TATA STEEL ARCHIVES

One of the first from a business house

Tata Steel Archives is one of the first in the country to be set up by a private organisation to preserve letters, photographs, reports, maps and charts of historical importance for the company.

The archival records are restored with the help of processes like:

• Fumigation
• De-acidification
• Mending
• Encapsulation and Microfilming

Over 1 lakh of documents have been digitised till now. It aids in retrieving accurate data at a greater speed. Beyond providing convenient access, the Archives also facilitate a plethora of research efforts through access to its holdings.

INCEPTION

Need for the Archives

The dream of setting up India’s first steel plant at Jamshedpur by J N Tata was brought to reality by his elder son, Dorab Tata in 1907. During this time, many activities were carried out to locate raw materials and identify a suitable site to set up the steel plant.

All these activities have been documented in the form of reports, letters and maps. Therefore, the need of an archival system arose in order to preserve these valuable documents which would help educate people on the various initiatives taken by Tata Steel in future.

A PRICELESS REPOSITORY

A storehouse of records, memories and legacy

Tata Steel Archives has two repositories. The search for important documents was carried out across locations. Files with letters and reports, were collected from Bombay House, Mumbai. The in-house journals were obtained from Shavak Nanavati Technical Institute (SNTI), Jamshedpur. Advertisements and photographs during the construction of the steel plant were procured from Tata Centre, Kolkata. Few documents were donated by individuals which became a part of the Archives.

Apart from documents, there are 1,243 video cassettes. Audio visuals include the presence of the then Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru during the Golden Jubilee celebrations, Shyam Benegal’s documentary on 75 years of Tata Steel, etc.

The documents have been categorised under the following headings:

• Tata Personalities
• Tata Sons Ltd.
• Formation of Tata Steel
• Prospecting License
• Tariff Record
• Donations
• General Manager’s Correspondence
• Foreign Tour Report
• Mines & Collieries
• Personnel Files
• Technical Training
• Annual Reports
• In-house Journals

CELEBRATING A STELLAR JOURNEY

A one-day conclave, with panel discussions will be hosted on 22-June-2018 at the Centre for Excellence. This event will be attended by India’s top archivists, senior leadership and executives from Tata Steel as well as other Companies.

EVENT SCHEDULE