The uncrowned king of Indian industry Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy "J. R. D." Tata

He touched the sky and it smiled. He stretched out his arms and they encircled the globe.

His vision made giants out of men and organisations.

JRD Tata was one such legend who always was the change. An industrialist with social responsibility who greatly cared his employees and society. His life, ideals and intellect always makes us look at him very admiringly.

We are unfortunate not to be born in his times to witness one of the great icon of our country but fortunate enough to enjoy the fruits of his endeavor.

“One must forever strive for excellence and perfection, in any task, however small it may be, and always try to be better than the best”

It is the measure of a man’s life, the ideas he lived all along before he left the mortal world to an eternity in heavens,

Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata presented an exalted idea of Indianness: progressive, benevolent, ethical and compassionate. JRD, as he was known to commoner and king, was one of India’s foremost and finest business leaders who has the dis­­­t­­inction of expanding Tata Sons into India’s largest corporate institution and creating some of the most successful companies that have played the best in the test of time.

This is an inspirational pageantry about an Indian business icon whose aura transcends infinity.

The journey of a man, thoughts of a visionary & the life of a legend.

A TRUE HEIR

JRD Tata joined Tata Sons Limited as an unpaid apprentice in 1925 at the age of 21. At 22, soon after his father passed away, JRD was on the board of Tata Sons, putting to rest his interest to studying at Cambridge. Though he missed his formal college education, he educated himself after office hours, studying books on various aspects of business. His dedication to learning and sense of responsibility of the legacy even in his early Twenties was such that, he did not let the frailty caused by his ill health to get him bed ridden, he would instead concentrate on his studies despite his sister’s words of wisdom advising him against it.

In 1932, JRD founded India’s first airlines, the Tata airlines (now Air India). Under him, Tata airlines became one of the most efficient airlines in the world. His initiative paved the way for various businesses to enter the aviation sector in India, hence he is rightfully called the “Father of Indian Aviation. In 1938 the young Tata scion was elected as the chairman of Tata Sons, making him the youngest chairman of the of TATA group (then the largest industrial house of India). He lead the Tata group for the next 52 years - with wisdom, foresight and a gifted grace that touched everyone he met. In his regime which lasted for more than 5 decades, the Tata group expanded its presence into new spheres of business. He started many of the prominent Tata ventures like Tata Chemicals (1939), Tata Motors and Tata Industries (both 1945), Voltas (1954), Tata Tea [(1962) [now known as Tata Global Beverages], Tata Consultancy Services (1968) and Titan Industries (1984). Under his leadership Tata Group grew from US$100 million to over US$5 billion, starting with 14 enterprises to a conglomerate of staggering 95 enterprises half a century later. He turned the Tata group into a business group where entrepreneurial talent and expertise were encouraged to blossom. JRD was brave enough to run the gauntlet and face the fusillade that came in his wake. His success motto was fairly simple – to be committed to a single idea and to do everything in one’s power to make sure that it reaches its maximum potential.

EMPLOYEES ARE THE MOST VALUABLE ASSETS OF AN ORGANISATION

Jeh, as he was popularly called , was always ahead of his times. Under his leadership TISCO became the first Company in India to incorporate a HR department. He transformed the selection process to be on the basis of merit and deserved. In 1956, he initiated a programme 'Employee Association with Management' to give workers a stronger voice in the affairs of the company. He firmly believed in employee welfare, and cared greatly for his employees. He espoused the principles of an eight-hour working day, free medical aid, workers' provident scheme etc, which were later, adopted as statutory requirements in India. In 1979, Tata Steel instituted a new practice, whereby a worker would be deemed to be "at work" from the moment he left home for work till he returned home. The company would be financially liable to the worker if any mishap were to take place on the way. Tata Steel Township was also selected as a UN Global Compact City because of its quality of life.

When Mr. Tata was awarded Bharat Ratna, in a felicitation program by Tata employees, the patriarch, then 87, addressed his people, ‘My friends, I should say my children...’ Every eye was moist because they knew he meant it. The man who had done so much to give India economic strength went on to say, ‘I don’t want India to be an economic superpower. I want India to be a happy country'.

GENDER BIAS – WOMEN EMPOWEMENT

Mrs. Sudha Murthy, the Chairperson of Infosys foundation and the wife of Mr. Narayan Murthy, was the first woman to work on shop floor of the TELCO (A Tata Sons division).

Here is an excerpt from her time at TELCO & her awe of the man who lead it -

It was only after joining Telco that I realized who JRD was: the uncrowned king of Indian industry. Now I was scared, but I did not get to meet him till I was transferred to Bombay. One day I had to show some reports to Mr. Moolgaokar, our chairman, who we all knew as SM. I was in his office on the first floor of Bombay House [the Tata headquarters] when, suddenly, JRD walked in. That was the first time I saw 'aapro JRD'. Aapro means 'our' in Gujarati. That was the affectionate term by which people at Bombay House called him.

I was feeling very nervous, remembering my postcard episode. SM introduced me nicely, "Jeh (that's what his close associates called him), this young woman is an engineer and that too, a postgraduate. She is the first woman to work on the Telco shop floor." JRD looked at me. I was praying he would not ask me any questions about my interview (or the postcard that preceded it). Thankfully, he didn't. Instead he remarked. "It is nice that girls are getting into engineering in our country. By the way, what is your name?" "When I joined Telco I was Sudha Kulkarni, Sir," I replied. "Now I am Sudha Murthy." He smiled that kindly smile and started a discussion with SM. As for me, I almost ran out of the room.

After that I used to see JRD on and off. He was the Tata Group chairman and I was merely an engineer. There was nothing that we had in common. I was in awe of him.

One day I was waiting for Murthy, my husband, to pick me up after office hours. To my surprise I saw JRD standing next to me. I did not know how to react. Yet again I started worrying about that postcard. Looking back, I realize JRD had forgotten about it. It must have been a small incident for him, but not so for me.

"Young lady, why are you here?" he asked. "Office time is over." I said, "Sir, I'm waiting for my husband to come and pick me up." JRD said, "It is getting dark and there's no one in the corridor. I'll wait with you till your husband comes." I was quite used to waiting for Murthy, but having JRD waiting alongside made me extremely uncomfortable.

I was nervous. Out of the corner of my eye I looked at him. He wore a simple white pant and shirt. He was old, yet his face was glowing. There wasn't any air of superiority about him. I was thinking, "Look at this person. He is a chairman, a well-respected man in our country and he is waiting for the sake of an ordinary employee."

Then I saw Murthy and I rushed out. JRD called and said, "Young lady, tell your husband never to make his wife wait again."

In 1982 I had to resign from my job at Telco. I was reluctant to go, but I really did not have a choice. I was coming down the steps of Bombay House after wrapping up my final settlement when I

saw JRD coming up. He was absorbed in thought. I wanted to say goodbye to him so I stopped. He saw me and paused.

Gently, he said, "So what are you doing, Mrs. Kulkarni? (That was the way he always addressed me.) "Sir, I am leaving Telco." "Where are you going?" he asked. "Pune, sir. My husband is starting a company called Infosys and I'm shifting to Pune." "Oh! And what you will do when you are successful?" "Sir, I don't know whether we will be successful." "Never start with diffidence," he advised me. "Always start with confidence. When you are successful you must give back to society. Society gives us so much; we must reciprocate. I wish you all the best."

Then JRD continued walking up the stairs. I stood there for what seemed like a millennium. That was the last time I saw him alive.

I consider JRD a great man because, despite being an extremely busy person, he valued one postcard written by a young girl seeking justice. He must have received thousands of letters every day. He could have thrown mine away, but he didn't do that. He respected the intentions of that unknown girl, who had neither influence nor money, and gave her an opportunity in his company. He did not merely give her a job; he changed her life and mindset forever.

On the occasion of his 113th birth anniversary which was yesterday (29th July 2017), it’s an endeavour from our side to commemorate the legend, besides presenting an opportunity to all of us to inculcate at least one idea or quality from what we have learnt today which would veer our approach towards the country at large into a more holistic one.

Contributed by : Bharath, Sai, Ankith and Shreya.