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Science, in Bangalore (now Bengaluru), among
many other cities.
The thematic exhibitions organised regularly at
TCA also attract Tata group employees, students,
researchers, journalists and the general public.
Besides these exhibitions we also worked on the
SOAS exhibition where we sent out paintings,
portraits and memorabilia across to the UK in the
process of learning how artefacts are preserved
and transported.
TCA also functions in an advisory role when
other institutions reach out to us and ask us for
support in setting up their own archives.
FN Subedar garlanding the bust of the Founder at the
Tata Central Archives. $
We organised workshops and, more recently, held
a symposium on ‘Collaborative Leadership’ to archiving oral history apart from documents,
celebrate TCA’s silver jubilee. Dr (Mrs) P Godrej, photographs and other artefacts. When we visited
Chairperson, Godrej Archives, was the keynote Navsari and Nagpur, several Tata old-timers came
speaker and the chief guest. Among the other and shared their memories, many of which are of
luminaries were S Mukherjee, Director General, historical importance. We are taking small steps
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya towards collecting this oral treasure.
and S Girikumar, an eminent conservator. Such
events help in knowledge sharing through One of the biggest challenges that we face is the
discussions, dialogues and build trust among the pace at which technologies become obsolete.
archival fraternity. Information collected in a particular medium, say
audio or video cassettes, is no longer accessible.
We also took up the challenge of getting a We have to be alert to such developments in
Platinum Rating under the Indian Green Building ensuring digital continuity.
Council’s (IGBC) Green Existing Buildings
Operations and Maintenance Rating System I have great faith in our TCA team and I am
for the TCA building; something that has never confident they will face future challenges with
happened in the past in the country. We did this the same determination and dedication that has
as a part of our responsibility to society, once brought us this far.
again drawing inspiration from JN Tata. As the
pioneering business archives in the country, it is JRD Tata, JJ Bhabha and RM Lala — the
for us to lead the way for others and we take our visionaries who crafted the Tata Central Archives
responsibility seriously. — are not with us but their spirit continues
to guide us. As remarked by RN Tata, at the
We have been taking initiatives on modernising inauguration on February 13, 2001, “A very well
and digitising the Archives. Making the Archives done and well documented Archive, which truly
modern and cutting-edge to the extent that we captures the Tata heritage and history.”
can, is the vision that I perceive. That way, it
will be the right blend of ensuring that nothing TCA has stories to tell and memories to preserve.
changes as far as what we have, as well as This book chronicles TCA’s 25-year journey as
modernising the set-up. We are also looking at custodians of the Tata legacy.
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