Mumbai artist to auction diamond portrait of late Ratan Tata for charity

Shailesh Acharekar, an artist who shares his birthday with Ratan Tata, had planned to personally present his unique creation to the industrialist on his upcoming birthday, December 28.

Mumbai: The Mumbai-based artist who created a portrait of the late legend Ratan N. Tata with 12,000 big and small diamond pieces, has decided with a heavy heart to auction off his glittering creation for charitable purposes.

Shailesh Acharekar, the artist who shares his birthday with Ratan Tata, wanted to present the unique creation personally to the industrialist on his next birthday (December 28).

---

“I had specially created this for Rata Tata Sir. I was hoping to meet, greet and gift it to him personally on his next birthday. Due to his sad passing, my dream has remained unfulfilled…” a downcast Acharekar told IANS.

Early this year, he hit upon the idea of making something special in honour of the living ‘gem’ (Ratan) Tata and decided to make the diamond portrait.

Accordingly, he embarked upon the huge task, using around 12,000 big and small diamonds of mixed variety for his shimmering masterpiece that blooms on a 3X4 feet matt blackboard (composite panel).

It took Acharekar some six months of toil, blood, sweat and tears to make the stunning diamond portrait and he harboured fond hopes of presenting it to Ratan Tata in person as a tribute to his sterling contributions to the country.

However, on October 9, the world was shattered by the demise of the giant of an industrialist and paid glowing tributes to his memory.

“Unfortunately, Ratan Tata is no longer with us. But to honour his noble ideas and as a tribute to his memory, we have decided to sell/auction off this painting. We plan to dedicate its proceeds for some charitable cause dear to his heart, like the welfare of dogs, especially since I also love these faithful canines,” said Acharekar.

Similarly, in Pune, a young woman Rajashri Nitin Bhagawat has become a social media rage for creating a huge 20X20 feet (400 sq feet) ‘rangoli’ depicting Ratan Tata in a map of India — in just 3 hours — at the at the Pimpri-Chinchwad Polytechnic College.

A self-learnt artist, Rajashri, 28 — a full-time artist from the age of 13, which earned her an honorary doctorate — now goes pillion on a scooter with her husband (Nitin) and their 3-year-old son Viraj, makes colourful ‘rangolis’ on the entire 250-kms long Alandi-Pandharpur route, for Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj’s annual ‘palkhi’ (palanquin) procession (in June-July).

In Mumbai, Acharekar said that though he is planning to dispose of Ratan Tata’s diamond portrait, “his personality, achievements and contributions are invaluable” to the country and society.

Nevertheless, New York-based NRI diamantaire Ketan R. Kakkad, while terming the creation as a “masterpiece,” guardedly estimates that it could be worth over Rs 3-5 crore, although an exact figure can be arrived at only after a proper study of the creation.

“Ratan Tata has left his imprint on the whole world, his contributions cannot be valued or measured, but the masses’ love for him will remain forever, just like diamonds,” Kakkad told IANS.

Concurring, Acharekar, who had made a portrait of the late Balasaheb Thackeray with 27,000 diamonds in June 2024, said that Ratan Tata’s simplicity, and generosity towards social causes will inspire millions for generations, and “we hope to make a small contribution as a tribute to his charitable initiatives” through the painting.