NEW DELHI: The late Ratan Tata once took to art to raise funds for a good cause and the painting has a pride of place at the lobby of Mumbai’s iconic Taj Mahal Palace. The year was 2006 and paintings that were to be a collaborative effort between a famous Indian personality from the field of business, sportsperson or actor, and an acclaimed painter were to be auctioned.
“Ratan Tata had a great relationship for many decades with painter Lakshman Shrestha and the two collaborated.According to the painter, Tata had approached him asking when he should put his one brushstroke as his contribution to the painting,” said people in the know.
However Shreshta insisted Tata must dedicate “a significant amount of time and effort” to jointly completing the painting. “Tata spent a few days working nine hours a day to complete this masterpiece. During this time, Shreshta also taught him the various brushstrokes of painting. Hidden in this painting is one stroke which was solely done by Tata himself and is hence fondly termed ‘The Tata Stroke’,” they add.
Eventually some “extraordinary prices” were raised for charity out of the event. The value of this painting was around Rs 75 Lakh. Taj Mahal Palace has several priceless paintings, including by M F Hussain in the reception.