 J R D Tata would have been delighted
with the two men now at the helm of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam and Dr Manmohan Singh. For
a man interested in airplanes, adventure and science, the knowledge and learning driven Dr
Abdul Kalam would have been a great source of inspiration. As a leader of Indian industry,
J R D would have believed that India has yet another “tryst with destiny” when
it got as Prime Minister the man who freed India from all its economic shackles, and at
the same time symbolises morality and propriety in polity.J R D Tata himself was the embodiment, not just of the Tata motto, “Humata,
Hukhta, Hvarshta” or “Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds” but also
the virtues which create a leader - power with benevolence, strength with humility and
intelligence with wisdom. He was willing to sacrifice riches for an unostentatious
lifestyle, donating as much as 40% of his earnings during his life time to the trust set
up by him. At the same time the patriot in him did not hesitate to take a strong stand
against the government of the day, if there was anything in the interest of his nation.
THE
TATA ETHOS AS DESCRIBED BY J R D TATA
A pattern of tradition and standards introduced by Jamsetji in regards to fair and honest
management, product quality, human relation in industry, industrial philantrophy, all of
which I am glad to say have become widely recognised as the Tata industrial ethos. |
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| J R D Tata always sought to do the best
for India |
More than a decade after his death, as we celebrate J R D
Tata’s birth centenary, his impact on the nation and Indian industry has not
diminished. During his lifetime, his passion for cars and airplanes created Tata Motors
and Tata Airlines - later to be rechristened Air India; his passion for perfection made
the Taj Hotels India’s finest hospitality chain; his passion for nation building
created giants of Tata Steel and Tata Power; his passion for art and culture created the
National Centre for Performing Arts; his drive to learn nurtured the Indian Institute of
Science; his desire to “Live Young” attracted sportsmen to the Tatas and his
belief that the nation must “Fertilise the Land and Sterilise the Man” gave
birth to its Family Planning Programme.
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| Evincing deep interest inthe welfare of
all |
His contemporaries in the Planning Commission, ministers
of the day, industrialists all recall the humane side of the J R D. “Even when
hurt,” recalls Chairman, Tata Sons, Mr Ratan Tata, “Jeh had an immense capacity
to forgive.” Though a perfectionist he did not stand on ceremony, rather he preferred
to remain as unobstrusive as possible. When awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian
honour for a private citizen, J R D Tata would have preferred to find a way to stop it!
“Amro J R D” for those at Bombay House, to Tata
Steel and the tribals – the indigenous people of the land- J R D Tata despite living
in far off Bombay, impacted their lives everyday. While at the helm of the Company he
established Tata Steel not only as a leader in steel but also as a benchmark in corporate
social responsibility. |
