Monday, March 06, 2006

A 100 Years of Trust

I sometimes wonder at the Tatas.

Yeah, those pioneers of the modern Indian industry, a fine line of illustrious folks who contributed and still contribute to India's growth like no other, one of the few family names which might ring a bell in just about any corner of India.
My knowledge of the Tatas is restricted to just a few books I've read and a couple of documentaries I've seen. But the general impression I take away each time is that of shrewd business folk having a human face, pragmatic people but with a vision for the future, filthy rich but philanthropic, and their integrity always remains a recurrent theme. I got my hands on this book recently and it only serves to extol these virtues further. Now I do understand these accounts are meant to celebrate their achievements, and Iam pretty confident that the big guns of the Tata clan, be it Jamshetji, Naval or JRD, had their human failings, but their remarkable story does make for some fascinating reading.

I sometimes wonder how it would have been to be born into the Tata family anytime in the last 100 years....

I might have been dropped off at school in a Rolls-Royce and felt embarassed about it.

I might have been regularly exposed to Western, Mid-Eastern and Far-Eastern cultures at a time when it was considered an accomplishment if you moved across states.

I might have been among the first in the world to take to the skies.

I might have had that much more understanding and respect for education.

I might have had a much better grasp on the idea of India than I actually do now. I could have been actively involved in the early days of the INC, in the bloody partition, in the framing of the Bombay Plan, in the crisis that was the Emergency....


I sometimes get gooseflesh just going through these records. The contributions of the Tatas are immense, and virtually cut across all spheres of human activity. It's like they lived their lives to the brim, and overflowing...and I feel small, very small in comparison.
But heck, Iam in a Tata organisation myself...and in the blue-eyed, fastest growing sector at that! Isn't this a great opportunity for me? Can't I try and emulate these illustrious folks? At least, I do have a precedent. Can't I go ahead and make a difference to the country? Sure, why not! Maybe it's time I stepped out and did something really worthwhile with my life! Maybe it's...


"Jonas, documentation done yet? "...

I look at my half-complete work for the day. Pages and pages of code review. And pages and pages to follow. Iam weary just by the thought of it.

"Yeah, should be done in a couple of hours..."


The Tatas can rest in peace.

12 Comments:

Blogger Murali Krishna A V said...

Tatas are truly the face of Indian Industry.Automobiles to Computers to steel to Finance and Philanthropy.. Tata group has touched every walk of a mans life.India needs many more Tatas to become a developed nation.
btw is it the 100 th year of Tata group.
"Murali.....Its 11 o Clock da....Go to bed....You need to get back to ur cubicle tommorow on time " says Mohan here :-) :-)

11:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

good read...
k...k.. u work for a really good company...lol...
r u tyring to get a promotion.. because u surely are "playing the flute" well...lol...

10:34 PM  
Blogger Jonas said...

@murali, hey, long time, Mohan no see! Why dont we all meet up sometime?...and well, 2004 was the birth centenary for both JRD and Naval, so that's a good enough excuse, I guess... :-)

@anon, well, if Iam 'playing the flute', no one seems to be listening...unless you happen to be my PL in disguise... :-D

12:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey
sorry i didnt put my name on the previous message..
my boss and i always talke about playing the flute.. so i asked him one day.. what if ur boss is a lady.. he says then " you would be eating the taco"...lol

thanks
Abhishek Krishnan

12:35 AM  
Blogger Serendipity said...

The Tatas can now truely rest in peace:D

12:52 PM  
Blogger Jonas said...

@serendipity, yup, may God bless their souls! :-)

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