Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, born on 3 March 1839, was an Indian pioneer industrialist
who founded the Tata Group, India's biggest conglomerate company. Named the
greatest philanthropist of the century by several polls and ranking lists, he
also established the city of Jamshedpur. Jamshedji Tata is regarded as the
legendary "Father of Indian Industry". He was so influential in the
world of industry that Jawaharlal Nehru referred to Tata as a One-Man Planning
Commission. "When you have to give the lead in action, in ideas – a lead
which does not fit in with the very climate of opinion – that is true courage,
physical or mental or spiritual, call it what you like, and it is this type of
courage and vision that Jamshedji Tata showed. It is right that we should
honour his memory and remember him as one of the big founders of modern
India." —Jawaharlal Nehru. Tata, who in his early life was a merchant,
went on to change the business world of India through his many ventures within
the cotton and pig iron industry, and is known as one of the most important builders
of the modern Indian economy. Out of his many achievements, Tata is
particularly notable for the Tata Iron and Steel Works company in Jamshedpur. Tata
was ranked first in the "Hurun Philanthropists of the Century" (2021)
by total donations of nearly $102.4 billion with the start of his key
endowments way back in 1892.
