in them, think about ability.

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