When torrential rains lashed Tamil Nadu in December 2015, Rajesh Tavalla, GM of Lemon Tree Hotel, Chennai set up an emergency centre and he led his team to distribute biscuits and milk to people stranded in traffic jams. Pregnant ladies were given refuge in the hotel, while women were invited to use the washrooms. As occupancy surged to over 90 percent, Tavalla and his team marched almost 12 km on foot to buy supplies and keep the hotel functional. He would regularly reassure guests, despite being unable to get in touch with his own wife and son for over three days, as phone networks were down.
Later, when 40 guests and 25 staff members from Lemon Tree Hotel Shimona called for help, Tavalla and his colleagues swam through neckdeep water carrying food. They also toiled to provide a safe haven for people in the neighbourhood affected by the flood and distributed survival kits with clothes, food, etc to over 150 families.
