J.R.D. TATA

Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (July 29, 1904–November 29, 1993) was a pioneer aviator and important businessman of India. He was one of the few people who were awarded Bharat Ratna during their life time.

J.R.D. Tata was born in Paris, France, the second child of Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata and his French wife Suzanne Briere^{[citation needed]}. His father was a first cousin of Jamsetji Tata, a pioneer industrialist in India. 'Jeh', or 'JRD' as he was commonly known, came to be regarded as the most famous industrial pioneer in modern India. As his mother was French, he spent much of his childhood in France and as a result, French was his first language. Tata also attended the French Foreign Legion. He attended the Cathedral and John Connon School, Bombay (now Mumbai).

J.R.D. Tata was inspired early by aviation pioneer Louis Bleriot, and took to flying. In 1929 Tata got the first pilot licence issued in India. He later came to be known as the father of Indian civil aviation. He founded India's first commercial airline, 'Tata Airlines', in 1932, which in 1946 became Air India, now India's national airline.

J.R.D. Tata studied engineering at the University of Cambridge. He did not continue beyond matriculation according to the biography written by Lala. He returned to India and started the Tata Group in a workshop in Jamshedpur with a group of 10 workers. Several years later, when the Tata Group became quite successful in India, he financed the building of the new engineering department at Cambridge University.

For decades, Tata directed the huge Tata Group of companies, with major interests in many industries in India, including steel, engineering, hospitality and electrical companies. He was famous for succeeding in business while maintaining high ethical standards - refusing to bribe politicians or use the black market. His contributions to founding many famous institutions of higher learning in India are also well recognised.

Among a host of awards, he received the in 1955. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1992 for his service to industry and nation building. He also received the Guggenheim Medal for aviation in 1988. He died in Geneva, Switzerland in 1993 at age of 89. He is buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

After his father's death in 1926, Tata became the director of the Board of Tata Sons Ltd. Eventually in 1938, he became the chairman of the company. Under his leadership Tata Sons expanded into one of the largest industrial empire in the country- from ironworks and steelworks into chemicals, hotels, engineering and lot of other industries. In 1945, Tata Steel promoted the Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO) with an objective to produce locomotives for the Indian Railways. Today Telco has emerged as the country’s largest Commercial Vehicle producer.

JRD Tata was the first Indian pilot to qualify for a British private license. He founded Tata Airlines in 1932 and by 1953, it developed and came to be known as Indian Airlines. Till 1978, Tata was the Chairman of the Indian Airlines and Air India.

Tata was an early advocate of family planning and he created the Family Planning Foundation in 1971. His innovations in India's fledgling hotel and tourist industry as well as his contributions to scientific and technical research and corporate management gained public recognition from the Indian Government. He was honoured by India's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna in 1991 and United Nations Population Award in 1992. In 1991, at the age of 87, Tata retired from Tata Sons. He passed away on November 29, 1993.