For the Tatas, if industry is for wealth creation, wealth is for institutional development. The Tata Charitable Trust has always been known for its noble endeavors, scrupulous impartiality, professional conduct, and visionary management.
Four world-class institutions of Mumbai were born out of the Tata's visionary philanthropy: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Tata Memorial Hospital and NCPA & Tata Theater. In the context of the last-mentioned, J.R.D. Tata famously remarked, "We asked for a piece of land, we were given a piece of water."
Though Tata Theatre appears as one big structure from the outside, it actually stands on two different rocks that were once submerged in sea. Constructing a structure on a land reclaimed from the sea is invariably an expensive proposition. A high-grade construction adhesive called Mastic was used to ensure the building's sturdiness. A brainchild of a dynamic duo - celebrated American architect Philip Johnson and renowned acoustician Cyril Harris - this revolving theatre can accommodate 1,010 spectators. Thanks to the brilliant acoustics, sound is evenly spread throughout the auditorium without the aid of any electronic device.
Thanks to the legendary Tata penchant for flawless creations, this structure has raised the bar for the construction industry worldwide. Another key factor that made such a high-priced project possible was the abundant availability (and astute deployment of) low-cost skilled labour in India.