Rallying round RTI

Works of art adorned the walls of the Taj Mahal Palace’s Crystal Room on September 19, 2014 as donors and guests gathered for "An Evening for a Cause” fund-raising dinner to support the Sir Ratan Tata Institute, or RTI, as it is fondly referred to.
Paintings and sculptures by well-known artists such as Sunil Padwal, Gurcharan Singh, Manu Parekh, Fawad Tamkanat, Surya Prakash, Seema Kohli, Venkat Bothsa, Suhas Roy, Gieve Patel, Ram Kumar and Arzan Khambatta were on exhibition and sale. The guests were treated to a medley of songs by the well-known singer Usha Uthup and her troupe. The dinner was hosted by the Taj Mahal Palace and sponsored by major companies like Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Steel, Trent and Titan.
A colorful souvenir brought out for the occasion notes the 85-year-old RTI was inaugurated on Sir Ratan Tata’s birthday on January 20, 1929 to nurture and encourage "vulnerable sections of society comprising unskilled and uneducated women…

The exhibition

Invitees at the fund-raising dinner

"A great need for a well organized institution was felt around the turn of the century and with the help of sympathetic friends and willing workers the Stri Zarthosti Mandal was founded in 1903. The main object was to equip women with skills and training to become financially independent and earning members of society.
"Soon there arose a great need for extension and expansion as more and more women clamored for employment. At this time, a great and philanthropic offer was made by Sir Ratan Tata Trust. On April 2, 1928, Lady Navajbai Ratan Tata, well known for her compassion and concern for the disadvantaged in society, donated the main building to the Stri Zarthosti Mandal. This building today houses the Food Division, its main Retail Outlet, and the Administrative Offices…
"As chairman of the board of trustees of RTI, Lady Navajbai continued to take a keen personal interest in its growth and in the well-being of its workers.” In 1937 she donated another building across the road, the Annexe.
The trustees of the RTI are Shirin Bharucha, chairperson, Keti Mehta, president, Kamal Pandole, vice president, Zenobia Adajania, honorary treasurer, Mehernosh Kapadia and Shirin Batliwala. The RTI fund raising committee comprises Pandole and Adajania, with Aloo Tata, Maharukh Noble, Dolat Kotwal, Dhanoo Khusrokhan and Farida Tata. RTI is located at 35, N. S. Patkar Marg (Hughes Road), Bombay 400007; tel: Main building 66236969; Annexe building 66236931/32; email: srti1928@yahoo.co.in; website: sirratantatainstitute.com