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Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with
Innumerable legends, adventures of the valiant and the tribulations of several battles, are the magical threads with which the Tata Steel saga has been woven. JN Tata must have pondered over these words of Thomas Carlyle, “Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with.” Just as he did over those of this 19th century philosopher who had inspired him to establish the Indian iron and steel industry when he said, “the nation that gains control of iron soon acquires the control of gold.”
Tribulations there were many, to establish the steel plant and later during its 100-year-history. The very first were the absurd regulations for mining and prospecting, which were carefully devised by the then
British Government to obstruct and prevent
development. The demeanour of the Government towards businessman, especially the Indians was another. Mr Tata had to travel to London to seal the interest of the India Office and the Secretary of State in his project.
Once he obtained their consent, Mr Tata applied and received prospecting licenses for the Lohara and Peepulgaon area in Chanda
district.
The Tata Group’s most faithful chronicler, Mr R M Lala does the honours of cutting its birthday cake |
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A vision that this man of passion articulated
Roads were few, water scarce and the heat was intense. Only at times the party did find shelter in a village house, while many nights were spent in their carts. If their adventures were committed to paper, they would form a “prose epic of prospecting.” At the end of these endeavours, Dorabji Tata and CM Weld remained despondent, even travelling to Nagpur to surrender the prospecting licenses obtained by J N Tata.
It was while they were waiting for the Chief Secretary of the Central Provinces that fate swung their way. Dorabji chanced upon a map of Durg district showing dark deposits of ore. He sought the Chief Secretary’s help to locate PN Bose’s long forgotten report on the richest deposits of iron-ore in the world. The prospectors raced to the spot and set up camp. Close on their heels were agents of other prospectors, who would wire their principals to obtain a license for every location Mr Weld set out to work on! But eventually, it was God’s will that when Weld struck iron, these agents had assumed that he was out on a hunting trip.
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