Jamsetji Tata: 4 ways the visionary changed the world around him

The Tata Group is celebrating the 184th birth anniversary of its founder Jamsetji Tata today. Born on March 3, 1839, Jamsetji Tata is regarded as the “Father of Indian Industry.” His date of birth is observed as Founder’s Day within the Tata Group, which he founded as a private trading firm in 1868. His vision inspired the steel and power industries in India, set the foundation for technical education, and helped the country leapfrog into the ranks of industrialised nations, the Tata Group writes on its website.

On Jamsetji Tata’s 184th birth anniversary, here’s a look at how the ideas of a visionary changed the world around him.

Man of steel

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Jamsetji Tata is best known for setting up the Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) in Jamshedpur. The idea of setting up an iron and steel plant in India was born when Tata visited Manchester in UK. TISCO started pig iron production in 1911 and began producing steel in 1912.

“When India relied on others for steel, one man envisioned a nation standing on its own feet,” the Tata Group wrote in an Instagram post on the occasion of Jamsetji Tata’s birth anniversary.

India’s first planned industrial city

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Jamshedpur, established by Jamsetji Tata, is regarded as the first planned city of India. Named after the founder of Tata Group, Jamshedpur in Jharkhand houses Tata Steel, the oldest steel plant of India.

Jamsetji Tata envisioned it as a city of public leisure spaces with well-planned infrastructure. “Be sure that there is plenty of space for lawns and gardens. Reserve large areas for football, hockey and parks,” he had said.

The visionary who saw clean power in a waterfall

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The idea of harnessing waterfalls for clean energy first struck Jamsetji Tata during a picnic by Roha creek in Maharashtra. This was as a time when Mumbai was choking on the fumes of the boilers of textile mills. Tata envisioned setting up one of the first hydroelectric power plants in the Western Ghats, one that could harness water to provide electricity, but he died before work on his vision could be completed.

“Though he could not personally accomplish this tough task, Jamsetji’s sons Dorab and Ratan subsequently laid the foundation for affordable and clean power for the city of Bombay,” the Tata Group writes on its website.

The ‘lighthouse’ that guides Tata Group

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Jamsetji Tata left behind a legacy that few can hope to replicate. He is today remembered as a visionary who saw potential where others couldn’t.

Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, remembered Jamsetji Tata on his birth anniversary in 2020 as “the lighthouse that guides us long after his business and philanthropic legacy helped build the nation.” He said that Jamsetji created a culture of kindness and empathy in the company that lives on even today.