Jamsetji Tata
By Illa Vij

PARSIs came to India in the 8th century from Persia and settled largely in Bombay (now Mumbai). Besides having unusual names like Mr Engineer, Mr Bottlewalah, they are known for their intelligence and skill at industry. A Parsi family that has gained fame all over the world is that of Jamsetji Tata. Jamsetji Tata was born in 1839 in Navasari, Baroda.

His father, Nusserwanji, ran a prosperous trading firm. Till the age of 13, Jamsetji was informally educated. At the age of 13, Nusserwanji took him to Bombay to attend a few classes held by local pundits. In 1856, Jamsetji won a scholarship to Elphinstone College. The habit of reading that he developed there continued all his life. While at college, Jamsetji married a Parsi girl, Heerabai, who was the daughter of a priest.

In 1858, Jamsetji obtained his degree from the college. In 1859, his first son Dorabji was born. Jamsetji joined his father’s business, but it soon became evident that this young man was quite intelligent and had the desire to achieve much more. Within three years, he set up a modern cotton mill in Nagpur and another one in Bombay. He travelled all over the world and gathered as much technical knowledge as he could. By the time he reached his middle age, he had become a very rich man.

His biggest dreams revolved around the iron ores in India. He dreamt of an Indian steel industry. Iron ores were in plenty but the progress was limited. Villagers smelted iron in tiny quantities with wooden bellows. Jamsetji wondered why India could not prosper. He realised that the British rule had held up the development. Cheap imported steel was being supplied all over the country — with which the local manufacturer could not compete. In 1882, Jamsetji happened to come across a report by German expert Ritter Von Schwartz. He had found enormous deposits at Lohara — which he termed as “a hill of iron.” He, however, reported that the nearby coal in Warora was not good enough for smelting. Tata announced a reward for anyone who would devise a method for smelting the Lohara ore with the Warora coal or coke. Although not very satisfying, a large number of helpful suggestions came in and the reward was divided among a lot of competitors. These suggestions were later used by Jamsetji’s son.

Jamsetji approached the Government of India, to grant him licence to carry out his project. He wanted to form an iron and steel company. He also wanted a unit of the Railways to be placed under the control of his company, so that transportation could be made easier. The government had its own policies and did not want the Indian steel companies to compete with the English steel. It desired to see India as only a source of raw material.

For the next 20 years nothing happened to Tata’s plans. But he would not give up, he continued collecting paper writings regarding Indian minerals and mining. In 1899, when Jamsetji was 60 years old, a new Viceroy, Lord Curzon, did away with the prevailing restrictions. Possessing a strong desire to see India progress, Jamsetji pursued his case. The next five years were spent travelling and seeking advice from experts.

The Taj Mahal Hotel he had got built and the cotton mills were still a part of his business. He even got an American engineer to work for him. Just as all had been worked out and the finest plant was devised, Jamsetji’s health began to fail. He passed on his work to his sons.

Dorabji Tata and the American expert C.M. Weld went through all possible hardships before they could successfully launch the project. After much toil and investigations, the village of Sakchi was selected and work was begun there. Unfortunately, Jamsetji died in 1904 and never lived to see his dream fulfilled.

Driven by the pangs of patriotism, young and old all gathered to help establish India’s very own steel plant. In three weeks, the required capital was raised entirely by the Indians. The village began to rapidly grow and Sakchi turned into Jamshedpur. Jamsetji’s second dream was also realised after his death. The Viceroy, Lord Minto, approved the constitution of the Institute of Science in Bangalore in 1909. It became the foremost centre of scientific learning.

Jamsetji did so much that one is awed by the energy, patience and intellect that he possessed. His mind worked fast and he had immense foresight. He dreamt of a progressive country. The Tata fortune grew and so did its fame. A lot of ideas conceived and dreamt by Jamsetji, became a reality after his death. This love for humanity became a family trait. Charitable trusts like the Cancer Research Hospital in Mumbai, the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore are some of the family’s welfare schemes.

Tata also endowed the Department of Social Science and Administration at the London School Of Economics. Probably no other family has ever contributed so much to the industrial development or in the way of philanthropy as the Tata’s have before and since Independence. Jamsetji Tata’s accomplishments were the result of his imagination, innovative mind, perseverance and limitless range of interests.

Jamsetji was the first man in India to fit his carriage with rubber tyres. He was also the first person to bring a motor car in Bombay. In one of his speeches, he had said: “With honest and straight-forward business principles, close and careful attention to details and an ability to take advantage of favourable opportunities and circumstances, there is scope for success.”