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Zoroastrian family's business empire stands out for its philanthropic practices

NEW DELHI -- I recently had the opportunity of being in touch with Indian business tycoon Ratan Tata again after a 10 year gap. He was able to recall our interactions back in 2013.

It was a polite and thoughtful correspondence, though I am not in a position to reveal more of its contents.

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Ratan Tata Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ratan Tata

• Ratan Tata is a name to reckon with in the annals of Tata Group’s business. Although he is one of the most influential businessmen in India, he is best known for his simplicity and loneliness, and the words used most often to describe Ratan Tata are ‘shy’ and ‘loner.’
• During his 21 years of tenure as the Chairman of Tata Group (1991-2012), revenues grew over 40 times, and profit, over 50 times.

A Textile Mill opened by Jamsetji Tata in the late 19th century

• Although the Tatas had built up a formidable business by 1971, the family was running out of heirs.

Ratan Tata (R) with his father Naval (L) and Half Brother Noel (Centre)

• Ratan is, in fact, a Tata by birth; as his biological maternal grandmother was the sister of Hirabai Tata, wife of group founder Jamsetji Tata. Moreover, his biological grandfather, Hormusji Tata, also belonged to the broader Tata Family.
• Unlike the Ratan Tata’s present-day lifestyle of an ordinary person, he spent his childhood in luxury; as he grew up at Tata Palace, a white Baroque revival-style building in the centre of Mumbai; attended by a crew of 50 servants. Reportedly, Ratan was driven to school in a Rolls-Royce.

I owe a great deal to my grandmother who brought up my brother and me. She instilled in us what she considered to be proper, And I think that has had a very profound influence on me and my value systems.” Lady Navajbai Tata

A rare photo of Ratan Tata when he travelled to America in his youth

Well, you know one was probably the most serious was when I was working in the US and the only reason we didn’t get married was that I came back to India and she was to follow me and that was the year of the, if you like, the Indo-Chinese conflict and in true American fashion this conflict in the Himalayas, in the snowy, uninhabited part of the Himalayas was seen in the United States as a major war between India and China and so, she didn’t come and finally got married in the US thereafter.” [10] The Economic Times jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_32413_1_10').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_32413_1_10', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });

Ratan Tata with JRD Tata on the shop floor of TELCO (now, TATA Motors)

• His pragmatic business skills led him to become the Chairman of Tata Group in March 1991; when JRD Tata stepped down as chairman of Tata Sons, naming Ratan his successor.
• Under his stewardship, Tata Group became an international conglomerate, and he got Tata Tea to acquire Tetley, Tata Motors to acquire Jaguar Land Rover, and Tata Steel to acquire Corus.

Everyone told us it couldn’t be done without having a joint venture or a partnership with an international company. That if I did this, I will be linked to failure. But went ahead anyway. There were technical issues and many lessons we learned. It was a wonderful experience to be breaking new ground. The chances to give up were many. We stayed the course, worked out each issue, and that was the birth of India’s first indigenous car- Tata Indica.” Ratan Tata at the Launch of Tata Indica

One may feel that 65 is too young or 70 is too young or that 75 is too young. Whatever it may be, you don’t need a person to say, look, I think you should leave. So that has been very much behind the thinking of setting a retirement age. There was no retirement age in Tata. I could’ve just as well have stayed up and stayed on.”

Ratan Tata spending quality time with his pet dogs

• He is a trained pilot and on 8 February 2007, he became the first Indian to fly F-16.

• Although he is a professional architect, he has designed only two houses- his mother’s, and his own beach-house off the Arabian sea.
• When it comes to his closest friends, he gives two names- Amar Bose who made billions from audio equipment, and conductor Zubin Mehta (a fellow Mumbai Parsee) who lives in the United States.
• What makes Ratan Tata outstanding is his social conscience. He prefers fairness over money, and he owns less than 1% of the Tata group.

References/Sources: [ + ]

Ratan Tata Wiki, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Ratan Tata is an Indian industrialist and philanthropist, who was the chairman of Tata Group and its subsidiaries. Ratan Tata received Padma Bhushan in 2000 and Padma Vibhushan in 2008. Tata Motors, under his leadership, produced India’s first indigenous car, Tata Indica, in 1998 and India’s cheapest car, Tata Nano, in 2008.

Wiki/Biography

Ratan Naval Tata was born on Tuesday, 28 December 1937 ( age 86 years; as of 2023 ) in Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India (now Mumbai, Maharashtra, India). His zodiac sign is Capricorn. Ratan Tata completed his schooling at Campion School in Mumbai, Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, and The Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai. Later, he went to the United States of America, where he enrolled at Cornell University in New York. There, he earned a bachelor’s degree in science in architecture in 1962.

Ratan Tata (right) during his college days

After completing his graduation, he worked at Jones & Emmons in Los Angeles for a short while. He completed his Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in Massachusetts, the US, in 1975. [1] Tata Group

A photo of Ratan Tata taken during his young days

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 9″

Hair Colour:  Salt and Pepper

Eye Colour:  Dark Brown

Ratan Tata with Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Ratan Tata was born into a Gujarati business-class Parsi family in Mumbai. [2] The Guardian

Parents & Siblings

His father, Naval Hormusji Tata , was a businessman, who served as the director as well as the deputy chairman of Tata Sons. He passed away on 5 May 1989 in Mumbai due to cancer. Naval Tata was adopted from an orphanage by Ratanji Tata’s wife Navajbai after his father and mother passed away.

Naval Tata with son Ratan Naval Tata

His mother’s name is Sooni Commissariat (deceased). Ratan’s parents got divorced in 1948 when he was only ten years old. After their parents’ divorce, Ratan and Jimmy were raised by their grandmother Navajbai Tata .

Ratan Tata with his grandmother

While talking about his parents getting separated, Ratan said that he and his brother got bullied and faced a difficult time because of it. Talking about it, he said,

I had a happy childhood, but as my brother and I got older, we faced a fair bit of ragging and personal discomfort because of our parents’ divorce, which in those days wasn’t as common as it is today. But my grandmother brought us up in every way.” A photo of Sooni Commissariat

His brother, Jimmy Tata , owns a share in the Tata Group. His half-brother, Noel Tata , is the chairman of Trent and Tata Investment Corporation, the managing director of Tata International, and the vice chairman of Titan Company and Tata Steel.

A photo of Ratan Tata (left) with Jimmy Tata taken in 1945

A photo of Noel Tata

Wife & Children

Ratan Tata never got married. According to Ratan, he backed out of marriage on four occasions.

Other Relatives

His paternal great-grandfather, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata , was an Indian industrialist and the founder of the Tata Group.

A photo of Jamsetji Tata

His paternal grandfather, Ratanji Jamsetji Tata , was a philanthropist, businessman, and financier. He passed away in 1919 following which Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) was established.

A photo of Sir Ratan Ji Tata

His paternal grandfather’s elder brother, Dorabji Tata , was a businessman, who played a key role in the development of the Tata Group.

A photo of Dorabji Tata

His stepmother, Simone Tata , is a businesswoman who co-founded Lakmé.

Simone Tata’s photo

Family Tree

The family tree of Tatas

Click here to know more about the Tata family.

Ratan Tata follows Zoroastrianism. [3] The Guardian

Relationships/Affairs

In an interview, Ratan talked about his past affair and said that while pursuing a bachelor of architecture in the US, he met a woman in Los Angeles with whom he fell in love. However, after completing graduation, Ratan had to move back to India to care for his ailing grandmother, who was on her deathbed. He proposed to the girl to get married to him and move to India; however, the girl’s family did not agree to her moving to India as the situation in India was volatile back then due to India’s defeat in the 1962 Sino-Indian War. Eventually, their relationship broke and they got separated. Talking about it, Ratan said,

Well, you know one was probably the most serious was when I was working in the US and the only reason we didn’t get married was that I came back to India and she was to follow me and that was the year of the, if you like, the Indo-Chinese conflict and in true American fashion this conflict in the Himalayas, in the snowy, uninhabited part of the Himalayas was seen in the United States as a major war between India and China and so, she didn’t come and finally got married in the US thereafter.”

Ratan Tata follows Zoroastrianism. [4] The Guardian

Ratan Tata resides at WR7F+C8G, Colaba Causeway, Azad Nagar, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra-400005.

Signature/Autograph

Signature of Ratan Tata

In 1962, Ratan returned to India from the United States of America, where he began working at the Tata Steel plant in Jamshedpur as a blast furnace manager and limestone shoveller.

Ratan Tata (rightmost) at the steel plant at Jamshedpur

Later, he worked at Tata Iron and Steel Company (Tisco), now known as Tata Steel. He went to Australia as a resident representative of the Tata Group in 1969. In 1970, he came back to India and joined Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Thereafter, he worked in the Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company, now known as Tata Motors, as an assistant. In 1971, Ratan became the director-in-charge of National Radio & Electronics Company Ltd, which was renamed NELCO in 1999. After joining NELCO, Ratan made numerous amends in the working policies that led to a rise in the profits earned by NELCO between 1972-1975. However, the company began incurring losses in 1975 after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed a nationwide emergency. In 1980, NELCO was locked down for seven months by Ratan after the workers union, which was affiliated with Shiv Sena, created a ruckus in the factory by attacking the senior officials. While giving an interview, Ratan talked about it and said,

For three years from 1972 to 1975 Nelco made a profit and wiped out some of its past losses, then in 1975, the Emergency came and consumer goods demand just disappeared, not just for Nelco, but for everybody. This was followed by an industrial relations problem since 1977. So, while demand improved, there was no production. Finally we confronted the unions and, following a strike, we imposed a lockout for seven months. Now that the lockout has been lifted we hope to improve production by 50 per cent over the past year …”

Ratan was sent as a director to Empress Mill in 1977 to help the mill cut its losses; however, the mill was later shut down after the senior executives rejected Ratan’s policies that would have helped the mill generate profit. From 1986 to 1989, Ratan served as the chairman of Air India. In 1991, at a time when India was undergoing economic liberalisation, Ratan Tata succeeded Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata as the chairman of the Tata Group. His appointment was questioned by many senior officials working in different subsidiaries owned by Tata Group as they earlier worked with independence, whereas, after Ratan’s appointment, their freedom got curtailed as the officials were now required to report to him.

A photo of Ratan Tata taken with J. R. D. Tata

Under his leadership, Tata Motors produced India’s first indigenous car Tata Indica in 1998. While talking about it, he said,

Everyone told us it couldn’t be done without having a joint venture or a partnership with an international company. That if I did this, I will be linked to failure. But went ahead anyway. There were technical issues and many lessons we learned. It was a wonderful experience to be breaking new ground. The chances to give up were many. We stayed the course, worked out each issue, and that was the birth of India’s first indigenous car- Tata Indica.”

To maintain its significance in the “newly opened markets” in India, Tata acquired numerous companies including Tetley in February 2000, Daewoo Commercial Vehicle in March 2004, The Ritz-Carlton: Luxury Hotels and Resorts in November 2006, and Jaguar Cars and Land Rover in March 2008. Ratan Tata ventured into the aerospace and defence sector and established Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) in 2007. The industry has worked in close coordination with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in producing Kestrel, also known as the IPMV (Infantry Protected Mobility Vehicle), Tata LSV, Tata Mine Protected Vehicle, and a drone named ALS-50.

An image of Tata Kestrel taken during DefExpo

In 2008, Tata Motors, a subsidiary of Tata Group, launched India’s most affordable car Tata Nano; however, due to many reasons, the production of the vehicle was discontinued in 2018.

A photo of Ratan Tata taken during the launch of Tata Nano

In 2011, he implemented a policy according to which the retirement age of a non-executive director was reduced from 75 years to 70 years. By 2012, the company’s revenues grew over 40 times and profits over 50 times. Ratan stepped down as the chairman of Tata Group on 28 December 2012 following which Cyrus Mistry was appointed as the company’s chairman.

Ratan Tata with Cyrus Mistry

Ratan was made the interim chairman of Tata Group after Cyrus was removed from the company; he served as the interim chairman till Natarajan Chandrasekaran’s appointment as the chairman on 12 January 2017. Ratan has invested in several companies including Ola, Lenskart, FirstCry, CarDekho, Paytm, Snapdeal, and Urban Company. Ratan Tata has served on the jury panel of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the board of trustees of Cornell University, a board of governors of the East-West Center, and a member of the board of the International Advisory Council at Bocconi University.

Social Activism

In 2010, under Ratan Tata’s leadership, the Tata Group donated $50 million to the Harvard Business School (HBS) for the construction of Tata Hall for undertaking several mid-career Executive Education programs. To promote the provisioning of fresh water to the backward areas in Australia, Tata donated huge sums of money to develop capacitive deionization at the University of New South Wales Faculty of Engineering in 2019. Ratan has worked with governments of various countries and Indian states in the field of providing education, employment, clean energy, and more. Ratan Tata donates more than 65% of the profits earned by the Tata Group to charitable causes.

Controversies

Involvement in tata tapes.

In 1997, the then Chief Minister of Assam Prafulla Mahanta accused the Tata Group of aiding the banned militant outfit United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). In the same year, the Indian Express’ journalist Ritu Sarin published an article which contained excerpts from a telephonic conversation between industrialists Keshub Mahindra and Ratan Tata, Rajya Sabha member Jayant Malhoutra, and Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw ; the conversation was regarding the issues faced by Tata Tea with the Assam government. According to the article, Tata Tea wanted the Indian government to help resolve the conflict between Tata Tea and the Assam government. The article further stated that Ratan Tata was aware of the location of Brojen Gogoi, a senior manager in the Community Development and Social Welfare wing of Tata Tea, who was under the Assam police’s scanner for working with the banned militant outfit United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). Tata Tea was also accused of providing medical attention to the ULFA’s culture secretary Pranati Deka, who was arrested at the Mumbai airport along with two other accomplices. However, Paresh Barua, the commander of ULFA, dismissed the claim of Tata Tea giving special medical aid to Pranati and said that Pranati was getting medical treatment under Tata Tea’s medical program, which aimed at giving medical treatment to locals of Assam. The article further claimed that after Tata Tea officials came to know of the arrest warrant issued by Interpol, Ratan Tata went to New Delhi on 13 September 1997 to inform Chief Minister Prafulla Mahanta that Gogoi was in Chicago, attending a course at Harvard. Later, Mahanta, in a press conference, said that he had asked Ratan to ensure that Gogoi returned to India in two weeks. After arriving in India, Gogoi got admitted to Woodland’s Nursing Home in Calcutta, where he surrendered to the Assam Police on 24 September 1997.

Tata Nano controversy

In early 2006, Ratan Tata announced that Tata Motors would be producing India’s smallest and cheapest car in Singur, West Bengal. Following the announcement, the then-West Bengal government led by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee acquired approximately 997 acres of multi-crop farmland under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. In May 2006, farmers began protesting against the state government for forcibly acquiring their land. The anger amongst the locals brewed further after Tata failed to keep its promise of giving employment to 15,000 people who had lost their lands during the construction of the car factory in Singur. As per the reports, Tata could employ only a thousand people. The protests intensified further after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee joined the locals in their protests and staged a hunger strike in July 2006. On 3 September 2008, Tata announced that it had suspended work in Singur to look for land, where the manufacturing of Nano could continue peacefully. On 3 October 2008, Tata Motors announced its exit from West Bengal after acquiring land in Sanand, Gujarat. [5] The New Indian Express [6] Business Standard

Radia Tapes

In November 2010, Ratan Tata’s conversation with Niira Radia , a corporate lobbyist, was leaked to the media, which released the transcripts of the conversation to the public. In 2011, Ratan filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking the court to not allow the media to release more of the tapes to the public as it infringed upon his right to privacy. The Supreme Court, in 2017, gave its judgement unanimously in the favour of Ratan Tata, stating that privacy is a constitutional right. [7] NDTV [8] Business Today

Awards, Honours, Achievements

A photo of Ratan Tata taken when he was receiving the Padma Bhushan

• Honorary Doctor of Business Administration from Ohio State University
• Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay from the Government of Uruguay
• Honorary Doctor of Technology from the Asian Institute of Technology
• International Distinguished Achievement Award from the B’nai B’rith International
• Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Warwick
• Honorary Doctor of Science from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Ratan Tata receiving his Responsible Capitalism Award

• Maharashtra Bhushan from the Government of Maharashtra
• Honorary Fellowship from The London School of Economics and Political Science
• Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Ratan Tata receiving the Leadership Business Award

A picture of Ratan Tata receiving the Padma Vibhushan

• Honorary Doctor of Law from the University of Cambridge
• Honorary Doctor of Science from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
• Honorary Doctor of Science from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
• Honorary Citizen Award from the Government of Singapore
• Honorary Fellowship from The Institution of Engineering and Technology
• Inspired Leadership Award from The Performance Theatre
• Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II
• Life Time Contribution Award in Engineering for 2008 from the Indian National Academy of Engineering
• Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic from the Government of Italy
• Hadrian Award from the World Monuments Fund
• Oslo Business for Peace Award from Business for Peace Foundation
• Legend in Leadership Award from Yale University
• Honorary Doctor of Laws from Pepperdine University
• Business for Peace Award from the Business for Peace Foundation
• Business Leader of the Year from The Asian Awards
• Honorary Fellow from The Royal Academy of Engineering
• Doctor of Business honoris causa from the University of New South Wales
• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun from the Government of Japan
• Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rockefeller Foundation
• Foreign Associate from the National Academy of Engineering
• Transformational Leader of the Decade at the Indian Affairs India Leadership Conclave
• Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Lifetime Achievement Ernst & Young

A photo of Ratan Tata taken during the ceremony at Carnegie Mellon University

• Honorary Doctor of Business from the Singapore Management University
• Sayaji Ratna Award from the Baroda Management Association

Ratan Tata receiving the Knight Grand Cross Order of the British Empire (GBE)

Ratan Tata’s photo taken during the ceremony at York University

• Honorary Doctor of Automotive Engineering from the Clemson University

A photo of Ratan Tata receiving the Sayaji Ratna Award

• Commander of the Legion of Honour from the Government of France
• Honorary Doctorate from the Swansea University
• Assam Baibhav, the highest civilian award in the state of Assam, for contributing to cancer care in the state

A photo of Ratan Tata receiving the D.Litt degree at HSNC University

•  ‘Sewa Ratna’ from the RSS-affiliated Sewa Bharti in October

Australian gazette announcing the bestowing of Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) on Ratan Tata

Australia’s High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell conferred Order of Australia (AO) honour to Ratan Tata in April 2023

Ratan Tata while receiving the Udyog Ratna award at his residence in Mumbai

Ratan Tata receving the PV Narasimha Rao Memorial Award for philanthropy work in 2024

Car Collection

• Ferrari California
• Honda Civic
• Mercedes-Benz SL 500
• Land Rover Freelander

A photo of Ratan Tata standing next to his Tata Indigo Marina

• Mercedes-Benz W124
• Mercedes-Benz S Class
• Cadillac XLR
• Chrysler Sebring

Salary/Income

For the fiscal year 2011-2012, Ratan Tata received approximately Rs. 68.4 lakhs + a sitting fee of Rs. 2.4 lakhs and a commission of Rs. 66 lakhs by Tata Power. [9] The Economic Times

In 2021, Ratan Tata’s net worth was estimated to be Rs. 3,500 crores. According to the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List, Ratan Tata was ranked as the 421st richest person in India. [10] The Times of India

• Food: Masoor Dal cooked with lots of garlic, Mutton Pulao Dal, and Nut-rich baked custard
• Holiday Destination:  California
• Colour: White

Facts/Trivia

• Ratan Tata’s forefathers were Parsi priests. His family came into the limelight in 1868 after Jamsetji Tata established a textile mill in Gujarat. In the mill, the workers received perks such as pensions and accidental covers, comparable to modern standards.
• While studying in the US, Ratan used to work at restaurants, where he washed dishes to make ends meet.

I wanted to learn to play the violin, my father insisted on the piano. I wanted to go to college in the US, he insisted on the UK. I wanted to be an architect, he insisted on me becoming an engineer. If it weren’t for my grandmother, I wouldn’t have ended up at Cornell University in the US.”

Ratan Tata in the cockpit of the F-16

• Ratan Tata neither consumes alcohol nor smokes. [11] The Guardian
• Since Ratan is a qualified architect, he designed his as well as his mother’s beach-facing houses in Mumbai.
• Despite serving as the chairman of Tata Group, Ratan has purchased less than 1% of the company’s shares.
• In an interview, Ratan revealed that he has a fear of speaking in public.
• Ratan was offered a job at IBM; however, he rejected the offer to work in his family business.

A photo of Ratan Tata with his pet German Shepherd Tito

• Ratan Tata owns many houses including a house worth Rs. 150 crores in Colaba, Mumbai and the Ratan Tata Officers Holiday Home (RTOHH) in Ooty, Tamil Nadu.
• Ratan Tata follows a non-vegetarian diet. [12] The Telegraph

References [+] [−]

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Ratan Tata Biography: Birth, Age, Education, Family, Successor, Net Worth, Awards, Lessons, and More

On the occasion of ratan tata's 85th birthday, let us take a look at the life of one of the most renowned business tycoons in india. .

Ratan Tata Biography

Ratan Tata: Birth, Age, Family, and Education

Born on 28 December 1937 in Bombay, British India (present-day Mumbai), Ratan Tata is the son of Naval Tata and Sooni Commissariat. They got separated when Ratan Tata was 10 years old. He was then formally adopted by his grandmother Navajbai Tata through the J. N. Petit Parsi Orphanage. Ratan Tata was raised with his half-brother Noel Tata (son of Naval Tata and Simone Tata). 

The 84-year-old attended Campion School, Mumbai, Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai, Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, and Riverdale Country School in New York City. He is an alumnus of Cornell University and Harvard Business School.

Ratan Tata as Chairperson of Tata Sons

When JRD Tata stepped down as the chairperson of Tata Sons in 1991, he named Ratan Tata his successor. He faced stiff resistance from many companies heads who spent decades in their respective companies. Tata began replacing them by setting a retirement age. He further made it compulsory for each company to report to the group office. Under his leadership, the overlapping companies of Tata Sons were streamlined into a synergized whole. 

During his 21 years of stewardship, revenues grew over 40 times, and profit over 50 times. He got Tata Tea to acquire Tetley, Tata Motors to acquire Jaguar Land Rover, and Tata Steel to acquire Corus, turning the organization from a largely India-centric group into a global business. 

He also conceptualized the Tata Nano car. The car was capped at a price that was within the reach of the average Indian consumer. 

Upon turning 75, Ratan Tata stepped down as the Chairperson of Tata Sons on 28 December 2012. Cyrus Mistry was named his successor, however, the Board of Directors and Legal division voted for his removal on 24 October 2016 and Ratan Tata was then made the group's interim chairman.

A selection committee comprising Ratan Tata, TVS Group head Venu Srinivasan, Amit Chandra of Bain Capital, former diplomat Ronen Sen, and Lord Kumar Bhattacharya was formed to find the successor of Ratan Tata. The committee named  Natarajan Chandrasekaran as the Chairperson of Tata Sons on 12 January 2017.

Philanthropic Work of Ratan Tata

Being a supporter of education, medicine, and rural development, Ratan Tata supported the University of New South Wales Faculty of Engineering to provide improved water for challenged areas.

Tata Education and Development Trust endowed a $28  million Tata Scholarship Fund that will allow Cornell University to provide financial aid to undergraduate students from India. The annual scholarship will support approximately 20 students at a given time. 

Tata Group companies and Tata charities donated $50 million in 2010 to Harvard Business School (HBS) for the construction of an executive center.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) donated $35 million to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) for a facility to research cognitive systems and autonomous vehicles. It is the largest ever donation by a company and the 48,000 square-foot building is called TCS Hall.

Tata Group donated Rs. 950 million to the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in 2014 and formed Tata Center for Technology and Design (TCTD). It was the largest ever donation received in the history of the institute. 

Tata Trusts also provided a grant of ₹750 million to the Centre for Neuroscience, the Indian Institute of Science, to study mechanisms underlying the cause of Alzheimer's disease and to evolve methods for its early diagnosis and treatment.

Ratan Tata Wife

"I came close to getting married four times and each time I backed off in fear or for one reason or another," said Ratan Tata in 2011. 

Awards 

Ratan Tata Family Tree

1- Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata- Founder of Tata Group, India's biggest conglomerate company. He was married to Hirabai Daboo. 

2- Dorabji Tata- The elder son of Jamshedji Tata and second chairperson of the Tata Group. His wife was Meherbai Tata, the paternal aunt of renowned nuclear scientist Homi J. Bhabha.

3- Ratanji Tata- Younger son of Jamshedji Tata. He was the pioneer of poverty studies. He was married to Navajbai Tata. His wife adopted an orphan, Naval, who was the grand-nephew of Hirabai Tata, and raised him as her own son.

4- Naval Tata- Adopted son of Navajbai Tata. His biological father was Hormusji Tata. His maternal grandmother was the sister of Hirabai Tata. Director in several Tata companies, ILO member, and recipient of Padma Bhushan, Naval Tata had three sons-- Ratan Tata (5th chairperson of Tata Group), Jimmy Tata, and Noel Tata (Chairperson of Trent Limited)-- from two marriages.

5-Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata- He was one of the early stalwarts who served the Tata Group. His father Dadabhoy and his mother Jamshedji Tata, Jeevanbai, were siblings. He married Suzanne Brière and the couple gave birth to five children, including J.R.D. Tata and Sylla Tata.

6- J.R.D. Tata- He served as the fourth Chairperson of the Tata Group. He is the founder of Tata Airlines (later Air India).

7- Sylla Tata- Elder sister of J.R.D. Tata was married to the founder of the first textile mill in India, Dinshaw Maneckji Petit. Her sister-in-law  Rattanbai Petit, was married to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah's only child, Dina Jinnah, was married to Neville Ness Wadia. 

Famous Quotes By Ratan Tata

1- “I don’t believe in taking the right decisions. I take decisions and then make them right.”

2- “If you want to walk fast, walk alone. But if you want to walk far, walk together.”

3- “I’ve often felt that the Indian Tiger has not been unleashed.”

4- “People still believe what they read is necessarily the truth.”

5-  “If it stands the test of public scrutiny, do it… If it doesn’t stand the test of public scrutiny then don’t do it.”

6- “Power and wealth are not two of my main stakes.”

7- “I have been constantly telling people to encourage people, to question the unquestioned, and not to be ashamed to bring up new ideas, new processes to get things done.”

8- “None can destroy iron, but its own rust can! Likewise, none can destroy a person, but its own mindset can!”

9- “Businesses need to go beyond the interest of their companies to the communities they serve.”

10- “Ups and downs in life are very important to keep us going because a straight line even in an ECG means we are not alive.”

11- “Apart from values and ethics which I have tried to live by, the legacy I would like to leave behind is a very simple one – that I have always stood up for what I consider to be the right thing, and I have tried to be as fair and equitable as I could be.”

12- “I admire people who are very successful. But if that success has been achieved through too much ruthlessness, then I may admire that person, but I can’t respect him.”

13- “There are many things that, if I have to relive, maybe I will do it another way. But I would not like to look back and think what I have not been able to.”

14- “Don’t be serious, enjoy life as it comes.”

15- “I have always been very confident and very upbeat about the future potential of India. I think it is a great country with great potential.”

16- “One hundred years from now, I expect the Tatas to be much bigger than it is now. More importantly, I hope the Group comes to be regarded as being the best in India.. best in the manner in which we operate, best in the products we deliver, and our best in our value systems and ethics. Having said that, I hope that a hundred years from now we will spread our wings far beyond India.”

17- “Take the stones people to throw at you, and use them to build a monument”

18- “I followed someone who had very large shoes. He had very large shoes. Mr. J. R. D. Tata. He was a legend in the Indian business community. He had been at the helm of the Tata organization for 50 years. You were almost starting to think he was going to be there forever.”

19- “Young entrepreneurs will make a difference in the Indian ecosystem.”

20- “I would say that one of the things I wish I could do differently would be to be more outgoing.”

21- “The strong live and the weak die. There is some bloodshed, and out of it emerges a much leaner industry, which tends to survive.”

22- “At Tatas, we believe that if we are not among the top three in an industry, we should look seriously at what it would take to become one of the top three players.. or think about exiting the industry”

Get here current GK and GK quiz questions in English and Hindi for India , World, Sports and Competitive exam preparation. Download the Jagran Josh Current Affairs App .

• Who is the wife of Ratan Tata? + Ratan Tata is unmarried. He once loved a girl in Los Angeles while working there and had to return to India as his family member was ill. The girl's parents didn't allow her to go to India. Tata stood by his commitment and is unmarried to date.
• Is Ratan Tata adopted? + Ratan Tata is the son of Naval Tata and Sooni Commissariat. When his parents were separated, he was formally adopted by his grandmother and widow of Sir Ratanji Tata-- Navajbai Tata-- through the J. N. Petit Parsi Orphanage.
• Is Ratan Tata married? + No, Ratan Tata is not married. "I came close to getting married four times and each time I backed off in fear or for one reason or another," said Ratan Tata in 2011.
• Who is Ratan Tata? + Ratan Tata is Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons and Tata Group. He is also known for his philanthropic work.
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How Ratan Tata turned his family’s business into an international empire

He may come from a business dynasty but by taking Tata Sons truly global, he has made a lasting impression – and given even more back to India in the process.

Back in 1955, teachers at Ratan Tata’s Riverdale Country School wrote in his yearbook, “Ratan’s charming and unassuming character is sure to bring him success. We are sure that if he continues to develop his charm and intelligence to the full, he will have a happy and useful life.” It sounds like Tata, who will turn 84 on 28 December, made quite an impression as a teenager, but surely even his teachers could not have imagined the enormous impact he would have on his home continent.

The recent welcoming of Air India back into the Tata fold certainly rounded and strengthened its transport portfolio. However, the return of the airline has deep significance for the Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus – as a way of honouring his forefathers, as it was founded by his uncle and mentor Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata in 1932 as Tata Airlines.

Indeed, the first plane flown by the airline was piloted by JRD himself, a passion which is shared by Tata, who would regularly fly himself to meetings. After World War II, the airline became a public limited company, but since buying it for INR180 billion (US$2.4 billion), the fleet is back under the Tata name and plans to revive its fortunes after it was hit by devastating losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic are in motion.

“Air India, under the leadership of Mr JRD Tata had, at one time, gained the reputation of being one of the most prestigious airlines in the world,” Tata said in a statement following the acquisition, adding it now has “the opportunity of regaining the image and reputation it enjoyed in earlier years”.

Humble beginnings

Taking over and transforming companies has been a hallmark of Tata’s business career and something that, under his guidance, helped markedly increase the fortunes of the Tata Group. Jamsetji Tata began the family business in 1868 when he started a trading company. He then opened a textile mill and broke with the norm, offering workers pensions and paid accident compensation.

The Tata Group now operates in more than 100 countries across six continents, and has companies in every area of society, including energy, automotive, engineering and information technology. In 2020–21, the revenue of Tata companies was US$103 billion, with more than 800,000 employees. The 29 publicly listed Tata enterprises have a combined market capitalisation of US$242 billion.

Despite growing up in a luxurious home and with qualifications including a degree in architecture and structural engineering from Cornell University and the Harvard Advanced Management Program to his name, Tata began his career on the shop floor of Telco (now Tata Motors) in 1962 and then Tata Steel, where he shovelled limestone and was a team member in the blast furnaces.

“Our grandmother taught us to retain dignity at all costs, a value that’s stayed with me until today.” – Ratan Tata

By 1981 he was Chairman of Tata Industries and heir apparent to JRD, becoming Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, from 1991 until his retirement in 2012. During his tenure, the Group’s revenues grew, totalling more than US$100 billion in 2011–12.

A visionary, under his guidance the company became known for its ‘reverse colonialism’ as it bought tea firm Tetley for US$407 million in 2000, Anglo-Dutch Corus Group for US$12 billion in 2007 and Jaguar Land Rover for US$2.3 billion in 2008. The company also bought up hotels, chemical companies, communications networks and energy providers around the world.

Single life

When a career has been forged within a family business, the pressure to produce an heir to hand the reins over to is often great, but Tata has resisted the need to conform and remains a bachelor. Many have speculated on why he is single, often blaming his parents’ broken marriage, but he has revealed that a wedding was once on the cards.

“After college, I landed a job at an architecture firm in LA, where I worked for two years,” he wrote in a post for Facebook page ‘Humans of Bombay’. “I fell in love and almost got married. But at the same time, I had made the decision to move back [to India], at least temporarily, since I had been away from my grandmother who wasn’t keeping too well for almost seven years.

“So I came back to visit her and thought that the person I wanted to marry would come to India with me, but because of the 1962 [Sino–Indian] War, her parents weren’t OK with her making the move anymore, and the relationship fell apart.”

While it may seem strange for a young man to choose his grandmother over a love match, the debt of gratitude Tata has for his grandmother is deep. Following the divorce of his parents when he was 10, Navajbai took him in and formally adopted him. She went on to raise him and his half-brother Noel. Although the repercussions of his parents’ divorce caused him pain and heartache, the lessons it taught him have become part of his ethos.

“Soon after my mother remarried, the boys at school started saying all kinds of things about us – constantly and aggressively. But our grandmother taught us to retain dignity at all costs, a value that’s stayed with me until today. It involved walking away from these situations, which otherwise we would have fought back against.”

However, there have been occasions where Tata has stood his ground and fought. When he stepped down from running the company aged 75 in 2012 – as dictated by the constitution of the firm – a new Chair was needed. Cyrus Mistry was chosen because his father Pallonji Mistry was a fellow dynast, with an 18.5 per cent stake in the Tata business. Related by marriage to the Tata family (Cyrus’s sister Aloo married Tata’s half-brother Noel), it seemed a perfect fit.

The century-old links between the two families soured when Cyrus was dismissed in 2016, claiming he was wrongfully sacked. He went on to criticise both the structure of the company and Tata himself, and the case ended up in the Supreme Court where the judge ruled in Tata’s favour. Pleased with the judgement, Tata said he was vindicated following “relentless attacks on my integrity and the ethical conduct of the group”.

Ratan Tata: a lifetime of giving

Integrity has been woven into the very fabric of the company Tata devoted himself to most of his life. Seen as India’s number one industrialist, it would be expected that he would be in the top 20 wealthiest Indians, but in a recent poll Tata ranked just 433 in the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2021 – a drop of 235 places in just a year. This is because as well as operating the biggest business empire in the country for six decades, he is also one of the most generous philanthropists.

This commitment to improving the lives and prospects of others is at the core of the Tata industry. When Jamsetji founded the family firm, he decreed the majority of what it earned to be donated to Tata Trusts, and 66 per cent of Tata Sons’ equity is held by the Tata Trusts.

From building technology centres to providing scholarships to students – including former Indian President KR Narayanan – the Trusts have helped children find their passion in sport, provided resources and education to communities and, most recently, donated INR15 billion (US$201 million) to fighting COVID-19. Never one to stand back, Tata spends time meeting those helped by and helping the Trusts.

“Working on the shop floor as a young man, I saw close up the misery and hardship of the less fortunate and thought about how one makes a difference to improve lives,” he told the Stanford Social Innovation Review. “You really want to be doing things that make a difference. If you cannot make a difference … it’s wasteful.”

And Tata has been praised for his revolutionary approach to helping, spending time and money studying issues and problems to come up with innovative solutions that are sustainable. This holistic approach is designed to make a greater difference and lead to other major corporations stepping up to partner on initiatives, like Google and the B ill & Melinda Gates Foundation as well as government agencies.

Tata is passionate about animal welfare too, especially the plight of street dogs, as he has canines of his own. “Of all the different sufferings that animals today have to go through, my heart truly breaks for the ones that get abandoned by families,” he wrote while trying to personally find homes for abandoned pups on Instagram . “I cannot imagine what must go through their minds when one day they have a home, and the next they don’t.”

Often described as shy and a loner, Tata surprised many when he opened his own Instagram account in 2019. But a flick through his grid shows that the essence of what remains important to him in his eighth decade are the legacy of his family and the impact of the charity work he devotes his life to. He continues to have ambition and goals – even if they are personal ones.

“I learned a little bit of the piano as a young boy,” Tata shared on Instagram. “After my retirement, I found a great piano teacher but was unable to give the attention that was needed to play with both hands. I hope to try once again.”

One thing is certain – Tata has certainly excelled at the ‘useful life’ his yearbook predicted. Not just in creating one of the world’s most dynamic and powerful companies, but more importantly, enriching the lives of millions of Indians through his philanthropic endeavours.

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About Ratan Tata

Personal background of ratan tata, beginning of ratan tata's career.

• Ratan N. Tata, after completing his higher studies returned to India and turned down a job at IBM on JRD Tata's advice and joined the Tata Group in 1962, for which he was sent to Jamshedpur to work on the shop floor at Tata Steel.
• In 1971, he was appointed as the Director of National Radio and Electronics, which was in a bad state of 40% losses and only 2% of consumer market share. But as soon as Ratan N. Tata joined the company he gave its statistics an upward turn, he took the company from 2% of market share to 25%. National Emergency was declared, which posed great problems such as, weak economy and labour shortage and NELCO was nearing collapse again.
• JRD Tata soon declared Ratan Tata his successor in 1981 and Ratan had to face criticism since people believed that he's not experienced enough to handle a business of the scale that of like the Tata Industries. After ten years of his entry into the Tata Industries, he was appointed the Chairman of the Tata Group. After Ratan's appointment, The Tata Group reached absolutely new heights which had never been experienced by this group earlier. Under his direction, the company went through several different entrepreneurial ventures.
• The conversion of 'the corporate commonwealth' of different Tata-affiliated company into one cohesive company, the acquisition of Tetley, Jaguar Land Rover and Corus, which turned Tata from a major India-Centric company to a global business name, all this is credited to Ratan N. Tata. His major releases have been Indica and Nano in India. Today, Tata Group's 65% of the revenue comes from abroad. After the liberalization of controls in the 1990s, the Tata Group of Companies achieved great success, which again is credited to Ratan N. Tata.

Achievements of Ratan Tata

The tata group- company profile, obstacles faced by tata group.

• In June 2008, the Tata Group faced a global financial crisis due to the failure of the acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The bridge loan taken by them of US$ 3 billion which was used to fund the acquisition of the JLR was not paid back fully, only US$ 1 billion was paid.
• Complexity in raising funds before the acquisition was another problem for the Tatas.
• Tata had negative working capital and it was facing a problem in cash liquidity. The Tata’s thought of merging with other big companies, but very soon it managed all the issues.
• Due to the Global financial crisis, the Indian automobile sector was highly affected: the GDP growth declined and inflation took place due to which the prices of the fuels and automobiles products increased and hence Tata Motors, the leading automobile company of India suffered the most.
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Ratan Tata Biography

Birthday: December 28 , 1937 ( Capricorn )

Born In: Surat

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Also Known As: Ratan Naval Tata

Age: 86 Years , 86 Year Old Males

father: Naval Tata

mother: Sooni Tata

siblings: Noel Tata

Hoteliers Telecommunication

Height: 5'10" (178 cm ), 5'10" Males

Founder/Co-Founder: Tata DoCoMo, Tata Teleservices

education: Cornell University, Harvard Business School, Harvard University, Bishop Cotton School, The Cathedral & John Connon School, Campion School, Mumbai

awards: Padma Bhushan (2000) Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (2004) Padma Vibhusan (2008)

Oslo Business for Peace Award (2010) Honorary Knight Grand Cross of The Order of the British Empire (2014)

You wanted to know

= what is ratan tata known for.

Ratan Tata is known for being the former chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, one of India's largest conglomerates.

= How did Ratan Tata transform the Tata Group?

Ratan Tata is credited with transforming the Tata Group into a global conglomerate through strategic acquisitions, investments, and expansion into new markets and industries.

= What are some key initiatives Ratan Tata led during his tenure?

Ratan Tata led initiatives such as the Tata Nano project, Tata Motors' acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover, and the establishment of the Tata Trusts for philanthropic activities.

= How did Ratan Tata contribute to social causes?

Ratan Tata is known for his philanthropic efforts, including the establishment of the Tata Trusts which focus on areas such as healthcare, education, and rural development in India.

= What is Ratan Tata's approach to leadership?

Ratan Tata is known for his ethical leadership style, focus on innovation, and commitment to corporate social responsibility, setting a high standard for leadership in the business world.

Recommended Lists:

Ratan Tata is an avid pilot and enjoys flying his own private planes in his free time.

He is known for his love of animals, especially dogs, and has been actively involved in animal welfare initiatives.

Ratan Tata holds a black belt in karate and has been practicing the martial art for many years.

He is a passionate collector of vintage cars and has an impressive collection that he enjoys showcasing at car rallies.

Ratan Tata is a skilled artist and has a talent for painting, which he often uses as a creative outlet.

See the events in life of Ratan Tata in Chronological Order

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Ratan Dorab Tata

Kavasji Maneckji Tata

Bai Navajbai Ratan Tata

Nusserwanji Ratan Tata

Jeevanbai Kavasji Tata

married Nusserwanji Ratan Tata

Maneckji Kavasji Tata

Sorab Kavasji Tata

Dadabhai Kavasji Tata

married Bhikhibai

Jamsetji N. Tata

married Hirabai Daboo

Ratanbai Tata

married Edulji Bamji

Maneckbai Tata

married Kharsedji Tata

Virbaiji Tata

married Bapuji Saklatvala

Jerbai Tata

married Dorabji Saklatvala

Sir Dorabji Tata

married Meherbai Bhabha

Dhunbai Tata

Sir Ratan Tata

married Navajbai Sett

Cooverbai Daboo

married Shapurji Rao

(Ratanji Dadabhai Tata)

married Suzanne (Sooni) Briere

Ratanbai Rao

married Hormusji Tata

Bachubai Rao

married Framroz Tata

Kaekobad Saklatvala

married Sehra Bardi

Sir N.B. Saklatvala

married Goolbai Batliwala

Jamasp H. Tata

married Mamai Navder

Shapur H. Tata

married Shera Patel

Naval H. Tata

son of Hormusji Tata

Behram H. Tata

Shavak H. Tata

married Sheroo Kooka

Sylla Petit

(Lady Dinshaw Petit)

married Sir Dinshaw Petit Bart.

J. R. D. Tata

(Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhai Tata)

married Thelma Vicaji

Rodabeh Tata

married Col. Leslie Sawhny

Soonoo Commisariat

married Naval H. Tata

Simone Dunoyer

Virbaiji Saklatvala

married Phiroze Desai

Bachubai Saklatvala

married Phiroze Tata

Minocher Tata

married Piloo Dastur

married Farhad Choksey

married Farida Choksey

Ratan N. Tata

Jimmy N. Tata

Noel N. Tata

married Aloo Mistry

Cyrus Choksey

Neville Tata

Rehaan Tata

married Manasi Kirloskar

Jamset Tata

(1859 – 1932)

Sir Dorabji Tata, the elder son of the Founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, was born on August 27, 1859, when Jamsetji was 20 years old.

He attended the Proprietary High School in Bombay (Mumbai), and at the age of 16 was sent to a private tutor in Kent. At 18, he attended Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge. During the two years that he was at Cambridge, he distinguished himself at sports, winning colours at Caius for cricket and soccer. He also played tennis for his college, coxed his college boat, won a number of sprint events and was a good horseman. In addition to being a 'blue' for cricket at Cambridge, Dorabji was a life-long admirer of the renowned Victorian era cricketer, W.G. Grace. He returned to Bombay in 1879 and joined St. Xavier's College and obtained his B.A. in 1882. Instead of including Dorabji in his expanding business, Jamsetji encouraged him to broaden his experience, and gave him a stint at journalism. Later, he gave him independent charge of setting up a textile project in Pondicherry. Before long, he placed him at the Empress Mills. On his visits to the Mysore State, Jamsetji came in close contact with the Bhabha family. H.J. Bhabha was the Inspector-General of Education, Mysore State and the moving spirit in the educational policy of this progressive State. Jamsetji seems to have had a hand in the selection of Meherbai the daughter of H.J. Bhabha as his daughter-in-law. At the age of 38, Dorabji married the beautiful and much younger Meherbai Bhabha – fondly called Mehri. Jamsetji Tata's ambitions for his country and his city of Bombay knew no limits. He was deeply immersed in the three great constructive enterprises of his life – the research university, which was to prepare future generations of Indians to take full part in the scientific development of Indian industry; the iron and steel works which were to establish this key industry on the most modern principles and the hydro-electric works which were to harness the service of the unfailing rainfall of the Western Ghats and relieve Bombay manufacturers from dependence on distant coal fields and pollution. At the time of Jamsetji's death, his three great schemes still awaited fulfilment. Dorabji, with his drive and enthusiasm, aided by the resolve of his brother Ratan Tata, his cousin R.D. Tata, and his trusted lieutenant B.J. Padshah saw Jamsetji's projects through to the stage of accomplishment. It was Dorabji who explored Central India for iron ore, riding on bullock-carts, visiting far-flung places where they had to even make tea out of soda-water. The name of Dorabji Tata was included in the Honours List in 1910 when he received a Knighthood, in recognition of his contribution to the industrial advancement of India. Sir Dorabji's finest hour came in 1924, when the ambitious expansion programme of The Tata Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. (TISCO) ran into stormy weather. It was his audacity, which had led the company into undertaking a five-fold expansion programme in the post-war period. Spiralling prices, combined with transport and labour difficulties in the West, completely upset the price calculations. Moreover, TISCO's largest pig iron customer, Japan, was struck by an earthquake and the steel prices tumbled. Followed by the collapse of the financial markets there was not enough money at The Tata Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. to pay daily wages. Sir Dorabji and R.D. Tata went to the Imperial Bank where Sir Dorabji pledged his entire personal fortune worth about Rs. 1 crore (including his wife's personal jewellery) to obtain a loan. Sir Dorabji had grit; he had confidence in the intrinsic soundness of the enterprise and took a calculated risk. At the time of Jamsetji's death, the Tata enterprises comprised three textile mills and the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Bombay. Under Sir Dorabji Tata's stewardship were added an integrated steel plant, then the largest single unit in the British Empire, three electric power companies, a large edible oil and soap company, two cement companies, one of India's leading insurance companies and an aviation unit pioneered by J.R.D. Tata. Sir Dorabji had also seen through the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science, which was to spearhead scientific research in India for decades to come. Proud as he was of these achievements, he never failed to give due credit to his father's pioneering spirit. "Kind fate," he once noted, "has prompted me to help in bringing to completion his (Jamsetji's) inestimable legacy of service to the country." Sir Dorabji Tata had a great passion for sports. To him India owes her first participation in the Olympic Games. Even before India had set up an Olympic Committee, Sir Dorabji selected and financed four athletes and two wrestlers for participation in the Antwerp Games in 1920. As President of the Indian Olympic Council, he financed the Indian contingent to the Paris Olympiad of 1924. He was chosen to be a member of the International Olympic Committee. Sir Dorabji had the country scoured for sports talent. He arranged for the then Director of the YMCA to tour the country and bring home to the people of India the importance of the Olympic movement. He helped found, amongst other institutions the Willingdon Sports Club and the Parsi Gymkhana in Bombay, the High Schools Athletic Association and the Bombay Presidency Olympic Games Association. His final contribution was the establishment of a substantial trust to which he donated all his wealth, down to his last pearl-studded tie-pin. Sir Dorabji and Lady Tata had no children. Sir Dorabji believed that wealth must be put to constructive use, and less than a year after his wife died, he put all his wealth into a trust which was to be used "without any distinction of place, nationality or creed", for the advancement of learning and research, the relief of distress, and other charitable purposes. This was the beginning of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. Three months later he died. The Trustees were empowered to sell Sir Dorabji's lands, shares, securities and jewellery. The Trustees were not permitted to withdraw the shares Sir Dorabji had to his credit with Tata Sons Ltd. Through the Trust, he sought to ensure the integrity of the parent firm his father, he and R.D. Tata had founded in 1887. He endowed the Lady Tata Memorial Trust with a corpus for research into leukaemia. The Lady Meherbai D. Tata Education Trust was formed as a much smaller trust, partly from public donations, for the training of women in hygiene, health and social welfare. On April 11, 1932, Sir Dorabji set sail for Europe expecting, among other things, to visit his wife's grave in England. It was on this journey that, on June 3, he died at Bad Kissengen, Germany. A few days later, almost on the anniversary of his wife's death, he was laid beside her at the Brookwood Cemetery, England.

Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata

(1839 – 1904).

Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata was born in Navsari, Gujarat on March 3, 1839, and his early education took place in the same town. When he turned 13, he went to Bombay (Mumbai) at the behest of his father Nusserwanji to complete his education. At 14, he joined the Elphinstone Institution, and in January 1856, he was enrolled at the Elphinstone College. Jamsetji received a liberal education at Elphinstone College, which he left in 1858 when he passed out as a “Green Scholar”- the equivalent of a Degree. While still a student, he married Heerabai, the daughter of Cursetji Daboo.

The early years

After working with his father for about nine years, Jamsetji started his own private firm with a capital of Rs. 21,000. In 1884, he floated The Central India Spinning, Weaving and Manufacturing Co. Ltd. Unlike his contemporaries, he went to Nagpur, where cotton was grown and established a textile mill over there. On January 1, 1877, when Queen Victoria became the Empress of India, the mills opened, and it was called the Empress Mills. Jamsetji was more than half a century ahead of his time. The textile mills at Nagpur became his laboratory. He personally looked after every little detail of its growth. Here, he tried experiments in technology and labour welfare reforms, nothing but the best was good for him. The excellence of his new plant was matched only by his care for the workers. Jamsetji realised that India's greatness depended on widespread advancement in learning and industrialisation. He envisaged India amongst the great industrial nations of the world. His mission was to give India a research university, an iron and steel industry and a hydro-electric company.

Banking on education

In 1867, Jamsetji was stirred by the Convocation address of Lord Reay, the Governor of Bombay, who called for, “Real Universities which will give fresh impulse to learning, to research, to criticism which will inspire reverence and impart strength and self-reliance to future generations.” Since advanced higher learning was not available in India, in 1892 Jamsetji endowed a fund for higher education abroad for deserving students. In September 1898, he set aside fourteen of his buildings and four landed properties in Bombay for an endowment to establish a University of Research. His donations were worth Rs.30 lakh in those days. While the education scheme was being presented to the British, Jamsetji was already strategizing on his second scheme of setting up a steel plant in India.

Steel and electricity

In 1900, Jamsetji won the support of Britain’s Secretary of State for India, Lord George Hamilton for setting up a steel plant. He visited the U.S. to study coking processes and inspected the ore markets there. A steel plant on such a huge scale using modern technology was unheard of in India, at that time. However, Jamsetji set the ball rolling and, The Tata Iron and Steel Co. Ltd., at Jamshedpur went on stream, seven years after his death. As early as 1875, Jamsetji thought of using hydroelectricity in the manufacture of cotton. The objective of Jamsetji’s hydro-electric power scheme was to supply cheap and clean energy for the growing needs of Bombay. This resulted in the formation of The Hydro-Electric Power Supply Co. Ltd. in 1910.

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

It surprised even his close associates when Jamsetji Tata leased a large plot of land at Apollo Bunder in Bombay and announced that he would build a hotel there. He wanted to improve the amenities of the city he loved, and which had been his home for long. He felt Bombay needed a modern hotel in keeping with its importance and to attract more people to India. Since no other businessman would venture it, he decided to build it himself. It was Jamsetji's gift to the city of Bombay.

The construction work began in 1898. The architecture was a combination of Rajput renaissance, Sarcenic and Victorian Gothic styles. It also combined oriental splendour in its exterior and modern European comforts inside. The Gateway of India was yet to be built. There, facing the mouth of the harbour, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel stood in its solitary grandeur. The hotel was completed in 1903 and opened with 17 guests.

Jamsetji Tata passed away on May 19, 1904. He did not live to see the launch of the three projects which he had envisioned for national development. However, his vision lived on and was executed by the able men he had selected to work on these projects.

(1871 – 1918)

Sir Ratan Tata, the second son of Jamsetji Tata, was born on January 20, 1871. He was educated at St. Xavier's College, Bombay (Mumbai). In 1892, he married Navajbai Sett. The couple did not have any children.

After their marriage, they stayed at "Esplanade House", which was the family home. A year after Jamsetji's death, he shifted to Brightlands on Marine Lines. Around 1915, he moved into "Tata House", a palatial residence, which he had constructed on Waudby Road, close to Esplanade House. However, he lived there only for a few months before he set sail for England for medical treatment, never to return. He joined the firm of Tata & Sons as a partner in 1896. After the death of his father in 1904, Ratan Tata looked after the affairs of L' Union Fire Insurance Co. of Paris of which Tata & Sons were agents in India. In addition, he was in charge of the firm, Tata and Co., which had branches in Kobe, Shanghai, Paris, New York and Rangoon trading in cotton, yarn, silk, pearls and rice. When his father was alive, Ratan had taken keen interest in the reclamation and development of Mahim and Bandra. In 1909-10, he conceived of a plan of reclamation of the Foreshore of Bombay on the West, from Chaupaty to Colaba Sanatorium. In 1916-17, Ratan took an initiative in forming a Backbay Reclamation Syndicate. However, the syndicate had to be dissolved since the Government decided to undertake the reclamation work departmentally. Ratan Tata had an acute sense of social consciousness. He realised the importance of the struggle of Indians in South Africa under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and supported it both morally and materially. He sent to Mahatma Gandhi, in all, Rs125,000 in five equal instalments to support the noble struggle the Indians were waging in South Africa against apartheid. He was also attracted to the excellent national work that was being done by Gopalkrishna Gokhale and his Servants of India Society and donated Rs10,000 every year to it. Over the years he made liberal donations aggregating to Rs110,000 to the Society. He was very concerned about the gross poverty and destitution in India and about finding ways to ameliorate it. He felt that the subject needed a scientific study. In 1913 he constituted a Chair at the London University and agreed to pay £ 1,400 per year for three years towards the expenses. During the course of the First World War, the Chair was transferred to the London School of Economics with a committee of management of 12 members to be nominated both by the London University and the London School of Economics in equal numbers. The grant was extended for another five years from 1916. The payment continued even after his death. Ratan Tata was also fascinated by India's past. In 1912, he offered to finance an archaeological expedition in the states of Bihar and Orissa. Accordingly, exhaustive excavations were carried out at Pataliputra under the supervision of Dr. A.B. Spooner. Between 1913 and 1917, he paid Rs. 75,000 for this work. Apart from coins, plaques and terracotta of museum value, the location of the 100 column Mauryan Throne Room of the Palace of Asoka – similar to the Palace of King Darius at Persepolis in Persia were discovered. Art wares collected in this expedition are displayed in the Patna Museum. He was generous and any cause that appealed to him received a substantial donation. He gave liberally for relief of distress caused by natural calamities like floods, famines and earthquakes, for public memorials, schools and hospitals. He gave a donation of Rs. 10,000 per annum for a period of ten years to the King George V Anti-Tuberculosis League started by the Bombay Municipality's Executive Health Officer Dr. Turner. Out of this donation a building was built on Princess Street to provide treatment to the poor afflicted by tuberculosis. He also gave a lakh of rupees to the Salvation Army for a memorial to General Booth, its Founder in India who was a great friend of his father, without attaching any conditions. Ratan Tata led a hectic social life. He was fond of travelling and spent a major part of each year in England. As a Member of the Carlton Club in London, he was part of the high society in England. In 1906, he purchased the York House in Twickenham, 11 miles from London from Duce d' Orleans for £16,000 and spent another £ 20,000 on converting the 12 acre area around it into a landscaped garden. Ratan Tata was knighted in 1916 in recognition of his manifold services. Sir Ratan Tata was a great connoisseur of art. For several years during his tours within the country and abroad he collected pictures, paintings, guns, swords, silverware, manuscripts, jades, vases, carpets etc. The collection was handed over to the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay. In March 1916, Sir Ratan had gone on a brief visit, along with his wife, to China and Japan, when they returned, he had contracted an illness. On October 16, 1916, he sailed on the S.S. Arabia, along with his wife, and secretary P.P. Mistry for England to receive medical treatment. The journey proved to be unlucky since the ship was torpedoed by Germans in the Mediterranean just a day out from Port Said. The ship was sunk but all the passengers were saved. This shipwreck deteriorated his health further. Sir Ratan Tata died on September 5, 1918 at St. Ives, Cornwall leaving behind his wife Lady Navajbai. He was buried at Brookwood Cemetery near London besides his father. Sir Ratan Tata left a large part of his property for charitable purposes in his will. The Sir Ratan Tata Trust was set up on September 10, 1919.

Sir Nowroji Saklatvala

(1875 – 1938).

Sir Nowroji Saklatvala was born on September 10, 1875. He was educated at St. Xavier's School and College, Bombay (Mumbai). He joined the Tata organisation in 1899 as a clerk in the Svadeshi Mills. Within twenty years, he rose to be the head of the firm.

He was created a C.I.E. in 1923, and knighted in 1933. During the First World War, he was associated with many committees and rendered particularly meritorious service as Honorary Adviser to the Munitions Board during 1919-1921. He attended the International Labour Conference at Geneva as an Employers’ Delegate, in 1921. He was connected for many years with the Committee of the Mill Owners' Association and was its Chairman in 1917. He was a member of the Bombay Legislative Council in 1921, and represented them in the Bombay Legislative Assembly in 1922. He was Chairman of about twenty large companies and corporations like The Tata Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. (TISCO), Tata Electric Companies, The Associated Cement Companies (ACC), the New India Life Insurance Company and Imperial Bank. He was also on the Board of the Bombay Port Trust. On the death of Sir Dorabji Tata, he was elected as Chairman of Tata Sons Ltd. in 1932. An ordained priest, he led a simple life and was sympathetic towards the helpless and the poor. As Chairman of TISCO, he was greatly responsible for the profit sharing scheme for the employees. As Chairman of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, he encouraged several charitable institutions. In spite of his busy schedule, his love for sport was visible in the many sporting events and organisations with which he was connected. He was Chairman of the Cricket Club of India, the Parsi Gymkhana, and the Bombay Presidency Olympic Association and was Vice President of the Bombay Hockey Federation. The magnificent Brabourne Stadium was built under his guidance. Sir Nowroji Saklatvala left Bombay on a short trip to Europe at the end of April and passed away at Aix-Les-Bains, France on July 21, 1938.

Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata

(1856 – 1926).

Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (R.D.) was born in 1856 in Navsari, it was here that he received his early education and training. He received higher education at the Elphinstone College, Bombay (Mumbai) and then studied agriculture at Madras (Chennai). He was known among his friends as "R.D." in order to distinguish him from Jamsetji's second son, Ratan Tata.

On completing his education, R.D. began his career in his father's firm Tata & Co. When he joined the firm, its business was already declining. He was sent to Hong Kong and continued to work in the firm even after the death of his father in 1876. In 1883, he was obliged to take charge of the affairs of the company, which was in a very bad condition. It was at this period that he first displayed great ability for finance by putting to an end the vicissitudes of the firm. Jamsetji Tata was very impressed by R.D.'s abilities, and in 1884 he took this young cousin into his firm, the Empress Mills, and later, in 1887, made him a partner in the newly formed Tata & Sons. While Sir Bezonji Dadabhai Mehta looked after the technical and management side of the Empress Mills, R.D. took care of the financial aspects. During this period, he was entrusted the task of opening a ginning factory at Yeotmal with his cousin Dorabji Tata. R.D. was then given charge of the finances of the Svadeshi Mills, which was doing badly. He successfully steered it clear, along with Dorabji under the guidance of Jamsetji. The business of Tata & Co., was distinct from Tata & Sons, and Jamsetji had little to do with the firm. He left the control of the eastern branch to his cousin. R.D. Tata moved to Hong Kong for a few years. He opened branches in Shanghai and Kobe dealing in rice and silk. The business grew so well under him that he opened a branch in New York and later in Paris, trading chiefly in pearls and silk. It was here in Paris that he fell in love with Suzanne (Sooni) Briere and married her in 1902. After Jamsetji's death, the name of the firm was changed from Tata & Sons to Tata Sons & Co. in 1907 with the surviving partners – Dorab, Ratan, and R.D. Tata. Another venture namely Tata & Co., that had been operating in Hong Kong was also merged with Tata Sons & Co. In 1917, the Company was renamed Tata Sons Ltd. R.D. Tata continued to look after the trading and financial side of the company by devoting more time at the Head Office in Bombay. He played an important role in realising Jamsetji's dream projects - the iron and steel project, the hydro-electric scheme and the research university. He took charge of the important departments of the firm especially when the firm was passing through its most difficult period during the war. His mastery in steering the House of Tata through its most critical financial phase during the post war re-adjustment, placed him in the forefront of the great industrialists of the day. His mature experience and masterly guidance saw the company through these troubled years. Despite the grave financial struggles he was waging, he never lost sight of the welfare measures for workers. Abiding by these principles in times of crisis speaks volumes about his personality. R.D. Tata was a member of the Imperial Legislative Council and it was through his untiring energy and perseverance that he was able to secure the protection granted to the iron and steel industry. His association with Japan, which he visited in 1890, helped in the development of the Indo-Japanese trade relations. Just before R.D.'s death, the Emperor of Japan conferred on him the high distinction of the Third Order of the Rising Sun, a title similar to K.C.I.E. or C.I.E. in India. R.D. Tata passed away in Hardelot, France on August 26, 1926.

Naval Hormusji Tata

(1904 – 1989).

Naval Hormusji Tata was born in Bombay (Mumbai) on August 30, 1904 in a middle class family.

Naval was only four years old when he lost his father, who was a Spinning Master in the Ahmedabad Advanced Mills. This tragic blow was crippling for the family, particularly for his brave mother. It became an ordeal for her to support five sons. Their relatives from Bombay rallied round and they were given shelter in the humble family house at Navsari, the town where the Founder of the Tata group, Jamsetji Tata, was born. The family later settled down in Surat, and the modest resources were supplemented by the mother's income from embroidery work. She excelled in it and her talent was well recognised. Through Sir Dorabji Tata's assistance, two of Naval's brothers were taken up as boarders at the J.N. Petit Parsi Orphanage. A year later, in 1916, came his turn. Since the two brothers were paying boarders, Naval was accepted gratis as one of the Foundation's students. It was a hard life for 300 poor boys supported on an extremely slender budget for food, clothing and health care. Their only glimpse of the outside was when they were taken to the Victoria Gardens once in three weeks in batches of a hundred each. It is from this situation that Naval Tata rose to an eminent position in the Tata organisation. The story is one of grit, determination, perseverance and a complex of rare human qualities that contributed to his enormous success. Jamsetji Tata had married Hirabai, whose sister, Cooverbai, was Naval's grandmother. Jamsetji's two sons, Sir Dorabji and Sir Ratan, had no heir. Lady Navajbai (wife of Sir Ratan Tata) adopted Naval while he was still at the orphanage. The adoption came about in unusual and somewhat sad circumstances. In 1918, Sir Ratan Tata, died in England at the early age of 47. At a family meeting, headed by Sir Dorabji, it was decided that since there was no son for the Uthamna ceremony, an adopted son was necessary. Naval's mother was Sir Ratan's favourite cousin. So Naval was chosen for adoption. Naval was 13 when he was adopted. Although he was suddenly elevated into one of the most affluent families in the country, he never forgot his past. He maintained, "I am grateful to God for giving me an opportunity to experience the pangs of poverty, which more than anything (else) moulded my character in later years of my life." Naval Tata graduated from Bombay University in Economics and proceeded to London for a short course in Accountancy. On his return on June 1, 1930, he joined the Tata organisation as a despatch clerk-cum-assistant secretary on a monthly salary of Rs. 150. He soon rose to be the Assistant Secretary of Tata Sons Ltd. In 1933, he became the Secretary to the Aviation Department and five years later, he joined as an executive in the Textiles Department. Soon he proved his merit and in 1939 he became the Joint Managing Director of the textile mills. On February 1, 1941, he became a Director of Tata Sons Ltd. He took over as the Managing Director of The Tata Oil Mills Co. Ltd. in1948. He had already become Chairman of the Tata Mills Ltd. the previous year. Thereafter, in quick succession over the years he became Chairman of the other textile mills and the three electric companies, till he became the Deputy Chairman of Tata Sons Ltd. He was directly responsible for the management of the three Tata electric companies, the four textile mills and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust. Besides this, he guided the destinies of several companies of the Group andvarious trusts. The fact that he occupied the topmost positions in management and had numerous honours bestowed on him during his illustrious career did not make him forget his humble beginnings. He once said: "If I have been able to do something in my long association with Tatas, it is simply because God gave me an opportunity—a rare one. And from that day, somehow or other, it became a mission in my life." Although overburdened with work, he retained his calm good manners and politeness even with his assistants. During his extremely busy schedule in Bombay House, Naval always found time to meet people from all walks of life. Personally, he felt that his role as an administrator of several charity trusts, including those established by Tatas, was more important than that of looking after the administrative and financial problems of the various Tata companies he was in charge of for years. He was careful of his own health, and kept himself fit. Yet, he could not fight cancer which crept on him surreptitiously. The irony is that he had served the Indian Cancer Society for over 30 years! His politeness and consideration showed with strangers too. During his trips abroad, if anyone helped him (say, with his baggage), Naval Tata thanked him warmly and took his address from him. On his return to Bombay, he would write a warm letter of thanks. Naval's broadmindedness was manifest in numerous ways. A fully ordained Zoroastrian priest, he was unorthodox, yet laid emphasis on the spirit of the religion rather than its rituals. His moral law related to teaching human beings how to behave decently with one another, and he had a cosmopolitan outlook towards all religions. In reading, he did not confine himself to industrial relations, but was a keen student of world affairs. He was impressed by "State of the World 1987", a report of the World Watch Institute, and many books on the International Labour Organisation (I.L.O.) and other U.N. agencies. He was a vegetarian, but tolerated eggs and fish. He avoided meat in any form. The activities of Naval Tata were not confined to the enterprises he was associated with. He was President of the Employers Federation of India for several years. Having been associated with the organisation for four decades, on his retirement as its President, he was made its President Emeritus. His involvement with the I.L.O. for over three decades was very fruitful for India. As early as 1966, he had been appointed a member of the Labour Panel of the Planning Commission set up by the Union Government. He contributed to sports, and held senior offices in social, educational and welfare work. At one time, he was working with the Indian Institute of Science, the Bombay State Social Welfare Council, Swadeshi League, and the National Safety Council. He became Chairman of the Indian Cancer Society, President of the Auxiliary Forces Welfare Association and Trustee of several philanthropic trusts. Naval Tata was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the President of India on Republic Day, 1969. The same year he was given recognition for his role in industrial peace and awarded the Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal. He was conferred the life membership of the National Institute of Personnel Management. He breathed his last on May 5, 1989.

J.R.D. Tata

(1904 – 1993).

Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (J.R.D.) was born in Paris, France in 1904 to R.D. and Sooni Tata. He received his early education in France, Japan and India. J.R.D. began his career as an Assistant with Tata Sons Ltd. in 1922. He was made a Director of the company in 1926 on the death of his father, and in 1938 became its Chairman.

With his charismatic leadership, J.R.D. Tata has contributed to the industrial development of India for over 53 years. He passed on the Chairmanship of Tata Sons Ltd. to his younger colleague, Ratan N. Tata, on March 25, 1991 and was unanimously elected by the Board of Tata Sons Ltd. as Chairman Emeritus for life. Till he passed away in Geneva on November 29, 1993, he was Chairman Emeritus and Director of Tata Industries Ltd., The Indian Hotels Co. Ltd. and The Tata Oil Mills Co. Ltd. He was also Chairman Emeritus of Tata Chemicals Ltd., and a Director on the Board of The Tata Iron and Steel Co. Ltd., The Tata Engineering and Locomotive Co. Ltd., Tata Unisys Ltd., Tata Incorporated, New York and Tata Limited, London. Widely recognised as the founder of civil aviation in India, J.R.D. was the first pilot to qualify in this country and held a pilot's license since March 1929. In 1932, he founded India's first national carrier, Tata Airlines, renamed Air India Ltd. in 1946. On October 15, 1932 he personally piloted the Karachi-Bombay (Mumbai) sector of its inaugural Karachi-Madras(Chennai) service. In 1948, J.R.D. founded Air India International Ltd., as a joint venture with the Government of India to undertake long-range international operations, which he headed as Executive Chairman until it was nationalised in 1953. On his recommendation, the Government of India created two air corporations, Air India and Indian Airlines, to run international and domestic operations respectively. He was appointed Chairman of Air India, a post he held till February 1978. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Indian civil aviation, J.R.D. at the age of 78 re-enacted his inaugural flight of 1932 in a 50-year old De Havilland Leopard Moth on October 15, 1982 to instil a spirit of adventure among the younger generation. His simple minded devotion to every aspect of the airline was legendary. J.R.D. Tata was the recipient of several awards for his contribution in the field of aviation. He was made honorary Group Captain of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 1948 and was elevated to the rank of honorary Air Commodore of the IAF in 1966. Several international awards for aviation were given to him - the Tony Jannus Award in March 1979, the Gold Air Medal of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale in 1985, the Edward Warner Award of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Canada in 1986 and the Daniel Guggenheim Award in 1988. Millions regarded J.R.D. as a symbol of integrity and forth righteousness as the country's most distinguished and adventurous citizen. In 1943, J.R.D. spelt out the structure of industrial relations in Jamshedpur. He felt that companies took greater care of their machines than of their men. This resulted in the establishment of the Personnel Department of The Tata Iron and Steel Co. Ltd., which became a partnership between labour and management at various levels. When J.R.D. took over as Chairman of Tata Sons Ltd., the Group had 14 companies, and when he completed his half a century at the helm on July 26, 1988, there were nearly 95 enterprises which Tatas had either started or had a controlling interest in. Under his stewardship the Group expanded to cover a range of companies in power, engineering, hotels, consultancy services, information technology, consumer goods, consumer durables and industrial products. J.R.D. had over the years crusaded with causes which he believed to be in national interest, such as family planning and population control. His contribution in the sphere of population control received due recognition when he was given the U.N. Population Award in September 1992. He also firmly believed that rapid spread of literacy and education, particularly among women and children, would help in raising the standard of living of the people of India. He was Founder Chairman of the Family Planning Foundation. His interest in science is reflected in the pivotal role he played in the establishment of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research of which he was the Chairman of the Governing Council. He was a Member of the Atomic Energy Commission since its inception, and President of the Court of the Indian Institute of Science. He was also on the Governing Council and the Executive Committee of the Rajaji Institute of Public Affairs and Administration. He was instrumental in setting up of the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) and laid its foundation on March 12, 1992, in Bangalore. His broad concern for education is seen in the interest he took as Chairman of the J.N. Tata Endowment for the Higher Education of Indians and the Homi Bhabha Fellowships Council. He was the Chairman of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, the J.R.D. Tata Trust and the Jamsetji Tata Trust. J.R.D. was the recipient of several national and international honours and decorations. These included the Padma Vibhushan; French Legion of Honour (Commander); Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Knight Commander's Cross); Institute of Metals, London (Bessemer Medal); Dadabhai Naoroji Memorial Prize Fund (Dadabhai Naoroji Memorial Award) and Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of Allahabad, Benaras, Bombay and Roorkee. J.R.D. was the recipient of the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour bestowed by the Government of India on Republic Day, 1992.

Ratan Tata Biography

Table of Contents

Ratan Naval Tata , born on December 28, 1937, is a prominent Indian industrialist and philanthropist known for his remarkable contributions to the business world and society at large. He held the position of chairman at Tata Group for an impressive 22 years, from 1990 to 2012, and also served as interim chairman from October 2016 to February 2017. Even today, he remains at the helm of the group’s charitable trusts. His dedication to public service was recognized in 2008 when he received the prestigious Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour, following his Padma Bhushan award in 2000.

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Ratan Tata’s journey is rooted in the rich legacy of the Tata family, as he is the son of Naval Tata, who was adopted by Ratanji Tata, the son of Jamsetji Tata , the Tata Group visionary founder. Ratan Tata’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Cornell University College. His career began in 1961 at Tata, where he started on the shop floor of Tata Steel, gaining invaluable experience. His exceptional leadership skills were evident when he succeeded J. R. D. Tata as chairman of Tata Sons upon J.R.D. Tata’s retirement in 1991.

During his tenure, Ratan Tata led the Tata Group on a transformative journey, overseeing the acquisition of global giants like Tetley, Jaguar Land Rover, and Corus. These strategic moves aimed to shift the Tata Group’s focus from being predominantly India-centric to becoming a global business force. Beyond his business acumen, Ratan Tata is celebrated for his philanthropic endeavours, with a remarkable 60-65% of his income dedicated to charitable causes, making him one of the world’s most significant philanthropists.

Ratan Tata: Birth, Age, Education, and Family

Ratan Tata , born on December 28, 1937, in Bombay, British India (now Mumbai), has a life story as remarkable as his achievements. The son of Naval Tata and Sooni Commissariat, his early years were marked by separation from his parents at the age of 10. He was formally adopted by his grandmother, Navajbai Tata, through the J. N. Petit Parsi Orphanage. Growing up alongside his half-brother Noel Tata, who is the son of Naval Tata and Simone Tata, Ratan Tata’s educational journey took him through several prestigious schools, including Campion School and Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai, Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, and even Riverdale Country School in New York City. His academic path led him to Cornell University and Harvard Business School, setting the foundation for his illustrious career.

Now at the age of 84, Ratan Tata’s life is a testament to resilience and determination that has left an indelible mark on the world of business and philanthropy.

Ratan Tata Wife

Ratan Tata, the renowned Indian industrialist and philanthropist, has always been a subject of curiosity when it comes to his personal life. In a candid revelation back in 2011, he disclosed that he had come close to getting married four times in his life, but each time, he decided to step back for various reasons, citing fear and other considerations. One of the most intriguing stories from his romantic past involves falling in love with a woman in Los Angeles during his time working there.

Unfortunately, he had to return to India due to a family emergency, and the girl’s parents didn’t permit her to accompany him. Remarkably, Ratan Tata remained steadfast in his commitment to family and chose not to marry, making him one of the most eligible bachelors in India. This unique aspect of his life has only added to the enigmatic allure that surrounds this business icon.

Ratan Tata as Chairperson

Ratan Tata’s tenure as the Chairperson of Tata Sons from 1991 to 2012 was marked by significant transformations in the conglomerate. He faced resistance as he implemented changes, introducing the retirement age and centralizing operations. Under his leadership, the company’s revenues grew over 40 times, and profits over 50 times, as he steered Tata Group towards becoming a global business.

He facilitated key acquisitions like Tata Tea buying Tetley , Tata Motors acquiring Jaguar Land Rover , and Tata Steel taking over Corus. Ratan Tata’s vision also led to the development of the affordable Tata Nano car, aimed at the average Indian consumer. After stepping down, he briefly returned as interim chairman in 2016, ultimately appointing Natarajan Chandrasekaran as his successor in 2017, ensuring a seamless transition of leadership.

Ratan Tata’s Generosity: Changing Lives Through Education and Research

Ratan Tata is a kind-hearted philanthropist who believes in making the world a better place through his generous contributions. He has supported various initiatives, from providing clean water to supporting education, healthcare, and research, positively impacting lives across the globe.

• Helping with Clean Water: Ratan Tata helped the University of New South Wales Faculty of Engineering provide better water to places that really need it.
• Scholarships for Indian Students: He set up the Tata Scholarship Fund with $28 million to help students from India study at Cornell University. This scholarship supports about 20 students at a time.
• Supporting Harvard Business School: In 2010, companies from the Tata Group and Tata charities gave $50 million to Harvard Business School to build a special center for executives.
• Big Donation to Carnegie Mellon University: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) donated $35 million to Carnegie Mellon University. This money went towards building a big research facility for things like smart computers and self-driving cars. This donation was the largest ever made by a company.
• Tata’s Generosity at IIT Bombay: In 2014, the Tata Group gave a huge amount of Rs. 950 million to the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay. This was the largest gift the institute had ever gotten. Because of this, they were able to establish the Tata Center for Technology and Design, which does important work.
• Fighting Alzheimer’s Disease: Tata Trusts gave ₹750 million to the Centre for Neuroscience at the Indian Institute of Science. This money is used to study Alzheimer’s disease and find better ways to detect and treat it.
• MIT Tata Center: Ratan Tata also helped set up the MIT Tata Center of Technology and Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This centre focuses on finding solutions for communities that don’t have a lot of resources, especially in India.

Ratan Tata Family Tree

Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata

• Founder of Tata Group, India’s largest conglomerate.
• Married to Hirabai Daboo.

Dorabji Tata

• Elder son of Jamshedji Tata.
• Second chairperson of Tata Group.
• Married to Meherbai Tata, who was the aunt of nuclear scientist Homi J. Bhabha.

Ratanji Tata

• Younger son of Jamshedji Tata.
• Pioneer of poverty studies.
• Married to Navajbai Tata.
• Adopted an orphan, Naval Tata, who was the grand-nephew of Hirabai Tata.

• Adopted son of Navajbai Tata.
• Director in several Tata companies.
• Received the Padma Bhushan.
• Had three sons: Ratan Tata (5th chairperson of Tata Group), Jimmy Tata, and Noel Tata (Chairperson of Trent Limited).

Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata

• Early stalwart in the Tata Group.
• Son of Dadabhoy and Jamshedji Tata’s sister, Jeevanbai.
• Married to Suzanne Brière.
• Father of J.R.D. Tata and Sylla Tata.

Ratan Tata Biography Summary

FAQs on Ratan Tata Biography

Who is ratan tata.

Ratan Tata is a prominent Indian philanthropist and industrialist . He served as the chairman of Tata Group for several years and played a significant role in transforming the conglomerate into a global business force.

When was Ratan Tata born?

Ratan Tata was born on December 28, 1937, in Bombay, British India, which is now Mumbai

What is Ratan Tata's educational background?

Ratan Tata earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from Cornell University College and later attended Harvard Business School.

How long did Ratan Tata serve as the chairman of Tata Group?

Ratan Tata served as the chairman of Tata Group for 22 years, from 1990 to 2012. He also briefly returned as interim chairman in 2016.

What were some of Ratan Tata's notable achievements as the chairman of Tata Group?

Ratan Tata oversaw the acquisition of global companies like Tetley, Jaguar Land Rover, and Corus, which helped Tata Group expand its global presence and revenue significantly

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Famous Entrepreneurs

Biographies, Pictures and Facts

Ratan Tata has been the Chairman of Tata Group for almost two decades. He is a true example of a distinguished entrepreneur. A quiet personality and his low profile style is what make him the leader that he is. His silent determination has made the company a global name.

Tata was born on 28th December 1937 in Bombay, India. He went to the Cathedral for schooling and attended John Connon School in present day Mumbai. He graduated from Cornell University in 1962 receiving a degree of Architecture and Structural Engineering. On his return he joined the family business. He entered the Tata Group working as a blue collar employee till 1971 when he was promoted to Director in Charge of the National Radio and Electronics Company Ltd (Nalco). The company was going through a difficult time but with Tata’s clever suggestions and decisions it was able to recover from its damages. In 1977 another failing part of the Group, the Empress Mills was handed over to Tata who managed to turn it around the way he done with Nalco.

Under his leadership Tata Group acquired Tetley, Jaguar, Land Rover and Corus with the last two making corporate history. He changed the company from being a local industry to a worldwide business. Tata Motors produced Tata’s brainchild ‘Tata Indica’ however Ratan Tata became widely famous when he for introduced the world’s cheapest car ‘Tata Nano’ in 1998, which could be bought for 1 lakh rupees. This legendary business magnate is greatly respected even by other entrepreneurs who agree that he is truly an excellent businessman. He retired from the Group in December 2012 at the age of 75. He is still heads the Tata Motors, Tata Sons and Tata Steel and two trusts namely ‘Sir Ratan Tata Trust’ and ‘Sir Dorabji Tata and Allied Trusts’. Tata is also a member of various organizations such as the the advisory board of Mitsubishi Corporation, JP Morgan Chase, the American International Group and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Tata was honored with the ‘Padma Bhushan’ in 2000 and then the ‘Padma Vibhushan’ in 2008. He was given the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by the ‘Rockefeller Foundation’ in 2012. Tata was knighted in 2009. Tata was honored as the 26th Robert S. Hatfield Fellow in Economic Education, which is the highest given by the Cornell University. He also got an honorary doctorate from the London School of Economics. Tata was ranked amongst the ‘25 Most Powerful People in Business’ by Fortune Magazine in 2007.

The icon of entrepreneurship and ‘India’s Most Respected Business Leader’ according to Forbes has proven his entrepreneurial talents by making the right decisions that led to the success of the Tata Group. Under his stewardship Tata Consultancy Services went public and Tata Motors was registered in the New York Stock Exchange. The government of India requested Tata to save the airlines ‘Air India’ by bailing it out, a challenge that he accepted.

Ratan Tata has made his country very proud. He has played a major role in the betterment of the living standards of the common man in India.

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Sir Ratan Tata

Jamsetji Tata's younger son was a philanthropist all his life, sensitive to the struggles of ordinary people. His desire to utilise his considerable wealth to enhance the quality of public life manifested in the creation of a trust fund, which is, today, the second largest of the Tata Trusts

759 words     |     3-minute read

Sir Ratan Tata, the younger son of Jamsetji Tata, was a connoisseur of art and a notable philanthropist. His legacy of support to the poor and oppressed lives on in the activities of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

Ratan Tata was the second son of Jamsetji Tata, the founder of the House of Tata. Born on January 20, 1871, he was 12 years younger then his brother, Sir Dorab Tata. Ratanji, as he was generally known, was educated at St Xavier's College in Bombay.

Sir Ratan joined the firm of Tata & Sons as a partner in 1896. After the death of his father in 1904, he looked after the affairs of the L’ Union Fire Insurance Co of Paris, of which Tata & Sons were the agents in India. He was also in charge of the trading firm Tata & Co, which had branches in Kobe, Shanghai, Paris, New York and Rangoon, and traded in cotton, yarn, silk, pearls and rice.

A Warrior for Justice

Sir Ratan assisted elder brother Dorabji in the running of the various Tata businesses, but his real interests lay in social and philanthropic causes. He realised the importance of Mahatma Gandhi’s struggle against racism in South Africa and supported it both morally and materially, contributing Rs125,000 in all to the cause. Overwhelmed by the magnanimity of this backing, Gandhi wrote, “That India has been roused is evident from the generous gift of Mr Ratanji Jamsetji Tata… He will probably be followed by other Indians. Parsis are known the world over for their generous gifts. Mr Tata has been true to that spirit of generosity.”

Sir Ratan was a personal friend of Gopal Krishna Gokhale, the great Indian social reformer and freedom fighter. Impressed with the work of Gokhale’s Servants of India Society, Sir Ratan donated an amount of Rs10,000 annually for a period of 10 years to support its welfare work for the weaker sections of the society.

Unparalleled Generosity

Though born and brought up in luxury, Sir Ratan was concerned about the widespread poverty and destitution in India and sought ways to ameliorate them. It was to find lasting solutions to these problems that he made an offer of contributing £1,400 annually to the University of London for instituting a chair at the London School of Economics (LSE). The Sir Ratan Tata Foundation at LSE is now a permanent institution. In 1912, Sir Ratan also extended financial help for setting up the department of social sciences at LSE. The new department was known as the Ratan Tata Department of Social Sciences until 1919, when the school assumed responsibility for it.

Sir Ratan was fascinated by India’s past. He funded the first archaeological excavation at Pataliputra, under the supervision of AB Spooner, between 1913 and 1917, which resulted in the discovery of the 100-column Mauryan throne room in the legendary King Ashoka's palace. He was also a great connoisseur of art. During his tours within India and abroad Sir Ratan collected a treasure trove of paintings, armaments, silverware, manuscripts, carpets and more, which he bequeathed to the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay.

Sir Ratan was a generous man by all accounts. Any cause that appealed to him received a substantial donation. He gave liberally for the relief of distress caused by natural calamities like floods, famines and earthquakes, and for public memorials, schools and hospitals. He gave a donation of Rs10,000 per annum for a period of ten years to the King George V Anti-Tuberculosis League, started by the Bombay Municipality and Rs1 lakh to the Salvation Army for a memorial to General Booth, its founder in India.

In 1892, Sir Ratan married Navajbai Sett. Around 1912, he made plans for the construction of a palatial house on Waudby Road in Bombay. Tata House was ready in 1915, but Sir Ratan could live there only for a few months before he sailed for England for medical treatment, never to return. Sir Ratan was knighted in 1916 for his services to humanity. He died on September 5, 1918 at St Ives in Cornwall, England. He was buried at Brookwood Cemetery near London by the side of his father.

Sir Ratan had willed a large part of his property for charitable purposes. The Sir Ratan Tata Trust was established in 1919 with a corpus of Rs8 million; today it exists as one of India’s oldest and most respected grant-bestowing foundations.

Sir Ratan Tata Trust & Allied Trusts

Backing The Brightest

People first.

Before Fame

He graduated from Cornell University with a degree in architecture with structural engineering.

He and his company bought The Land Rover and Jaguar brands from Ford in 2008.

Family Life

His parents were Naval and Soonoo Tata.

Associated With

He graduated from the Harvard University School of Business in 1975, the same year as future president George W. Bush .

Ratan Tata Is A Member Of

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The Story of Tata: 1868 to 2021 | An authorized account of the Tata family and their companies with exclusive interviews with Ratan Tata | Non-fiction Biography, Penguin Books Hardcover – March 1, 2022

The first and only authorized biography on Tata Group including the Tata-Mistry legal battle, exclusive interviews with Ratan Tata, and never-before-seen photographs of the Tata family. In 1868, Jamsetji Tata, a visionary of his time, lit the flame that went on to become Tata and its group of companies. This business grew into an extraordinary one. One that some may even call 'the greatest company in the world'. Over the decades, the business expanded and prospered under the leadership of the various keepers of the flame, such as Sir Dorabji Tata, J.R.D. Tata and Ratan Tata, to name a few. But one day, the headlines boldly declared that the chairman of the board of Tata Sons, Cyrus Mistry, had been fired. What went wrong? In this exclusive and authorized book, insiders of the Tata businesses open up to Peter Casey for the first time to tell the story. From its humble beginnings as a mercantile company to its growth as a successful yet philanthropic organization to its recent brush with Mistry, this is a book that every business- minded individual must read.

• Print length 228 pages
• Language English
• Publisher India Viking
• Publication date March 1, 2022
• Dimensions 9 x 6 x 0.62 inches
• ISBN-10 0670090220
• ISBN-13 978-0670090228
• See all details

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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ India Viking (March 1, 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 228 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0670090220
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0670090228
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.3 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 6 x 0.62 inches
• #3,180 in Corporate Governance
• #14,799 in Project Management (Books)
• #19,010 in Biographies of Business & Industrial Professionals

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Ratan Tata Biography – Age, Wife, Family, Education, Children, Life Story, Net Worth and More

Ratan Tata Wife

Ratan Tata Family

Ratan tata education, ratan tata life story, rata tata net worth.

Some Facts about Ratan Tata

• Ratan Tata is a top Businessman not in India but worldwide.
• During Corona Situation, Tata Sons and Ratan Tata donated about 1500 Crore in the Pm cash fund.
• Ratan Tata was the Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group from 1991 till his retirement on December 28, 2012.
• Ratan Tata Sir Time management is very good as in one day he would attend many companies meeting.
• He believes too much in Women’s self-employment, looking this in 2013 TCS in Saudi Arabia established women technology service centre.

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