'I was obsessed with these Tata stories as I wrote them': Harish Bhat

Author Harish Bhat. His first book, 'Tatalog: Eight Modern Stories from a Timeless Institution', came out in 2012.

Jamsetji Tata loved reading Charles Dickens' and William Thackeray's books, though he was also partial to the humorous writings of American novelist Mark Twain. Harish Bhat's latest book #Tata Stories: 40 Timeless Tales to Inspire You, released on June 14, 2021, is generously strewn with similar bits of information worked into larger stories about the earlier years of the Tata Group.

For this book, Bhat dove into the Tata Central Archives in Pune, and pulled out stories about Tata Group founder Jamsetji Tata, his son and daughter-in-law Sir Dorabji Tata and Lady Meherbai Tata, J.R.D. Tata and Tata executives like Nani Palkhivala and Dr John Matthai. As Bhat zeroed-in on the stories he wanted to tell, he also shared shorter versions of them on LinkedIn.

Some of the 153-year history of the Tata Group is intertwined with the history of India - our industry, educational institutions, research institutions and philanthropy. As such, some of the stories in the book are also about India (read an excerpt from the chapter "Tata, Birla and the Bombay Plan").

Bhat, the brand custodian of Tata Sons since October 2016, has worked with the Tata Group for over 30 years (he was deputy manager, Tata Tea, Bangalore, in the early 1990s). He also serves on the boards of Tata Group companies like Trent, Tata Starbucks, Croma, Tata AIA Life Insurance, and Tata Unistore.

Moneycontrol spoke to him about #Tata Stories, his research and selection process, writing for LinkedIn versus the book, and the stories he found most challenging to tell:

Is '#Tata Stories' a sort of prequel to 'Tata Log'? What can people who’ve read 'Tata Log' look forward to in this book?

#Tata Stories is both a prequel and a sequel to my first book Tata Log. It is a prequel, because many of the stories in this new book pre-date the stories I have narrated in Tata Log. This new book contains 40 interesting, little known stories from the Tata group, dating right back to the days of the Group’s Founder, Jamsetji Tata. Stories dancing across a long arc of time, more than 150 years. Readers can look forward to amazing stories which inspire and provoke us, even move us to meaningful action in our own lives. And the book is also a sequel, because a lot of my thinking, as I wrote it, was shaped by Tata Log. If you loved Tata Log, I think you will love this book twice over.

'#Tata Stories' has stories about nation-building, advances in Tata businesses and technology, and Tata leaders like Suman Moolgaokar. How did you select and categorise the stories you wanted to tell in this book?

#Tata Stories has tales about nation building, for sure, because that lies at the heart of the Tata Group. This includes stories such as the inspiring tale of Jamsetji Tata and his quest for India’s first integrated steel plant, or the story of the Tata Group’s role in establishing the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Then, there are tales about pioneering new businesses, and breaking new ground. The story behind how India’s first commercial airline, Tata Airlines, was developed by J.R.D. Tata, or how the country’s first indigenous car, Tata Indica, was launched by Ratan Tata.

Then again, you will find in this book stories which exemplify traits of great leadership, that we can all learn invaluable lessons from. As we read the stories of Tata legends such as Sumant Moolgaokar and his quest for excellence, or why Nani Palkhivala was such a remarkable man, we will be inspired to do more with our own lives.

And, finally, the pages of this book are full of stories of courage, generosity, determination, resilience, failure and success. Stories that celebrate the human spirit. That’s what #Tata Stories is all about.

In the book, you’ve talked about your ‘obsession with the history of the Tata Group’ as you were writing roughly one story a week over eight months in 2020. Could you give us an example of this obsession, perhaps through the example of a story that you found particularly challenging or rewarding to write?

Indeed, I was obsessed with these Tata stories as I wrote them. One story that I found challenging and rewarding to write was the tale of the interactions between Jamsetji Tata and Swami Vivekananda, which led to the foundation of the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore.

How did their meeting happen, and where ? How did these two legends, one an industrialist and the other a spiritual leader, come together for the progress of their nation ?

I had to explore the voyage of the ship that they travelled on, read research papers which examined the genesis of their collaboration, try my best to re-create those distant days, and, for a final burst of inspiration just before writing this story, I also listened to a rendition of Swami Vivekananda’s famous address at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago.

This story had to bring together so many threads of history, into a lucid narration. That’s why I particularly enjoyed writing it.

India Post in January 1965 issued a commemorative stamp to honour Jamsetji Tata.

Are there any stories here that were unknown even to you, before starting the research for this book?

Yes, of course, there were many stories in #Tata Stories that I discovered only while writing the book. For instance, I had not earlier known the full story of Sir Dorabji Tata and how he led the way for the first Indian team to participate in the Olympics in 1920, exactly a century ago. That was a revelation to me. Similarly, the story of Bobby Kooka, the marketing maverick who worked closely with J.R.D. Tata. He developed India’s first famous advertising mascot, the loveable Maharajah for Air India. What a delightful tale this turned out to be!

You have been sharing the stories in this book on LinkedIn as well. How different was it to write for social media versus the book? Could you share some insights?

Yes, I have shared many of these Tata Stories on LinkedIn. I discovered that positive, real-life stories which help inspire readers work very well on social media. My insight is that many people turn to social media for such authentic inspiration, particularly during these challenging times. And then, I had to ensure that every story could be read within six minutes, because attention spans on social media are relatively short. Crisp, short stories accompanied by impactful visual pictures tend to work very well on LinkedIn.

Could you share what might have been the 41st story in the book – a story you loved and thought about adding in the book, but finally didn’t?

I wish I could have also written the story of Tata Salt in this book. This is one of India’s most trusted brands, used by virtually half the population of our vast country. How was Tata Salt conceived of by Darbari Seth ? How did it transform the eating of salt in our country ? How did it evangelise the need for iodised salt ? What were the marketing campaigns that have made it not just another salt, but “Desh ka Namak”, such a strong association with the nation ? What sits at the heart of this superb product and brand ? I hope to write this story some day, for sure.

In the book, the story of Kalpana Chawla’s tribute to J.R.D. Tata stands out. For one thing, the starting point here is a tribute to J.R.D. Tata rather than something he did. Why did you pick this story, and what do you hope readers will take away from it?

Yes, this is such a beautiful story. I picked it up to demonstrate to readers that when you do something which is courageous and pioneering, it has so many ripple effects, it also inspires so many others around you. In 1982, Kalpana Chawla was a youngster, when she heard of J.R.D. Tata piloting an aircraft, commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the inaugural air mail flight that he had flown in 1932. J.R.D. did this when he was at an advanced age of 78 years, particularly to inspire hope and enthusiasm amongst youngsters in the country. And it did inspire Kalpana Chawla, in her aspirations to become an astronaut. To find out more about her unique tribute to J.R.D. Tata, do read #Tata Stories. I think every reader will be moved by this remarkable story.