"Freedom without the strength to support it and, if need be, defend it, would be a cruel delusion. And the strength to defend freedom can itself only come from widespread industrialisation and the infusion of modern science and technology into the country's economic life."
Don't for a moment fall into the trap of Nehruvian hagiography to attribute the words above to the first prime minister of India who likened dams and factories to modern temples of India. No, these words belong to the first Make in India champion of India, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, whose 175th anniversary is being celebrated across India and the world. Not only was J.N. Tata the founder of what is now the hallowed Tata group, but he displayed foresight and vision that far surpassed the mercantile thoughts of his peers and contemporaries.
In an age when trading was the norm in the Indian business community, Tata Tata set up the first greenfield and modern textile mill called Empress Mills in Nagpur. He laid the foundations for a textile empire that thrived for almost a century. At a time when electricity was still considered to be a novelty, he dreamt of launching a power generation and distribution business in his beloved adopted city Bombay (now Mumbai). Tata Power and the distribution wing that deliver electricity to homes there are still the most efficient, reliable and profitable in the country. A much later entrant Reliance Power, admit most residents of Mumbai, is not a patch in the old war horse.
And who can forget his magnificent passion that still stands as a glittering tribute to his vision right next to the Gateway of India in Mumbai. Yes, we are talking of Taj Mumbai. Towards the end of the 19th century, India and Indians were waking up to the fact that they were second class citizens in their own country. J. N. Tata felt personally humiliated on behalf of millions of Indians when he was not allowed entry to hotels meant only for whites. It spurred him to build one of the finest hotels in the world, The Taj which even the whites could not resist even though it was open for all who offered business. The enduring success of his visit can be seen in the success of the Taj group of hotels.
By the time he died in early years of the 21st century, his most magnificent Make in India obsession was not fully complete. But work had started in a remote village called Sakchi in distant Chotta Nagpur to build a modern steel plant. Mines had already been scouted, discovered and out into operation in Bihar and Odisha for iron ore and coal. Years after death: Tata Steel became a reality and remains a monument to his vision even today.
It is fashionable in contemporary times to talk of CSR and philanthropy. Tata was an original. In his own words, "There is one kind of charity common enough among us… It is that patchwork philanthropy which clothes the ragged, feeds the poor, and heals the sick. I am far from decrying the noble spirit which seeks to help a poor or suffering fellow being… [However] what advances a nation or a community is not so much to prop up its weakest and most helpless members, but to lift up the best and the most gifted, so as to make them of the greatest service to the country."
