Tata’s Century of Trust

The Century of Trust exhibition which was on view in Bombay from April 22, 2005 till the first week of May told the 120-odd year-old story of the Tata Group in the context of key events of Indian history. The story unfolded in three parts. A walkway depicted Indian history, alcoves told the Tata story and a cen­tral area portrayed the Group’s core values (photos on pg 12). So the Mutiny of 1857, Tagore’s Nobel Prize, the Jallian­wala Bagh massacre, the rise of Mahatma Gandhi, Indian Independence, wars with Pakistan, India’s 1983 Cricket World Cup win, and the liberalization of the Indian economy all found mention.

The alcoves encompassed everything one would want to know about the Tatas. They portrayed J. N. Tata’s vision for the Tata empire, Sir Dorabji Tata’s contribution to the nation through various trusts, J. R. D. Tata’s pioneering vision in the forma­tion of India’s first airline, and the conception of the various Tata companies. They also showed the Tata Group under the ste­wardship of Ratan Tata and the road map ahead.

The high-tech exhibition was designed to be an interactive journey highlighting the Tata legacy interwoven with Indian history. Video screens showed audiovisual footage, interactive kiosks took the visitor on an exciting journey in which modern Indian history and the rise of Indian industry were the subjects with a special focus on the Group’s values and major achieve­ments. A modern day sutradhar (commentator) came alive on a video screen to explain the panels and alcoves as wall projections and kiosks took the visitor through the glorious chapters of Indian history.

The President of India, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, inaugurated the exhibition in Bangalore in July 2004 (see "Paeans to the pioneer,” Books, Parsiana, October 2004) and it traveled to Hyderabad, Madras, New Delhi, Poona, Jamshedpur and Calcutta before reaching its final destination, Bombay. The year 2004 was of special significance to the Tata Group. It marked the death centenary of the founder J. N. Tata and the birth centenaries of J. R. D. Tata and Naval Tata, three leaders of the Tata Group who have helped shape Indian industry. The exhibition highlighted the contribution of these three leaders and showcased their entrepre­neurial spirit and role towards nation building in the last century. In many ways the Century of Trust exhibition was actual­ly an ode to the three legendary Tatas.

Bakhtiar K. Dadabhoy