Page 5 - Lady Navajbai Tata

“Victoria Louise”.
Mehri could satisfy her passionate
love of travel, sport, the theatre, and
music without a thought as to the
expense involved. Many a woman in
such circumstances would have been
content to enjoy the triumphs of the
great society Lady. She, however,
was made of different stuff. She had
received a liberal education - unusual
for those days, which she put to good
use all through her life. She was
FROM THE
sensitive and concerned about the
condition of women.

Meherbai was one of the founders of
the Bombay Presidency Women’s
Council and the National Council of
COLLECTION
Dorab and Meherbai were passionate Women. She was consulted on the
“Sarda Act”, designed to outlaw child
about sport, especially tennis – circa marriage. She also campaigned for
1910. the higher education for women,
against the purdah system and the
Mehri was always passionately fond practice of untouchability.
of outdoor life. Games especially
OF THE
tennis had a great fascination for
her. She played in several
tournaments and won over sixty
prizes. She shared Dorabji’s love of
sport and won the “Triple Crown” in
the Western India Tennis
TATA CENTRAL ARCHIVES
Tournament. Together, they scored
many successes in the All-India
Championships. At Wimbledon,
Meherbai at the International Council for
Kissengen and Baden-Baden, Women - circa 1929.
besides nearly every important court
in India where she was a familiar With regard to women’s education,
figure. Her pride in her national she got full support from her
dress, “the saree”, drew an instant husband Dorab who encouraged her
response from many a spectator. She to take over the local school with the
was a good horse rider and drove her object of developing it into a model
own motor car. One of her great school. They brought an expert from
ambitions was to be amongst the England to survey the whole field of
first Indian women to fly and in girls education in India. This survey
September 1912, she went up for a took over a year and the book in
couple of hours in the Zeppelin, which it took form was for many