“To my father, the acquisition of wealth was only a secondary object in life; it was always subordinate to the constant desire in his heart to improve the industrial and intellectual condition of the people of this country…Kind fate has…permitted me to help in bringing to completion, his inestimable legacy of service to the country."
- Sir Dorabji Tata

The Braveheart who Started India’s Industrial Revolution with Steel

Dorabji gave shape to a vision of an India, strengthened by Steel and Power. He built the nation’s first steel plant in the inhospitable Chhota Nagpur region. He also built a hydel station in the daunting terrain of the Western Ghats. Dorabji saw in every challenge an opportunity.

Determination of a Warrior

Under the leadership of Sir Dorabji Tata, Tata Steel supplied 290,000 tons of steel for the war effort, which proved critical to the outcome of World War I. Impressed by the contribution, the then British government renamed the steel city from Sakchi to Jamshedpur on January 2, 1919.

A Man of Ingenuity

Sir Dorabji Tata was a man determined to create an extraordinary tomorrow. Starting off at the cotton division at Tata, he later went on to fulfil his father’s dream by establishing Tata Steel and Tata Power, both equally integral parts of the Tata Group industries today. It was under his leadership that Tata Steel became the largest private sector steel company in the country.

Soon after, he ventured into sectors such as hydroelectricity, edible oil, soap manufacturing, construction and aviation. His contributions towards industries in British India was recognised in 1910, when he was knighted by King Edward VII.

He Pledged his Personal Wealth to Prevent Tata Steel from Closing Down

In the 1920s, Tata Steel was hit by a severe market slump. Dorabji pledged his entire personal wealth which included even his wife’s Jubilee Diamond, twice the size of the legendary Kohinoor. The Imperial Bank gave him a personal loan of 1 crore which he used to bail out the company.

A Pioneer of a Better Tomorrow

Abiding by his staunch belief against discrimination based on place, nationality or creed, he set up the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust using all his life’s earnings in 1932. It focussed on the advancement of learning and research, disaster relief, and other humanitarian matters.

Furthermore, he donated significant amounts of money to the University of Cambridge and the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute for installing laboratory equipment and establishing a Chair for Sanskrit Studies, respectively. His philanthropy and compassion towards society inspires millions of people, even today.

On his 161st birth anniversary, we celebrate the man whose wisdom and vision continues to lead Tata Steel to greater heights and better tomorrows.