Recently, Noel Tata, a member of the Tata family and one of the two Tata Trusts representatives on the Tata Sons board, issued a statement arguing that listing Tata Sons, the group's holding company, on the stock market would undermine the 'Tata Model'. He emphasised that the group had been envisioned more than a century ago with the objective of serving the nation through business, placing its fundamental purpose beyond profit-making.
The Tata Group has contributed significantly to India's development, and TIFR is one of the institutions established to promote fundamental research. Founded in 1945, the institute in Mumbai provides an important example of the Tata Model of conducting philanthropy through business.
TIFR was established when JRD Tata was leading Tata Sons. The Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) provided the initial capital for the institute's establishment and covered its expenses during the first nine years. The then Bombay government and the central government contributed the remaining funds.
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru personally approached the Ministry of Defence, securing 30 acres of land in Navy Nagar, Colaba, for the TIFR campus.
TIFR Was the Result of Homi Bhabha's Vision
According to an article published by Mumbai-based think tank Gateway House, TIFR was the brainchild of Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha, a young and accomplished theoretical physicist from Cambridge University.
However, the institute's establishment would not have been possible without the substantial initial contribution from the Tata Trusts.
Bhabha's vision continues to guide the institution. Under a tripartite agreement signed in 1955, the head of SDTT serves as the chairman of the TIFR Council, continuing to provide vision, guidance and commitment.
This distinctive governance structure and partnership between private capital and the government is central to the Tata Model. As TIFR's history demonstrates, the model has continued to evolve over time.
TIFR Was Established During a Turbulent Period
The early 1940s, when TIFR was established, were marked by considerable upheaval. World War II (1939-45) was underway, preventing Dr Homi J. Bhabha, who had come to India in 1939 to visit his family, from returning to England.
India was also approaching independence, and plans for rapid economic development after independence were being prepared. However, the country faced a major challenge in the form of an energy gap.
The prospect of India's partition was becoming increasingly clear. Apart from losing access to oil fields in Burma following Japan's occupation in 1942, India also faced the possibility of losing its oil fields in Kaur and Attock in north-western Punjab.
The growing use of internal combustion engines meant that the country would have to import petroleum.
To make India energy-independent after independence, the country's scientific community and Jawaharlal Nehru, who would soon become the first Prime Minister, were convinced that nuclear energy could provide a solution.
How JRD Tata Supported Bhabha's Vision
Against this geopolitical and economic backdrop, Dr Bhabha proposed establishing an institution dedicated to blue-sky research, or fundamental research, in physics.
He presented the idea to JRD Tata, who advised him to prepare a detailed proposal and submit it to the trustees of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust.
SDTT was chosen because one of its objectives was to 'advance all branches of knowledge, particularly research work connected with medical and industrial problems'.
Initially, Bhabha was unable to convince the board of the need for an institution in India dedicated to fundamental research, similar to those operating abroad.
The project gained momentum after JRD Tata strongly supported the proposal.
TIFR Moved to Bhabha's Birthplace in October 1945
TIFR was established on June 1, 1945, and initially operated from the Cosmic Ray Unit of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore.
The institute soon ran out of space, and in October that year, it moved to a new location in Bombay, now Mumbai.
The new premises were the Kenilworth bungalow on Peddar Road, the birthplace of Homi Bhabha. On December 19, 1945, the Governor of Bombay, Sir John Colville, inaugurated the new location.
TIFR expanded rapidly. In 1953, the Nuclear Emulsion and Electron Magnetism groups were established. Work in computer science and technology began in 1954.
The expansion created a need for additional space. In 1949, the institute acquired the sea-facing building of the Old Royal Bombay Yacht Club at Apollo Bunder to accommodate its growing activities.
The institute subsequently moved to the southern end of Bombay.
Bhabha Made Nuclear Energy a Priority
Despite the rapid establishment of several specialised research groups, the focus on nuclear energy remained strong.
Around the time TIFR was established, the Atomic Energy Commission was formed in Bombay in 1946, with Bhabha as its chairman.
The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) also developed out of TIFR in 1954. During its initial years, it was considered part of TIFR, although that is no longer the case.
Today, the DAE operates from its old premises at the Old Yacht Club in Apollo Bunder.
India Joins the Nuclear Club
India entered the nuclear club in 1954, when its first indigenous experimental nuclear reactor, Apsara, became critical at the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET).
To further strengthen TIFR's expertise in reactor design, instrumentation, metallurgy and materials science, the government established a separate institution on January 3, 1954, called the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay.
Following Bhabha's death in 1966, the establishment was renamed the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
TIFR Became the Centre of India's Nuclear Research
In 1956, India built its first nuclear reactor, the Canada India Reactor Utility Services (CIRUS), at the AEET campus in Trombay.
The reactor used Canadian natural uranium and American heavy water. It became critical in July 1960.
In 1963, the Department of Atomic Energy, whose secretary was Dr Homi Bhabha at the time, entered into a bilateral agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
As a result, the first and second units of the Tarapur Atomic Power Station were established just north of Bombay. The station continues to supply electricity to Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Through its work with the AEET in Trombay, the Atomic Energy Commission and the Department of Atomic Energy, TIFR became a central institution in India's nuclear research programme.
Its contribution helped establish the country's nuclear energy capabilities and supported the development of India's nuclear programme.
The history of TIFR illustrates how the partnership between the Tata Trusts and the government helped establish a scientific institution whose work extended far beyond fundamental research, contributing to India's nuclear energy ambitions and its broader scientific development.
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