The Ironman & The Father of Indian Civil Aviation!

The tribute for the great man may came too late but it was always in my mind. My father worked in Tisco (Tata Iron & Steel Company) and for obvious reason I was brought up in Jamshedpur under generous hospitality provided by the company.  Jamshedpur the town, I still looked upon as one of the best place to live in. I spend a fair amount of my life in that town which breathes around the company itself. There is no doubt that the brand ‘Tata’ draws more respect than any other corporate house. One of the pioneer who built this empire that founded by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, was J. R. D. Tata. The name itself draw mammoth admiration. Being a ‘Jammy’ (Jamshedpur) we owe lots to this great man.

Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata

J. R. D. Tata was born in 29 July 1904 in Paris, France, the second child of Parsi father Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata and his French wife, Suzanne. His father was a first cousin of Jamsetji Tata, a pioneer industrialist in India. He spent much of his childhood in France and as a result, French was his first language. Tata also attended the French Foreign Legion. He attended the Cathedral and John Connon School, Bombay.

J. R. D. Tata was inspired early by aviation pioneer Louis Blériot, and took to flying. On February 10, 1929 Tata obtained the first pilot licence issued in India. He later came to be known as the father of Indian civil aviation. He founded India's first commercial airline, Tata Airlines in 1932, which became Air India in 1946, now India's national airline.

He joined Tata & Sons as an unpaid apprentice in 1925. In 1938, at the age of 34, JRD was elected Chairman of Tata & Sons making him the head of the largest industrial group in India. He took over as Chairman of Tata Sons from his uncle Nowroji Saklatwala. For decades, he directed the huge Tata Group of companies, with major interests in Steel, Engineering, Power, Chemicals and Hospitality. He was famous for succeeding in business while maintaining high ethical standards - refusing to bribe politicians or use the black market.

In 1945, he founded Tata Motors. In 1948, JRD Tata launched Air India International as India's first international airline. In 1953, the Indian Government appointed JRD Tata as Chairman of Air India and a director on the Board of Indian Airlines - a position he retained for 25 years. For his crowning achievements in aviation, he was bestowed with the title of Honorary Air Commodore of India.

JRD Tata received a number of awards. He received the Padma Vibhushan in 1957 on the eve of the silver jubilee of Air India. He also received the Guggenheim Medal for aviation in 1988. In 1992, because of his selfless humanitarian endeavors, JRD Tata was awarded India's highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna. In the same year, JRD Tata was also bestowed with the United Nations Population Award for his crusading endeavors towards initiating and successfully implementing the family planning movement in India, much before it became an official government policy.

The Former chairman of Tata Group Known for Founder of TCS, Founder of Tata Motors, Founder of Titan Industries, Founder of Tata Communications, Founder of Tata Tea, Founder of Voltas. He died 29 November 1993 Geneva, Switzerland.

!!!Greatness of a man lies in his achievements!!!