Down a sepia memory lane

If there is a memory lane, the best person to ask directions to it at the moment would probably be Simone Tata. Even as dozens milled around...

If there is a memory lane, the best person to ask directions to it at the moment would probably be Simone Tata. Even as dozens milled around her at Tata Central Archives TCA, her majestic gaze had only eyes for the innumerable Tata artifacts, photographs and memorabilia on display, stopping the longest at an exhibit of her wedding invitation card to ask: 8216;8216;How on earth did you manage to get that?8217;8217;

8216;Images of Greatness8217;, an exhibition organised by TCA highlighting contributions made by the three greats 8212; Jamsetji N, JRD and Naval Tata 8212; saw the most well-known female visionary of India8217;s pioneering industrial family transported into a sepia world among relatives close to her heart.

The exhibition 8212; the fourth of a series to be held in Pune 8212; was divided into sections, including the Tata Family, Phases of Jamsetji8217;s life, the three Textile Mills, Esplanade House, the Indian Institute of Science, Tisco, Taj Mahal Hotel, Tata Electric Companies and The Last Days of Jamsetji.

Stopping at each exhibit, Tata seemed reluctant to allow anyone to interrupt her. On what the exhibition meant to her, she shook her head and dismissed the query: 8216;8216;I8217;ve seen most of these exhibits before, but it feels wonderful to see them all over again.8217;8217;

In fact, her momentary disconnect with the present began during her inaugural address, prior to opening the exhibition to public. 8216;8216;I still remember that meeting at Bombay House in 1991, when the concept of a family archive was born,8217;8217; she said, while announcing that a book and a film on the Tatas would be released in January.

But once the ribbon was cut, her ears were only for TCA archivist H. Raghunath and assistant archivist Freny Shroff, who accompanied her through the exhibition, interjecting with necessary information. Among the photographs, Tata was captivated by a 1901 snap of husband Naval with his father at the Empress Mills.

On the first floor, she gave full marks to JRD8217;s office recreated by TCA, taking note of the old phone on the desk, while enquiring about a portrait of JRD8217;s wife. On the way out, she also took time to pen down her comments in the visitor8217;s book.

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The exhibition observes the death centenary of Jamsetji Tata, founder of House of Tatas, and celebrates birth centenaries of JRD and Naval Tata.