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J.R.D Tata  |
Nandan Nilekani |
N.R. Naryana Murthy |
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J.R.D. Tata (1904-1993) |
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Indian industrialist Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata a.k.a. JRD Tata sullied his reputation by his thoughtless remark made after hundreds of millions of his countrymen were deprived of their basic liberties during the state of Emergency declared by that petty dictator Indira Gandhi. In an interview with The New York Times, JRD Tata defended the Emergency and declared: "The Parliamentary system is not suited to our needs." Often lauded as one of India's great industrialists, JRD Tata was also a pioneering aviator. The present-day Air India owes its existence to the initiatives JRD Tata took with the founding of Tata Airlines in 1932. JRD Tata was born in Paris on July 29, 1904 to Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata and his French wife Suzanne Briere. He was the second of five children. His father Ratanji Tata was the first cousin of Jamsetji Tata, founder of the Tata industrial empire. JRD joined the Tatas in 1925 after his early education in France, Japan and India. After his father's death in 1926, JRD became a permanent director of Tata Sons, the holding company of the group. JRD was Chairman of Tata Sons from July 26, 1938 to March 25, 1991. JRD Tata won many honors in his lifetime including India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna in 1992. JRD Tata died on November 29, 1993 in Geneva at the age of 89. His funeral took place at the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris on December 1. The Tata group is now headed by Ratan Tata. Source: The New York Times |