The governor of Maharashtra, S M Krishna inaugurates the Century of Trust exhibition in Mumbai
April 19, 2005

The House of Tatas, have set up a ‘Century of Trust’ Exhibition at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Nariman Point, Mumbai to mark the death centenary of their founder J N Tata and the birth centenaries of J R D Tata and Naval Tata. S M Krishna, governor of Maharashtra, today inaugurated the exhibition at a glittering function and paid tribute to the visionary and humanitarian leaders of the Tata Group.

Speaking at the inaugural function S M Krishna said, “It is a moment of extreme pride and honour for me. I am delighted to have inaugurated the ‘Century of Trust’ exhibition, which will showcase the contribution of the Tata Group, in the industrial development of India, to the younger generation.”

The exhibition highlights the Group’s entrepreneurial spirit and its contribution towards nation building over the last century. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, president of India, launched the exhibition in July 2004 in Bangalore. Having inspired the audiences, especially the youth in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Jamshedpur, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Pune, The Century of Trust exhibition will now be on display in Mumbai from 20 April to 3 May 2005 from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.

“The main objective of the exhibition is to highlight the core values of the Tata Group, thereby leaving the audience with a feeling of elation, inspiration and pride,” said Dr J J Irani, director, Tata Sons Limited. “The exhibition is designed in a high tech and interactive fashion. Video screens showing audio-visual footages and interactive kiosks guide the visitor through an exhilarating experience of the Tata way, with a special focus on the core values, highlighting major achievements of the Tata Group.” he added.

The layout of the exhibition consists of four elements viz Circular Walkway, depicting the passage of time, with Alcoves on the Tata History to the right, Panels on Indian History to the left, and a central area called the Core, portraying the Tata Group core values.

The exhibition begins with a replica of the Navsari house where J N Tata was born. The audio-visual clip brings back memories of the era when the Union Jack held sway and there was unrest in the country. This is followed by J N Tata’s first big initiative – the Empress Mills, named in honour of Queen Victoria who had been coronated at that time.

The Alcoves on the Tata History encompass every important aspect about the Tata Group ranging from J N Tata’s vision for the Tata Group, Sir Dorabji Tata’s contribution to the nation through the various trusts, JRD’s first foray into entrepreneurship, formation and emergence of flagship companies like Tata Steel, Indian Hotels Company Ltd, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Tata Motors, TCS, Tata Tea, Tata Indicom and the like, to the commitment of the Tata Group towards sports, the leaders that J R D created, the Tata Group under the stewardship of Ratan Tata, and the roadmap ahead.

Some of the key elements illustrated through the Panels on Indian History are the 1857 – First war of Indian independence, Jalianwala Bagh, rise of Mahatma Gandhi, Indian independence, Rabindranath Tagore’s nobel prize, Dr C V Raman’s nobel prize, Pakistan war and liberalisation of Bangladesh, arrival of television, 1983 cricket world cup victory, liberalisation of the Indian economy and other significant milestones.

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

The exhibition also provides an insight into the lesser-known facts of the Tata Group like the Group’s experimental fruit farm in Bangalore or the Egyptian cotton grown by them in Sind. Interesting trivia such as George Bernard Shaw, Gregory Peck, George Harrison, John Lennon and Phil Collins have all been guests at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, catch the eye of the visitor during the walk through which is a seamless journey through time.

The exhibition through its aesthetic appeal and attention to detail, manages to keep the visitors enthralled. Large flat screens with audio-visual clips and touch screens with presentations are dotted across the various stages of the exhibition. Additionally there are guides taking you through the exhibition explaining each stage of the achievements.

The striking feature of the exhibition is the novel way in which the history of the country is woven into the history of the Tatas making the audience realise that the growth of both entities was simultaneous and interdependent.

In short, the exhibition is worth a leisurely visit as it does give more than an insight into one of the most enterprising families of the country.