Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata was an indian entrepreneur and industrialist, prominent for his pioneering work in Indian industry, known as "the father of Indian industry, he began his career at his father's trading firm but later formed his own company Tata Group in 1868 and attained a success. Now Tata Group is India's biggest conglomerate company with interests in steel, automobiles, information technology, energy, tea, and hotels.
Background
Jamshedji Tata was born to Nusserwanji and Jeevanbai Tata on 3 March 1839 in Navsari, a small town in South Gujarat. Nusserwanji Tata was the first businessman in a family of Parsi Zoroastrian priests. He moved to Bombay and started trading.
Jamshedji joined his father in Bombay at the age of 14 and enrolled at the Elphinstone College. He was married to Hirabai Daboo while he was still a student. He graduated from college in 1858 and joined his father's trading firm. The future business tycoon got married at the tender age of sixteen to the ten year old Hirabai Daboo. They would later have a daughter, who died at the age of twelve, and two sons, Sir Dorabij Jamsetji and Ratan Jamsetji.
Education
Jamshedji joined his father in Bombay at the age of 14 and enrolled at the Elphinstone College. He was only 19 when he completed his education.
Career
Though Jamestji Tata started off working ever since he was 14, his real contribution came only after he had graduated in 1858. He became actively involved in his father's export business at a time when the business scenario in India was far from prosperous. Jamsetji worked in his father's company until he was 29. In 1868, he started a trading company with a seed capital of Rs. 21,000. Nusserwanji Tata sent his son on a trip to Hong Kong in 1859 to expand his business interests there, a work that Jamsetji Tata completed successfully. he establishment of the new Tata & Co. office in Hong Kong was the beginning of the expansion of the Tata empire throughout Asia and the first step towards the creation of Tata & Sons. By the year 1863, there were Tata offices not only in Hong Kong, but also in Japan and China. He set up another cotton mill at Nagpur in 1874 - The Empress Mill that also brought Jamsetji Tata huge amounts of money.
Amongst the various projects that Jamsetji had initiated but could not survive to bear the fruits of its success were the hydroelectric power plant project .
Views
Quotations:
"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."