In the course of over one year of archival research in India, I have been heartened to see how, in a few institutions like the National Archives, the country’s rotting history now has a fighting chance of survival. However, I have been deeply dismayed by one observation: the inability of my own community, the Parsis,… Continue reading The Parsis, Once India’s Curators, Now Shrug as History Rots
Category: Institutions
K R Cama Oriental Institute
Not just Parsi: The K R Cama Oriental Institute, soon to turn 100, has a wealth of resources and a willingness to share By M Saraswathy | Business Standard Parsi culture and art are dying out — so goes the general perception. But here is an institute that is helping to record and uphold both.… Continue reading K R Cama Oriental Institute
Tata’s choice of chairman preserves Parsi tradition
The days when Mumbai’s Parsi community dominated a city they helped to build may have faded, but the rise of Cyrus Mistry to the helm of the Tata Group reinforces the clout it wields in some of India’s biggest conglomerates. By Henry Foy | REUTERS Mistry’s selection as chairman-designate of India’s biggest corporate house keeps… Continue reading Tata’s choice of chairman preserves Parsi tradition
The fun of being a Parsee
It lies in many things…. It’s like belonging to an exclusive Club worldwide. Birth, the only credential and consideration; nothing, but nothing else works, no sirree! No waiting lists, no entrance fees, no other eligibility! A minuscule community, incurably Diaspora, but which nonetheless has woven its way into virtually every corner of the world. A… Continue reading The fun of being a Parsee
Retirement home: Ratan Tata chooses elegance over extravagance
An elegant sea-facing house at Colaba is getting ready to welcome Ratan Tata, as he prepares to hand over the reigns of the salt-to-steel-to-software business group to his successor. The house, yet unnamed, has received a partial occupancy certificate from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, but it will be at least six months before it is… Continue reading Retirement home: Ratan Tata chooses elegance over extravagance
Godrej Typewriters: End of the Road
Just Not My Type Godrej and Boyce to shut typewriter production Godrej and Boyce silenced the click-ding of its iconic typewriter last week. The company stopped production at its last typewriter factory in Satara, Maharashtra, drawing a collective sigh from veteran journalists, writers and a handful of typewriter enthusiasts. Some rushed to type out elegies… Continue reading Godrej Typewriters: End of the Road
The Journey of Rasna
In the 80s, anyone switching on to the national television channel Doordarshan for their daily dose of programmes — be it mythological, children’s programme or even Chitrahaar — were greeted with a jingle that ended with ‘I love you Rasna’. By Sruthi Radhakrishnan | Economic Times The Rasna baby girl epitomised pretty and cute and… Continue reading The Journey of Rasna
India’s Tata Succession Struggle
Ratan Tata: Can’t anybody do this job? Indian way of succession leaves something to be desired India’s largest conglomerate — the US$71-billion salt-to-steel behemoth Tata Group, is struggling to finding a successor to its talismanic chairman Ratan Tata who will retire in 2012 next year after a spectacular, two-decade run at the group’s helm. By… Continue reading India’s Tata Succession Struggle
The Tatas Without Ratan
He’s packing his bags — again. December 2012, when he turns 75, is the third scheduled retirement for Ratan Tata. The Tata Group has been at this inflection point twice earlier, and stepped back both times. In 2002, when Tata was to retire at 65, the Tata Sons board promptly redesignated him non-executive chairman, which… Continue reading The Tatas Without Ratan
