The Beat Report: When I met my own March sisters

Good morning!

Last weekend, my sister Anne visited, bringing back nostalgic memories of our childhood and dear ones who are no longer with us.

As we reminisced about our childhood days, memories of some of whom are no longer with us came flooding back. Together, we visited our parents' graves, an experience that was both poignant and reflective, especially amid the hustle and bustle of our busy lives.

This week was particularly eventful for me, as it marked the long-awaited moment when I finally met the Jejeebhoy sisters—Shireen and Deanna—in what I was told was their first interaction with the media.

The March sisters

The sisters of late Ratan Tata, now in their seventies, reminded me of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. The story of the March sisters, Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth, written over 150 years ago, tells the story of the March family, set in the post-American Civil War era, when marriage and family were seen as the ultimate goals for women. But not for the March sisters or for the Jejeebhoy sisters.

They appeared confident, yet seemed anxious. They had no connection to business but held strong views on current-day topics.

As a reporter, one harbours a wishlist to interview a few interesting personalities. Covering the business beat, there were always personalities involved in the sphere of commerce, and a few with some connection to business. The two sisters were among the many whom I was keen to meet but never got an opportunity.

In your daily reporting, you read and hear about people. The mystery around them and the people close to them would make one wish to meet them. That's what happened when I checked with contacts to see if Shireen and Deanna Jejeebhoy would agree to a meeting. People who had proximity to them laughed and said my wish was an ambitious one.

The upheaval at Tata Trusts, the philanthropic entities that are the majority owners of Tata Sons, the holding company of the country’s largest conglomerate, prompted me to search my contact book for many of the old-timers of the group.

Quick recap: Ratan Tata’s close confidant, Mehli Mistry, was removed as a trustee in the last week of October. After challenging his removal before the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner on 31 October, Mehli informed the trustees on 5 November that he did not wish to contest. The jury is still out on how the three trustees, who opposed one of their fellow trustees’ representation on the board of Tata Sons, will work together in the future. Nonetheless, for now, it appears there could be some peace.

Agreed, the sisters are not on the board of Tata Trusts. However, all these fissures within Tata Trusts, coming less than a year after Ratan Tata passed away in October 2024, made me wonder if there was some unfinished business the business doyen had in mind and whether he had some apprehensions about the future of Tata Trusts.

Why would they want to talk, they asked?

The sisters were very close to their brother, Ratan Tata. So, when I finally managed to connect with them, it wasn't a mere coincidence, but rather a result of a few months of gentle nudging. Initially, they were as curious as they were a little wary. But they opened up gradually while reminiscing about their brother, their mother, Ratan's architectural background, and his dogs.

However, before the interaction began, they established some ground rules. They insisted that I would show them what I was going to quote them on, and I gave them that assurance as I switched on the recorder. They had initially wondered whether I would show them the story before it was published, and I had to politely tell them that it was not a practice that our publication would encourage.

What if?

As the conversation continued, I could relate to what Jo March, one of the four sisters, said in Little Women, “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they've got ambition, and they've got talent, as well as just beauty."

Deanna knew how Trusts work, having been a member of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trusts at one point in time, when J.J. Bhabha was the chairman of the trusts. It was evident that the sisters were proud of their late brother and recounted a few pranks that he had played on them. How Ratan had to give up Tango, a German shepherd, because his twin, Tito, could never stand him. Dog specialists worked on them, but to no avail, forcing Ratan to finally request his sisters to provide a home for Tango.

As the conversation drew to a close, I felt that Shireen and Deanna expressed their views thoughtfully without intending to hurt anyone. It meanders as Shireen says she is yet to find time to read Arundhati Roy’s memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me, but it is a book she looks forward to reading.

As I listened to them, I wondered how they had gone unheard for so long. Alcott wrote: "There are many Beths (the third of the March sisters) in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind." This sentiment resonates with their experiences.

Ratan Tata, who studied architecture at Cornell University, played a key role in designing his mother Sooni's Sett Minar bungalow, where the sisters live. They had differing opinions on the design; Ratan favoured a modern, minimalist approach, while his mother preferred a more traditional style. Ultimately, his indulgent mother allowed Ratan's design to take precedence, with one exception: she wanted a chandelier in the living room. Ratan agreed to this request but decided to place the chandelier on the upper floor instead.

As I was leaving the bungalow, the sun had set, and Tango, a ferocious-looking dog, was finally set free.

Many thoughts crossed my mind. The sisters have been entrusted with a significant portion of their brother's wealth, which has been earmarked for philanthropy. What if they had been assigned duties as trustees of the philanthropic trusts by their stepbrother? Would the story have been different?

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