When Ratan Tata turned artist’s dream into reality

Rata Tata signing one of Nilesh Mohite’s paintings

Artist Nilesh Mohite's life changed after meeting Ratan Tata in 2019. Mohite, nicknamed Sonu, used to stand for hours outside the Taj office but never approached Tata. "While doing small jobs, I became obsessed with meeting Ratan Tata. When I had time, I would go stand at the Taj's door," he said.

"I had made a sketch of him boarding an aircraft and wanted to give it to him as a birthday gift. I live in Macchimar Nagar, Colaba, and through local political leaders, I finally managed to get an appointment with him. This was in 2019," Nilesh told mid-day.

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"It was an unforgettable day. I presented my sketch to him as a birthday gift. He asked about my family, and when I told him about my background, he offered me money, enough to buy a bigger house, but I declined and instead asked for work opportunities," Mohite shared.

An autographed photo of Tata and Mohite from the latter's personal collection (right) The invitation card for Mohite's art exhibition

"He placed a cheque in my hand after hearing about my living situation and told me to buy a good house. However, I politely declined the cheque," Nilesh added. Tata was amazed and asked, "What can I do for you?" Nilesh replied, "Give me a place to display my paintings." Tata immediately agreed and offered him space at the Taj Gallery.

"The challenge for me then was to raise money and create the artwork. I was supported by our local political leader, Jyotitai Badekar (Mumbai general secretary of Janata Dal, Secular). I created 22 paintings, and two years later, they were displayed at the Taj Gallery, a place I never dreamed of setting foot in," Nilesh added.

Ratan Tata himself promoted Nilesh's work on his Instagram account, transforming his life. Nilesh, 29, was born in a village in Raigad district. His father left the family when he was 5, and his sister, 1. The children, along with their mother, moved to Mumbai, where she worked as a maid.

Mohite shared, "I enrolled in Colaba Municipal School, but my mother's deteriorating health forced me to leave school in Std IX. I later attended a night school. In the mornings, I worked as an office boy at Nariman Point for two hours, then worked full-time elsewhere before attending night school," he explained.

Today, Nilesh is a solo artist, and his paintings sell for amounts starting at Rs 40,000 and going up to lakhs. He still lives in Colaba.