Launched in 1922 during the Swadeshi Movement, Bharat Tiles laid the groundwork for some of the oldest buildings in Mumbai. The only handmade made-to-order cement tile manufacturer in India's history is peppered with patriotism and eccentricity
Launched in 1922 during the Swadeshi Movement, Bharat Tiles laid the groundwork for some of the oldest buildings in Mumbai. The only handmade made-to-order cement tile manufacturer in India's history is peppered with patriotism and eccentricity
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Every Mumbaikar has walked on a Bharat floor without knowing it," says Dilnavaz Variava, chairperson of Bharat Tiles, a 90 year-old tile manufacturing firm, pioneers of the cement tile business in India.
The family-owned company has laid intricate flooring for the city's iconic structures including the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum at Byculla, the Mumbai Central station, the Bombay High Court, Metro Cinema, Churchgate station and Mantralaya. 
Its beginnings could well find mention in a page out of the Indian Independence movement. "My grandfather, Pherozesha Sidhwa, was studying to be a lawyer when he was approached by Jamshed Nusserwanji Mehta, a nationalist and friend of Gandhiji. Jamshedji was of the belief that India needed economic independence along with political freedom. So, he convinced my grandfather to start the manufacture of Indian-made tiles," says Firdaus Variava, director of sales, of the firm and third generation owner. The Bharat Tile Company's motto was "Equal to the World's Best".
"Other companies like Raval Tiles, Simplex Tiles and NITCO started several decades later, but all of them stopped making cement tiles around the '70s," says Dilnavaz.
Being the first producer of cement tiles in Mumbai, Bharat Tiles enjoyed a lengthy list of projects commissioned by the new free government of India and maharajas looking to dress up their palaces. They were an obvious choice since they were cheaper than imported tiles but offered the same quality.
"In the 1990s, there was a movement from heritage tiles to art d ufffdcor tiles; they looked modern but were simple to make. We modified our designs to suit the city's taste," shares Firdaus. Now, he says, heritage tiles are back in fashion, and Bharat's clientele include hotels, corporate offices, clubs, government buildings and airports.
Variava says Sidhwa travelled across European countries to learn the process of tile-making and acquire machines that could produce tiles that could withstand Indian climates and use.
Along with patriotism, the company's history is peppered with eccentric anecdotes like the one when Sidhwa, dissatisfied with a batch of tiles made for the New Readymoney Building that now stands in Flora Fountain, stopped delivery and had an entire batch hurled into the sea.
Firdaus who comes from an advertising background is trying to inject contemporary designs into the collection. Recycled tiles use broken glass from bangles, bottles and mirrors. "I didn't want the art to die. I was keen on continuing the family business. Cement is an incredible material to work with, anything can be embedded in it."
The tiles are priced between Rs 60 to Rs 100 per square foot.
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