Naval Hormusji Tata

Naval Tata was born in August 1904. It was the year when Jamshedji Tata died. Luck played a big part in the destiny of Naval Tata. His father Hormusji Tata died when Naval was yet a youngster. Naval fell on bad days. Pecuniary forced him to carry on his education with the help provided by an orphanage. But the fate had a different script for his future. He would no more be orphan even after losing father. Mrs. Navazbai Tata, the widow of Sir Ratan Tata adopted him as her and her late husband’s son. Naval was only 13 years old and had become heir of Sir Ratan Tata.
About Tata family, here it is imperative to reveal that where on one hand, Navazbai Tata was adopting Naval as her son and on the other hand Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhai (famously known as J.R.D.) Tata as a heir to the cousin brother of Jamshedji (Ratanji Dadabhai Tata) was already in Tata Industrial House. J.R.D. Tata is another legend that Tata family spawned. But here we will take Naval Tata saga and then J.R.D. story in the following chapter.
But it is a strange coincidence that in 1904 Jamshedji Tata died, and in the same year Naval Tata and J.R.D. Tata were born. Naval and J.R.D. carried Tata Industrial House to a new plane. The two worked like possessed persons to push forward Tata enterprises. But the two were totally different personalities. J.R.D. was a very reserved person but Naval was very social and friendly to all. J.R.D. would wear pride on his face but Naval was a smiling face with ingratiating manners.

Naval Tata thought that man was not free of weaknesses and faults. A man must accept with
natural ease the ups and downs of life. He believed every human came to this world with some purpose besides his life. He had seen poverty in his early life, and so, he was naturally sympathetic to the poor people. No one can forget his childhood irrespective of its being happy one or full of woes. Naval had once admitted, ‘I am thankful to God for giving me a chance to feel the pain of poverty. It gave better shape to my character.’
It was irony of fate that once it dumped Naval on the heap of rubbish and then transferred him into the golden pool of riches. The successes he gained after that lucky break were the fruits of his own labour. From Mumbai University he graduated and went to England and gained proficiency in accountancy. He came back in 1930 and joined Tata Group. Three years later he became secretary of the Air Services Wing. In 1939 Naval Tata was promoted as managing director of Tata Textiles group and a director of Tata Sons in 1941. His capabilities and talent got him another elevation to the seat of Chairman of the Tata Electric Companies (now Tata Power). Naval Tata became deputy chairman of Tata Sons in 1962.
Besides Tata business Naval Tata was involved in in charitable activities and social concerns. As the chairman of the ‘Sir Ratan Tata Trust’ he started his services in 1965 and continued till his death. He served as the Chairman of Indian Cancer Society from 1951 to 1989. Besides the above his other activities are outlined as the following.
❑ As a sports administrator he displayed his astute capabilities. From 1946 to 1961 Naval Tata served as the President of Indian Hocky Federation.
❑ Naval Tata also served as the first Chairman of Indian Council for Sports. As Vice-chairman of International Hockey Federation he also functioned. For more than a decade he served in the governing bodies of various sports.
❑ Naval Tata rendered his cooperation in activities beyond the call of his business duties. He made useful contribution to labour relations with rare dedication. To narrow the differences between the workers and owners or managements of the industries he worked in a number of national and international organisations for four long decades. It was the period when the relations between the worker unions and managements in India had worsened because of political manipulations and economic equations. By nature Naval Tata was honest and he sincerely wanted to solve the problems of the workers. He used to clearly explain his stand according to the changing situations and earnestly considered various alternatives and options to fnd a solution.
❑ In 1946 Naval got an opportunity to represent Indian Textile industry in International Labour Organisation. He chaired the ILO conference at Geneva and impressed everyone. That earned him membership of Governing council of I.L.O. from 1951 to 1989 he remained its member.
❑ The credit for establishment of National Institute of Labour Management goes to Naval Tata. Now this body is known as National Institute of Personal Management. He remained its president from 1951 to 1980.
❑ Politics was responsible for worsening labour atmosphere in India. Then government under influence of the socialist ideology considered all industrialists to be exploiters. This arbitrary thinking encouraged trade unions. As a result differences between the industrialists and the labour increased. Naval Tata tried to narrow this gap and applied balm on bruised relationships. Naval tried to offer impartial and just suggestions to heal the wounds and improve the relationship. As an industrialist he saw himself as the trustee of the welfare of labour and its rights. He played remarkable role with that perspective. He paid extra attention to employees who were in the unorganised sector.
He displayed great dignity whenever he met someone as did J.R.D. Naval had not an iota of ego or arrogance. He used to mix up with his employees and workers with natural ease. Often he told tit-bits to the workers to ease them up and get closer to their hearts and minds.
Naval Tata would use jokes like following one :
Supervisor—’Where have you been during the working hours?’
Worker—’I had gone for a shave.’
Supervisor—’It is wrong to get a shave during work hours.’
Worker—’But sir, the beard grows during working hours too. It should stop growing during work hours.’
In this way he used to ingratiate himself to the employees and win their trust plus respect. Everyone liked his jolly nature.
❑ Indian Hockey Federation gained a lot by the abilities of Naval Tata. When he was the president of I.H.F. India won three olympic gold medals. In 1948 London Olympics Indian team’s participation had become doubtful due to financial constraints till the very last. Naval Tata met Jawaharlal Nehru, then prime minister of India and reasoned how India’s participation would enhance the standing of the country amongst the nations and bring glory to India. Then, Indian team’s way to London was cleared. But Olympic gold winning members of the Indian team faced neglect in the following years although they were the heroes of the nation. As a result, in 1952 Helsinki Olympics India won hockey gold but by a narrow margin of 1-0 against Pakistan. Then Nehru said to Naval Tata that they were going down. Naval Tata said they were not going down but others were coming up (because their players were getting due respect). It was sarcastic reply but very seriously true. Indirectly he told Nehru other countries were paying great attention to the game and their players while Indian players got step-motherly treatment.
❑ Because of Naval Tata, the sports club of Tatas gave a great support to Indian hockey for which R.S. Genteel and Leslie Claudius thanked him. Through Tata Sports club, Naval Tata helped Indian players and atheletes for 50 years.
❑ Naval Tata had worked up beautiful coordination between his love for sports, his responsibilities towards the labour problems and his primary duty to manage the Tata enterprises. Then, he took time from the three responsibilities and decided to make a foray into the politics. In 1971 Parliamentary elections, Naval Tata filed candidacy papers from South Mumbai as an independent. It was a triangular contest between the heavy weights, a trade unionist, George Fernandes, Congress stalwart, S.K. Patil (the constituency was his pocket burrow so far) and Naval Tata. George defeated S.K. Patil and Naval Tata to earn the epithat of the ‘giant killer’.
❑ This defeat mde Naval Tata realise that politics was not a game of honest people. Later, riding on the Indira wave a novice called N.N. Kailash defeated George Fernandes. Naval Tata too had run and again faced defeat. After this bitter experience he never again fought any political election.
❑ The people were more impressed with his electricity producing expertise than electioneering. As the chairman of Tata Electricity Co. (Tata Power) Naval Tata displayed his excellent credentials as a manager. What pained him was the delay that occured in pushing through this project and reforms due to bureaucratic dilly-dallying. He could effect only limited reforms. But still the consumers of the Tata Power appreciated his work, capability and services.
Naval Tata must be admired for his symbolic thinking as an industrialist of the Tata tradition. The thinking was acceptance of the fact that an industrialist must be aware of his responsibilities to the society, various communities and the nation as a whole. He demonstrated his commitment to the upliftment of the poor and the backwards. He never doubted the capabilities of the poor simply because they were poor, helpless and resourceless. Naval Tata firmly believed that all the peole had talent and potential and they must get their due opportunity.
While assessing the great ones of Tata family Naval Tata would get a special mention as the Tata who was loved most by the people and the employees plus workers of Tata enterprises. It is a great tribute to an industrialist.
Unfortunately marital life of Naval Tata was not very blissful or a success. He married Soono. Two sons she produced, Ratan and Jimmy. The Ratan Naval Tata here was the one who is the main subject of this book. He was born on December 28, 1937. Naval Tata and Soono Tata divorced. Then, the adopter mother of Naval Tata, Mrs. Navazbai Tata brought up both his sons, namely, Ratan Naval Tata and Jimmy Naval Tata.

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