Born on March 3, 1839 Only son of a 17-year old priestOrdained as a priest; received no formal education Moved to Bombay in 1852 at the age of 13 Married Hirabai while still in college Given a free scholarship in College, graduated from Elphinstone College in 1858 with a degree in Liberal Arts 1900 Jamsetji was in England to see the Secretary of State for India, Lord George Hamilton. He decided then to build a steel plant in India. Passed away on May 19, 1904

The partners - Jamsetji Tata, Sir Dorabji Tata, R D Tata and Sir Ratan Tata

“When you have to give the lead in action, in ideas - a lead which does not fit in with the very climate of opinion, that is true courage, physical or mental or spiritual, call it what you like, and it is this type of courage and vision that Jamsetji Tata showed.”                                       -   Jawaharlal Nehru

In 600 AD, when the Zoroastrian Community landed on the shores of Sanjan to escape persecution in Persia, the ruler of Sanjan agreed to give them freedom of worship, freedom to bring up their children according to their values and traditions, as well as land to cultivate for their needs. When asked what the people from Persia would do in return for their country of adoption, the immigrants’ priest asked for a bowl of milk into which he stirred in a measure of sugar. The priest asked those present at the King’s assembly if the sugar was visible. He then said, “just as the milk has been sweetened by the sugar, so shall we sweeten the country with our efforts without making our presence felt.”

In the last one hundred years, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata has more than exemplified this commitment of the community. In 1904, when he passed away none of his dream projects had yet achieved fruition. But it is his hand which has guided the Tata Group to endeavour to make India a socio-economic powerhouse through its efforts.

Born into a family of priests on March 3, 1839 in Navsari, Jamsetji Tata was a nationalist long before the word had any real significance for India. He attended the founding of the Indian National Congress in Bombay in 1885 and contributed generously to it. His nationalism, however, was not narrow but rooted in his love for humanity, which is still the defining characteristic of every Tata enterprise, especially Tata Steel.

The great love he had for his country resulted in him devoting every day of his life preparing for her future, when he hoped she would be both politically and economically independent. Among those who could harness the knowledge and forces of the West to provide India with the means to gain economic freedom, Jamsetji Tata searched for the wealth within India and her people to fire enterprise. He was among the fortunate few who not only knew how to amass wealth but also how to make effective use of a fortune. He had all the qualities of a successful business man but what truly set him apart was his foresight and conviction.