‘Beautiful madam, beautiful. Breathe deeply and relax,’ says the instructor in a soothing singsong as I try to re-arrange myself into the lotus position. I am the first guest for the dawn yoga class in the newly opened Taj Mount Road in Chennai. From the hotel’s rooftop gym, the capital of Tamil Nadu, stretches out illuminated by a coral-red sun. At the end of the class I am so relaxed, I float back to my room. This latest addition to India’s premier hotel chain is chic rather than Kipling, contemporary instead of classical.
 

Claire Scobie Hip Addition to the New India Sun-Herald, 16 April 2009