The Parsis of Jamshedpur: Prof. Dr. Avinash Kolhe explores the rich legacy of Jamshedpur's Parsi community through a remarkable photographic archive that captures a disappearing culture, family histories, urban memory, and the influence of the Tata vision.

A rare photographic archive and a compelling photobook bring alive the history of Jamshedpur's once-thriving Parsi community. Through family memories, forgotten faces, and the evolution of an industrial city, these images preserve a unique chapter of India's multicultural heritage.

It was the year 1907 when Jamsetji Tata and Dorabji Tata set up Tata Iron and Steel Co. (TISCO) at Jamshedpur. Since then, the company has become one of the largest steel producers in the country. Move ahead in time to the year 1935, when Khurshed Maneckji Bharucha borrowed Rs. 3.5 lakh from a friend in Mumbai. Bharucha was a cashier with TISCO.
Why did he borrow such a large amount?

With this money, Bharucha built a four-storey building at Bistupur Junction, intended to house the wave of Parsi workers arriving from Mumbai, Surat, and Karachi to work at TISCO. This made Jamshedpur a bubbling centre of Parsi culture. Today, however, only around 200 Parsis remain.
The life of the Parsi community has been captured on camera. This project was developed as a collaborative photobook by Joyona Medhi and Abhishek Basu, winners of the 2022 Alkazi Photobook Grant. It is now being presented in Mumbai by Cymroza Art Gallery in association with the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts and supported by Tata Trusts.
Let us not forget that photography, a modern technology-based art form, has the unique ability to capture people and their culture within its frames for posterity. Bharucha’s son-in-law, Keki Gazder, an amateur photographer, created an archive that is now on display. These unique images have been preserved by Varun Gazdar, Keki’s grandson.

Then there is the photobook Sparseeing — a term that suggests seeing things as though they were disappearing. The subtitle is equally apt: Inside the Bharucha Mansion – Stories from a Parsi Family Archive in Jamshedpur. It contains over 70 images, offering a rare peephole into Parsi domestic life. The exhibition was on view until June 20.

It is not an easy exhibition to visit. There are many women in these photographs — a woman in a polka-dotted saree, amusingly seen speaking into a microphone; then there is a female telephone operator. Back then, Jamshedpur had a telephone exchange. The identities of these women are not known, and perhaps that does not matter, as they represent an evolving culture.
Through these images, the city of Jamshedpur speaks to you. Before it was named Jamshedpur, the town was known as Sakchi.
In 1919, Lord Chelmsford changed its name to Jamshedpur to honour the contribution of Jamsetji Tata. The archive contains several references to the history of the city. There are also references to German architect Otto Königsberger, who prepared development plans for Tata & Sons. Such exhibitions reinforce our faith in the idea of India's unity in diversity.

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A Brief Note on TELCO and Jamshedpur

The story of Jamshedpur is inseparable from the vision of Jamsetji Tata, whose dream of building a modern industrial city led to the establishment of Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) in 1907.
Construction of both the steel plant and the township began soon thereafter, transforming the small village of Sakchi into one of India's earliest planned industrial cities. In 1919, the town was officially renamed Jamshedpur in honour of its founder. Later, the city's industrial profile expanded significantly with the establishment of Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO) in 1945. Originally created to manufacture locomotives and heavy engineering equipment, TELCO grew into one of India's most important industrial enterprises and was eventually renamed Tata Motors. Together, TISCO and TELCO shaped Jamshedpur into a model industrial township, attracting workers and communities from across India, including a vibrant Parsi population whose cultural legacy continues to enrich the city's history.