This powerful woman from the Tata family competed in Olympics, owned a 245.35-carat diamond bigger than Kohinoor, shared a close relationship with Ratan Tata, she was…

Meherbai also ardently campaigned for the advancement of women’s education, against the purdah system, and against the practice of untouchability.

Lady Meherbai Tata was a prominent Indian philanthropist. She was widely regarded for her contributions to various social causes in India. A pioneering woman, she was instrumental in pushing for important social reforms, such as laws to prevent child marriage. Her contributions to society, women’s rights, and the Tata Group highlight her as an extraordinary figure. According to the official website of Tata, Lady Tata was not only consulted on the Sarda Act, she also actively campaigned for it in India and abroad.

As a member of the nascent women’s organisations of the time, such as the National Women’s Council and the All India Women’s Conference, she made a case for the Hindu Marriage Bill at a college in Michigan on November 29, 1927 — two days after she and her husband Sir Dorabji Tata met the then United States President Calvin Coolidge at the White House.

Lady Meherbai was a visionary who broke societal norms in a time when women’s roles were largely confined to the home. A passionate advocate for women’s rights, she became a prominent figure in India’s feminist movement. In 1924, she made history as India’s first female tennis player at the Paris Olympics, competing in a sari, proudly representing her heritage. Meherbai also championed the cause of social reform, playing a key role in the fight against child marriage. Her groundbreaking ideas and fearless activism made her one of the most influential women within the Tata Group.

Meherbai was born in Bombay on October 10, 1879. Her father, Hormusji J. Bhabha, was among the first Parsis to study in England. After her family moved to Bangalore, she attended Bishop Cotton School. In 1884, her father became the principal of Maharaja’s College, Mysore.

As per the Tata Trusts website, on February 14, 1898, the beautiful Mehri married Dorabji Tata, the eldest son of Jamsetji N. Tata. Dorabji is known for having gifted his newly-wed bride the larger-than-life 245.35 carat Jubilee diamond in 1900, which she proudly wore when attending important public functions.

She was an active supporter of the Indian Red Cross Society and contributed generously to its cause. In recognition of her significant efforts toward war relief and women’s welfare, King George V honored her as a Commander of the British Empire in 1919.

In 1930, she was appointed as the Chairman of the Reception Committee for the All India Women’s Conference held in Bombay. In the final stages of her life, Lady Tata battled leukemia and was admitted to a nursing home in Ruthin, North Wales, where she passed away on June 18, 1931. Her ashes were laid to rest at Brookwood Cemetery. In her memory, Sir Dorabji Tata established the Lady Tata Memorial Trust in 1932, dedicated to funding scientific research on blood-related diseases, with a special emphasis on leukemia. Ratan Tata is a descendant of the same Tata family, but he is not directly related to Lady Meherbai.