Taj team will run to supports DEEDS at Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2012

As the year-long wait for the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2012 ends, a 75-member contingent from The Indian Hotels Company Limited will run for a cause for the third consecutive year this January. On 15th Jaunuary 2012, Raymond Bickson, Managing Director, Indian Hotels Company Limited, will run the Dream Run alongside employees of the Taj across all offices in Mumbai. The Taj team will run to support DEEDS (Development, Education, Empowerment of the Disadvantaged in Society) ' an NGO that works with the hearing and speech-impaired.

The DEEDS vision is to enrich and improve the quality of life of over 10,000 hearing impaired people by 2013, in an effort to make them financially self-reliant and proud contributors to society. In the last two years, Taj's social responsibility theme of "Building Sustainable Livelihoods' has reached out to more than 100 differently-abled candidates. The Taj Group of Hotels also helps youth from underprivileged and marginalized sections of society to gain employment in the Hospitality industry by providing them training in skills such as housekeeping, food and beverage service, and bakery. This is achieved by setting up training centers in rural areas and villages. The Taj also has absorbed a large number of such trained youth in its own hotels.

Speaking on the occasion, Raymond Bickson, Managing Director, The Indian Hotels Company Limited, said, "The Taj team's participation in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon is in accordance with the company's core values of serving the community, especially the underprivileged sections. Our team's run for the cause of hearing and speech-impaired will help focus on this otherwise invisible disability and will assist in providing timely and customized education, training and medical assistance."

This year Jiva Spa, Taj's completely Indian and all-natural spa, has designed a unique post-Marathon "Revitalize Package' for all marathon runners, with discounted treatments tailor-made to soothe strained muscles. Upon showing their registration ids, marathon participants can avail the "Revitalize Package' from January 18 to 25, 2012 at Jiva Spa outlets at the Taj Wellington Mews and Vivanta by Taj ' President. While participants of Dream Run get a 7% discount, Half Marathoners can avail a 14% discount and Full Marathoners get a 21% discount on the Package.

To add a fun quotient to the marathon, participate in Taj's slogan-writing competition on Facebook, where the winning slogan will not only feature on the runners' T-shirts, but the winner will also be awarded a dinner for 2 at the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai.