Jamshedpur: The Tata Steel Archives, housed at the Centre for Excellence today completed 25 years. As part of the celebrations, a one day conclave with an interesting keynote address followed by panel discussions took place at the Centre for Excellence. The event was attended by India�s top archivists, senior leadership and executives from Tata Steel as well as other Companies.
Social worker Ruchi Narendran graced the occasion as the chief guest. Speaking on the occasion, she said, �The Archives are something which we are extremely proud of. Through our Archives we tell several stories with evidence. Archives have to lead the constant endeavor to capture history in the making�
Rajendra Prasad Narla, Archivist, Tata Central Archivesdelivered the keynote address on behalf of Zubin Mistry, Vice President, Finance, Tata Services on the topic �The Importance of Corporate Legacy in Today�s Dynamic Business Environment�.
While delivering the address he mentioned that legacy is defined as anything that comes from the past. Legacy grows with each new experience and idea we are courageous enough to deploy. Speaking about J N Tata he said that his approach towards business ideas, strategies and ethics for business vision for the house of the Tata�s and his legacy has continues influence subsequent generations. He left a legacy not merely of opportunity but also of responsibility.
The first session saw a panel discussion on the topic �Role of Business Archives in Building Bridges to the Future�. The discussion was moderated by Vrunda Pathare, Chief Archivist, Godrej Archives. The panelist for the session were Rajendra Prasad Narla, Archivist, Tata Central Archives and R Hoom, Chief Archivist, SBI.
The second session saw a panel discussion on the topic �Contribution of Archives Towards Effective Stakeholder Engagement�. The discussion was moderated by Sourav Roy, Chief, Corporate Social Responsibility, Tata Steel. The panelist for the session were Abhik Ray, Former DGM, SBI and currently a Historian and Writer and Suchismita Mantry, Superintendent, Odisha State Archives.
The third session saw a panel discussion on the topic �Creating Archives of the Future: Trends & Developments�. The discussion was moderated by TR Doongaji, Former Managing Director, Tata Services. The panelist for the session were Sanghamitra Chatterjee, Co-Owner, Past Perfect Heritage Management and Oindrila Raychaudhuri, Archivist, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.
A Thematic Exhibition capturing the 25 years� journey of Tata Steel Archives was also inaugurated during the event while a new set of interesting legacy documents were displayed at the Archives to mark the occasion.
Tata Steel Archives is one of the first in the country to be set up by a private organization to preserve letters, photographs, reports, maps and charts of historical importance for the Company. The Archives is a rich treasure trove of reports, letters and maps which document the early evolution phases of the company as well as more recent developments spanning more than eleven decades.
Over the years, Tata Steel Archives has been attracting visitors from all walks of life, namely employees, locals, students and researchers as well as legendary personalities like Bharat Ratna Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam (Former President of India), Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, world renowned artist Padma BhushanJatin Das and a host of other stalwarts from across the world.
Over 1 lakh of documents have been digitized as of now to facilitate easy and accurate retrieval of data. The Archives have also facilitated a plethora of research efforts through access to its holdings.
