In one household, two brothers shaped the destiny of a nation in very different ways. Dr. Homi J. Bhabha gave India nuclear power, while Dr. Jamshed J. Bhabha devoted himself to its soft power, art and culture. Their journeys remind us that science and art are not opposites, but companions in a civilisation’s growth.
A new exhibition of Jamshed Bhabha’s letters, photographs and personal heirlooms brings this vision alive. In conversation with Nandita Anjaria, Senior Advisor (Honorary), NCPA, Indulge Express discovers how his ideas shaped Mumbai’s cultural landscape and why his legacy still speaks to younger generations.
Through these personal artifacts, what aspects of Jamshedji Bhabha’s life and spirit do you feel audiences will discover anew?
The exhibition spans from 4th-century objects to contemporary pieces, but at its heart lie Dr. Jamshed Bhabha’s personal belongings—crockery, photo frames, and letters—that reveal the life of a true Renaissance man. Among the early photographs is one of the Pune summer home of his paternal aunt, Meherabai Tata, married to Sir Dorabji Tata. He grew up in a house adorned with beautiful objects and a collection of classical music records. Along with his brother, Dr. Homi Bhabha, he was sent on cultural trips abroad to visit museums, galleries, and concerts—an exposure that remained with him throughout life. Letters preserved in the TIFR archives, exchanged between the brothers, further illuminate his enduring engagement with the arts.
In your view, how did his vision help shape Mumbai’s cultural landscape, and how does that legacy resonate today?
Dr. Bhabha was a visionary who believed that the oral traditions of the guru-shishya parampara must never be lost. At a time when acoustically treated theatres and professional-grade recording studios were scarce, he imagined and created the National Centre for the Performing Arts. With the support of J.R.D. Tata, he reclaimed land from the sea and built an institution that would become a cultural landmark. His council included stalwarts such as Pandit Ravi Shankar, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Satyajit Ray, P.L. Deshpande, and Yehudi Menuhin, to name a few.
His guiding philosophy rested on the three Ps: Preserve, Promote, Propagate. To preserve, the NCPA holds over 5,000 hours of rare recordings by M.S. Subbulakshmi, Bismillah Khan, Allarakha, Kumar Gandharva, and other masters, with archiving continuing even today. To promote, the centre curates more than 600 performances annually across five theatres, led by experts in each genre. To propagate, it sustains the guru-shishya tradition and runs music and dance education programmes for less privileged schoolchildren. At the SOI Music Academy, students are trained in Western classical music to a professional level.
The NCPA also reaches younger audiences through workshops, residencies, and talks on music appreciation, and takes performances into public spaces with its NCPA@ThePark initiative in Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru. Across all these efforts, Dr. Bhabha’s principle of pursuing excellence remains the touchstone.
How have you approached this exhibition so that it honours his memory while also speaking to younger generations of artists and audiences?
We chose to focus on the value of personal objects and how lived experiences—artistic and otherwise—shape a worldview. It was important to present Dr. Bhabha as an individual with specific affinities and curiosities, making him relatable to students, artists, and professionals alike. These qualities are universal and transcend generations.
For today’s youth, it is crucial to see the passion and persistence with which he pursued art. His journey was not just about access to galleries but also about the self-learning he cultivated through reading, reflecting, and writing about what he encountered. Letters to his brother, Dr. Homi Bhabha, displayed across the gallery, testify to this deep engagement and hold the exhibition together as a narrative thread.