J.R.D. Tata: The fountainhead

Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata was not just a business titan. The institutions he established, from hospitals and research facilities to art foundations, have shaped the fabric of modern India

Jeh’s life was a true embodiment of the trajectory of India in the 20th century. Only a few human beings can be the carriers of the spirit of their times—in fact, not only the carriers, but also the makers of the spirit of their times. He was born into an extraordinary family, but what he made of it transformed it into one of the true bulwarks of India. On the one hand, his family founded and ran the widest possible array of successful businesses, and on the other, some of the most important institutions at the core of the development of this country. The Indian Institute of Science, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, the National Centre for Performing Arts and the Tata Memorial Hospital are just a few amongst the best-known ones. If you travel around India, you will find institutions and civil society organisations, small and large, which grew from the philanthropic spirit that Jeh seeded. The businesses that he founded, from TCS to Titan, continue to be models of success.