The year 2004 is of special significance to the Tata Group. It marks the death centenary of our founder J. N. Tata and the birth centenaries of JRD Tata and Naval Tata, three leaders of the Tata Group who have helped shape Indian industry.

On this occasion, B. Muthuraman, Managing Director, Tata Steel, inaugurated an exhibition setup by the House of Tata, titled ‘The Century of Trust’ an exhibition today at Jubilee Park. The exhibition highlights the contribution of these three leaders and showcases the industrial development, the entrepreneurial spirit and role towards nation building in the last century. The exhibition narrates the story of the Tata Group in the context of the key events in Indian history over the past 120-odd years. 

The first exhibition was inaugurated by the President of India, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam at the Entrepreneurship Centre, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore on July 23, 2004. 

Spread over a carpet area of approx. 6,000 sq.ft., the layout of the exhibition consists of three elements viz. Circular Walkway, depicting the passage of time, with Panels on Indian History to the left, Alcoves on the Tata History to the right, and a central area called the Core, portraying the Tata Group core values. 

The ‘Century of Trust’ Exhibition by the Tata Group was held first in Bangalore and has subsequently traveled to Hyderabad and Kolkata. The exhibition is now open for public viewing at Jamshedpur and will travel to other metros in the coming months. The exhibition will be open for visitors for 15 days in each city from morning 10 o’clock to evening 8 o’ clock. 

The main objective of the Century of Trust exhibition is to highlight the core values of the Tata Group, thereby leaving the audience with a feeling of elation, inspiration and pride. 

The exhibition is designed in a high tech and interactive fashion. Video screens showing audio-visual footage, interactive kiosks, etc take the visitor through an exhilarating experience — the Tata way, with a special focus on the Tata Group values, highlighting the achievements of the Tata Group.

Some of the key elements illustrated through the Panels on Indian History are: 1857 — First war of Indian Independence, Jalianwala Bagh, the Rise of Mahatma Gandhi, Indian Independence, Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel Prize, Dr C. V. Raman’s Nobel Prize, the Pakistan war and liberalisation of Bangladesh, the arrival of television, India Glorious — 1983 Cricket World Cup and liberalisation of Indian economy.

The Alcoves on the Tata History encompass everything one would want to know about the Tatas, ranging from J. N. Tata’s vision for the Tata empire, Sir Dorabji Tata’s contribution to the nation through the various trusts, JRD’s first foray into entrepreneurship, the formation and emergence of its flagship companies such as Tata Steel, Indian Hotels Company Ltd, Tata Power, TELCO, Tata Chemicals, TCS, Tata Motors, Tata Indicom, Tata Tea and the like, to the commitment of Tatas towards sports, the role played by Tatas in the development of the metropolitan Bombay, the leaders that JRD created and the Tata Group under the stewardship of Ratan Tata, and the roadmap ahead.

Through symbolic wall projections, the Core brings to life the Tata values viz. the spirit of adventure, institutionalised enterprise, a sense of national purpose, giving back wealth to the nation, trust and integrity.

About Century of Trust 
The ‘Century of Trust’ is an initiative of the Tatas for the year 2004, which holds a special significance for the entire Group. It marks the death centenary of their founder J. N. Tata and the birth centenaries of JRD Tata and Naval Tata, three leaders of the Tata Group who have helped shape the Indian Industry.

The Century of Trust exhibition is one of the many programs planned during this momentous year. Some of the activities that have been conducted so far include the Special Hall of Fame as a tribute to JRD Tata at the Pride of India Exhibition, Chandigarh, the release of a special diary by Tata Steel commemorating the founder, the Naval Tata Memorial Hockey Test Series between India and Holland, honouring of Former Hockey Olympians as a tribute to Naval Tata, the release of Lasting Legacies – a special Tata Review issue on the three Tata leaders, a special commemorative ad marking the death anniversary of J. N. Tata, and Tata Crucible — The Business Quiz, organised for both Tata employees and for young managers in other companies.