Tata group founder Jamshedji Tata – whose ideas led to the creation of Tata Steel, Tata Power and the Indian Institute of Science – once planned on installing adequate cold storage in Mumbai, then #Bombay – one of his most imaginative projects.

Harish Bhat, Brand Custodian at Tata Sons, shared Jamshedji’s dream, which didn’t acquire the scale of his other businesses as it was “ahead of its time.”

Bhat, in his post, said that Jamshedji’s experiment came at a time when no such facility existed in the city.

The Tata group founder wanted to increase food supply and prevent the constant food shortages that were occurring immediately after the devastating bubonic plague of the 1890s. Around 1899, he began drawing up plans for constructing a huge building in South Mumbai. He bought an ice-house from an American Company, to be used for the preservation of fruits, fish and meat. But unfortunately, this project failed for a lack of public support.

Jamshedji was ahead of his time and another 20 years elapsed before the iconic Craw ford Market, a wholesale fruit and vegetable market in Mumbai, was equipped with adequate refrigerators and cold storage.

Bhat concluded saying that, “Setbacks such as this did not deter Jamshedji from pursuing his next dream. Dreams are the visions that help unfold and enrich our lives. Jamshedji Tata never stopped dreaming throughout his life. Why should we?”