Page 6 - Lady Navajbai Tata

years the vade mecum which the received it at the hands of King
Board of Education in Whitehall George V.
placed in the hands of all women
inspectors or teachers proceeding to She was appointed Chairman of the
India, to take up higher education of Reception Committee of the All India
girls. Women’s Conference held in Bombay
in January 1930. Her opening
Her address at Battle Creek College address was a comprehensive review
i s h e r f i r s t c o n s i d e r e d of all the important problems
pronouncement of the Indian affecting the well-being of Indian
situation as a whole. She gave her women directly and indirectly.
American audience an excellent
bird’s-eye view of the history, the art, Suffering from leukaemia, during the
FROM THE
the religions and the races of India, last stages of her illness Lady Tata
the Indian States and their rulers, was admitted to a nursing home at
and touched upon the condition of Ruthin in North Wales and passed
women, their ignorance, and away on June 18, 1931.
customs, which stood in the way of
their development. She deplored the The ashes of Lady Tata have been
COLLECTION
backwardness of Indian women and interred at the Brookwood Cemetery
expressed her opinion that as much where a beautiful mausoleum has
freedom and education as the been erected on the site, specially
women of Europe and America, their designed in the old Persian style
position will never be much to speak after the tomb of King Cyrus.
about.
OF THE
In 1932, Sir Dorabji Tata, established
Meherbai took a very active part The Lady Tata Memorial Trust in
during the War in raising memory of his wife Meherbai. The
contributions. She was also an active Trust spends four-fifths of its income
member of the on international research and invites
Indian Red applications for awards for personal
TATA CENTRAL ARCHIVES
Cross Society, support for research on leukaemia
she world-wide. One-fifth of its income is
which
h e l p e d offered to scholars doing scientific
generously. In investigations in Indian Universities
1919, her and Institutes in the alleviation of
services to the human suffering from diseases.
War efforts
and women On April 9, 1932, another trust the
w e r e Lady Meherbai D. Tata Education
r e c o g n i s e d Trust was founded by Sir Dorabji Tata
when she was offering scholarships for work in
created a specific fields as indicated in her Will.
Commander of
King George V invests the British
Lady Tata with the Empire and
C.B.E., 1919.