While in England, he makes frequent visits to the cotton mills in Lancashire and Manchester to acquaint himself with the trade. It was here that he became determined to revolutionise mills in India.

The Mills Of Change

In Manchester, he attends a lecture by philosopher Thomas Carlyle. Carlyle’s remark that ‘the nation which has the steel will have the gold’ inspires him to establish an iron and steel plant in India.

Nerves Of Steel

Jamsetji takes on an arduous journey through Jaffa, Jerusalem, Damascus, Turkey and Russia. His journey on horseback and his strange but endearing encounters with locals are documented in his diary.

Jamsetji travels to Japan to partner with Nippon Yusen Kaisha shipping. He starts running his own steamers under the short-lived ‘Tata Line’; unscrupulous practices by competition make it unsustainable.

Jamsetji's Experiments

Jamsetji sets sail from Yokohama to Vancouver, a voyage on which he encounters Swami Vivekananda. The meeting makes Jamsetji more determined than ever to establish a scientific institute (IISc).

Meeting Vivekananda

Jamsetji heads to Dusseldorf Industrial Exhibition, accompanied by the contractor for the Taj Mahal Hotel. He shops for electrical lights, generators, lifts and engines for the hotel.

The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai

In the US, Jamsetji meets George Westinghouse, who helped utilise Niagara for power and Charles Perin, who discovered Sakchi.

Jamsetji in America

In May 1904, Jamsetji travels to a spa in Bad Nauheim, where he passes away. He is laid to rest at Brookwood Cemetery in England on May 24.