Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (July 29, 1904 – November 29, 1993) is considered one of the greatest men in modern Indian history because of his outstanding success in business and his pioneering contributions to the development of Indian society. He was, after all, the father of Indian civil aviation and awardee of Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, and the French Legion of Honour.
Tata was the first licensed pilot in India (February 1929) and founded its first commercial airline, Tata Airlines (1932); it later became Air India (1946), India’s present-day national airline. He started his career as an unpaid apprentice at Tata & Sons in 1925 and by 1938 he became its Chairman, which made him the head honcho of India’s largest industrial group when he was just 38. His leadership saw Tata & Sons grew its asset base from US$100 million to more than US$5 billion and from 4 enterprises to 95 enterprises by the time he left in 1988.
Tata was also a notable tycoon because of his high ethical standards – he refused to engage in many of his fellow businessmen’s dubious practices including using the back market and bribing politicians.
He was also a patron of the arts and sciences. He was the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust trustee for more than 50 years since its inception in 1932. He founded many institutions including the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (1936); the Tata Memorial Center for Cancer, Research and Treatment (1941); Asia’s first hospital dedicated to cancer; the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (1945); and the National Center for Performing Arts.
He also founded Tata Motors (1945), the National Council of Applied Economic Research (1956), the Tata Computer Centre, which later became the Tata Consultancy Services.
Tata was well-known for his strong advocacy for worker welfare. He initiated several employee-centric programs that were later adopted as Indian statutory law, such as 8-hour working day, worker’s provident scheme, free medical aid, and worker’s compensation.
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