Dorabji Tata (1859-1932) was an Indian industrialist and businessman. He is a philanthropist, sports enthusiast and entrepreneur who has driven significant growth in the Tata Group. He was a pioneer who was knighted for his commercial achievements in British India. He established the country’s first steel plant in Nagpur and the first hydroelectric power station in Nagpur. After the death of his wife, he was devastated and died on June 3, 1932 in Bad Kissingen, Germany.
Wiki/Biography
Sir Dorabji Tata was born in British India on Saturday, August 27, 1859 (age 72; died). He received his primary education at a private high school in Bombay (now Mumbai). In 1875, he was sent to Kent, England, to study under a private tutor. Two years later, in 1877, he was sent to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. It was while he was in England that he discovered his love for sport. He was a sports enthusiast and won many trophies and awards in cricket and football. He also excelled at tennis in college, was an expert rower and a skilled rider. In 1879, he returned to Bombay, India. In 1882, he entered St. Xavier’s College and received a Bachelor of Arts degree.
family and race
Dorabji belonged to a Parsi Zoroastrian family.
Parents and siblings
He was the eldest son of Jamsetji and Hirabai Tata. His father is a famous businessman and the founder of the Tata Group, and his mother is a housewife. He has a sister named Dhunbai Tata and a younger brother named Ratanji Tata.
wife and children
Dorabji Tata and wife Meherbai
At the age of 38, he married the beautiful Meherbai Bhabha, daughter of former Mysore State Director of Education HJ Bhabha. His father chose her and the two entered into an arranged marriage. Meherbai and Dorabji Tata are a happy couple with no children.
Mehbhai and Dorabji Tata wedding photos
genealogy
Tatas family tree
Click here to know more about the Tatas.
Profession
After graduation, his father Jamsetji encouraged him to gain experience in journalism. Following his father’s advice, he started working as a reporter for the Bombay Gazette newspaper. Later, his father gave him a chance to prove himself commercially by allowing him to set up a textile project in Pondicherry. Having achieved this, he was sent to Nagpur, India, to look after the Queen’s Mill. Jamshetji had three dreams that he wanted his sons to realize. These three dreams are:
- Set up Indian Institute of Science to educate future generations of India
- Build a hydroelectric power plant
Dorabji Tata and his brother Ratanji Tata decided to realize their father’s dream and devote their lives to the development of the Tata Group.
Dorabji Tata with father Jamsetji Tata and brother Ratan Tata
He laid the foundation of Tata Steel in 1907, then Tata Steel Limited (TISCO). He invested in every detail of the enterprise and accompanied scientists and researchers to the mines where iron was discovered, leaving no trace behind. A portion of the land that was not affected. With his intelligence and business acumen, he survived the major business crisis that emerged after World War I. The situation became so dire that TISCO did not have enough money to pay its workers.
Early days of Tata Steel
It was then that Dorabji Tata bet all his wealth to secure Rs. 1 Crore Loan. With this loan investment and the support of future leaders of India and Pakistan, Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, he weathered the crisis. At the time of his father’s death, the Tata Group owned three textile mills and one hotel (the Taj Mahal Hotel) in Mumbai. Under the leadership of Sir Dorabji Tata, the company diversified into multiple divisions. These included a steel plant, which was the largest industrial unit during the British rule. He founded three power companies, a large edible oil and soap company, an aviation division, a leading insurance company and two cement companies. Sir Dorabji once said,
To my father, the acquisition of wealth was only a secondary goal in life; it was always subordinated to the desire in his heart to continually improve the industrial and intellectual condition of the people of this country…A gracious fate…allowed me to help accomplish his mission of serving the country. An immeasurable legacy. ”
a great philanthropist
Like his father, he has a kind heart for all employees and has introduced accident compensation, maternity leave, 8-hour work system, free medical assistance, provident fund and other measures for all employees. He has invested heavily in disaster relief, learning and research, education, and other corporate social responsibility activities. He also donated substantial funds to the University of Cambridge and the Oriental Institute to establish a chair for Sanskrit studies. With his love for sports, he sponsored two wrestlers and four athletes to compete in the 1920 Antwerp Olympics. He also made significant contributions to the Indian Olympic movement by becoming the Chairman of the Indian Olympic Council. In 1924, he sponsored Indian athletes to participate in the Paris Olympics. After his wife’s death, Dorabji invested in the Lady Tata Memorial Trust for research into blood diseases. He is believed to have invested his entire wealth into the trust, which was later named the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. He also provided initial funding for India’s scientific and engineering research institution, the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
interest in sports
Dorabji Tata at sporting events
Sir Dorabji has a keen interest in sports and has been an outstanding athlete since childhood. He was an excellent tennis player, expert rower and rider, and won honors in cricket and football.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
In 1910, he was knighted by King Edward VII for his services to British Indian industry.
die
In 1931, Sir Dorabji Tata fell into grief when his wife died of leukemia. He died a year later, on June 3, 1932, in Bad Kissingen, Germany, and was buried next to his wife Mehbai at Brookwood Cemetery in Woking, England.
Facts/Trivia
- Tata Steel in Dorabji supplied 290,000 tons of steel to Britain during World War I, when the British government renamed Sakhi Jamshedpur.
- Dorabji Tata started his career as a reporter for Bombay Gazette.
- In the 1920s, Taigang encountered a serious market crisis, and he desperately tried to save Taigang.
- In 1910, he provided Mumbai with clean and cheap energy through hydroelectric power, decades before the concept of clean energy became popular.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education