Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata was an Indian businessman and leading industrialist who contributed significantly to the growth of the Tata Group. He was a partner in Tata Sons and one of the directors of Tata Steel who kept its operations stable in difficult times. People still remember him as the proud father of JRD Tata.
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Wiki/Biography
Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (RD Tata) was born in 1856 (age 70 at the time of death) in Navsari, Gujarat. He was the first cousin of Jamsetji Tata, the founder of the Tata Group. He did his schooling from the Cathedral and John Connon School, Bombay and graduated from Elphinstone College, Bombay. After completing his graduation, he went to Madras to take a course in agriculture.
Family
Ratanji Dadabhai Tata belonged to a family of Parsi priests.
parents and siblings
He was the son of Dadabhai Kawasji and Bhikhibhai Tata and had no siblings.
wife and children
RD Tata with wife and son JRD Tata
Ratanji got married to a Parsi girl at an early age. He died soon after the marriage, and the couple had no children. Later, RD Tata went on a business trip to Paris, and that’s when he fell in love with Suzanne (Sunny) Briere. They dated each other for some time before marrying each other in 1902. She was a French woman and after their marriage the couple spent most of their time in France. They had five children, Rodabeh, Jahangir, Jimmy, Silla and Dorab. He was also a great father and once wrote a letter to JRD Tata to give him some valuable life lessons.
A letter written by RD Tata giving advice to his son JRD Tata
livelihood
He joined his father’s firm, Tata & Company, and was sent to Hong Kong, China to conduct the opium trade (legal at the time) in China for Tata & Company. He worked for this firm even after his father’s death in 1876. In 1883, he took full charge of the operations of this firm and demonstrated his ability by bringing it back to stability. In 1884 Jamsetji was impressed by the work of RD Tata and asked him to join Empress Mills.
RD Tata with Jamsetji Tata, Ratanji Tata and Dorabji Tata.
Express Mills was headed by Sir Bezonji Dadabhoy Mehta, who looked after the managerial and technical aspects and RD Tata, who looked after the financial aspects of the mill. At that time he was given the task of starting a ginning factory in Yavatmal along with Dorabji Tata. He also got the charge of handling the finances of Swadeshi Mills, which was not performing well. He worked with Dorabji Tata to improve its condition. Later RD Tata took over Tata & Company and moved to Hong Kong to work for its success. He proved his ability by opening new branches dealing in silk and rice in Kobe and Shanghai. He further expanded the business and opened branches in New York and Paris, trading in silk and pearls. After the death of Jamsetji Tata, RD continued to participate in the functioning of Tata & Sons. He supported Jamshedji’s sons and played an important role in the establishment of the Tata Steel Company in Jamshedpur. In 1907, Tata & Co., also operating in Hong Kong, was merged into Tata & Sons and the enterprise was renamed Tata Sons & Co. This company supplied steel for the First World War. Right after this war, Tata Steel went through a crisis when steel from Belgium and Britain started being dumped into India. Along with other directors of the Tata Group, RD Tata took over the situation to protect the business from potential losses. In 1917, the company was renamed Tata Sons Limited. In the later years of his life, RD Tata looked after the business and financial side of the business from his head office in Bombay. He played an important role in realizing Jamsetji’s dreams of hydropower scheme, iron and steel project and establishment of research universities. During the war he handled various aspects of the firm. He also helped the House of Tata come out of its most critical financial phase after the First World War. Due to his contribution in such difficult times, he is still remembered as a great industrialist in Indian history.
Contribution to Indian Industry
RD Tata was a member of the Imperial Legislative Council which provided protection to the iron and steel industry. He had an association with Japan since 1890 and this association helped him develop Indo-Japanese trade relations.
Respect
- RD Tata was awarded the highest honor of the third Order of the Rising Sun by the Emperor of Japan.
Death
RD Tata died on August 26, 1926 in Hardelot, France.
Facts/General Knowledge
- RD started his career working for a loss-making enterprise.
- He married twice and his first wife was a Parsi while the second was French.
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Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn