Sir Ratanji Tata (1871 – 1918) was an Indian industrialist. He was a philanthropist and art connoisseur who carried on the Tata legacy after his father Jamsetji Tata. He was a great man who took great initiatives in human welfare and donated generously to national and international causes. He was a patriot and nationalist like his father, who contributed to the development of the country.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Ratanji Tata was born on Friday, 20 January 1871 (aged 47 at the time of death) in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. His early life was spent in Bombay, where he lived surrounded by luxury. He graduated from St. Xavier’s College, Bombay.
family and caste
Sir Ratanji Tata belonged to a Parsi family.
parents and siblings
He was born to Jamsetji Tata and Heerabai Dabboo. His father Jamsetji Tata was a revolutionary businessman who is also known as the Father of Indian Industry. Ratanji Tata was the second child of his parents and Sir Dorabji Tata was his elder brother.
wife and children
In 1892, Ratanji Tata was married to Nawazbai Set, daughter of Ardeshir Merwanji Set. The couple spent most of their time living in England. The couple had no children. After Ratanji’s death, Nawazbai adopted Naval Tata as per the family decision.
Ratanji Tata with his wife Nawazbai Tata
Ratanji died at the age of 41 and his wife Nawazbai Set was left alone to look after his estate. She remained his widow for the rest of her life and was famous as the chairperson of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust. She is still recognized for her remarkable philanthropic work for women and society.
family tree
Tata’s family tree
Click here to know more about the Tata family.
livelihood
Taking Tata’s legacy forward
In 1896, he started working as a partner for Tata & Sons. Jamsetji Tata died in 1904, which was a turning point in Ratanji Tata’s life. At the time, Tata Sons was the agent in India for L’Union Fire Insurance Company of Paris, and Ratanji took it over after his father’s death. He also took charge of Tata’s trading firm, Tata & Company, which traded in cotton, rice, cotton, pearls and silk. This trading firm had branches in many countries including Shanghai, Kobe, Rangoon, Paris and New York.
Ratanji Tata with his wife and family
In 1901, Ratanji Tata, along with his father and elder brother Sir Dorabji Tata, began work on India’s largest ironwork project. After Jamsetji’s death, Ratanji assisted his brother in the project and it finally came into existence on 26 August 1907. It was named Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited, which was later renamed Tata Steel Limited. Tata Steel has expanded into 26 countries across five continents and employs thousands of people.
a great philanthropist
Ratanji Tata is known for his philanthropic activities and his compassion and generosity towards those in need. Poverty, lack of education and hunger were the things that troubled him. He contributed £1,400 (approximately Rs 1,39,000) annually to the University of London for welfare activities and since then, the Sir Ratan Tata Foundation has been part of the London School of Economics (LSE).
He donated £1,400 to the University of London for research into solutions to poverty in India
In 1912, he offered financial help to establish a Department of Social Sciences at the LSE. This department was called Ratan Tata Department of Social Sciences till 1919. Ratanji had a great interest in India’s past, and financially supported archaeological excavations at Pataliputra from 1913 to 1917. This excavation unveiled the 100-pillared Maurya throne room of King Ashoka. Palace.
#DYK Sir Ratan Tata was so impressed by Indian history that he funded the first archaeological excavations at Pataliputra (modern Patna) between 1913–17? The result was the discovery of the legendary 100-pillared Maurya throne room. #rajaashokaPalace of. #thisistata pic.twitter.com/6o7PdWal8g
– Tata Group (@TataCompanies) 16 may 2018
Ratanji Tata’s love for art and artifacts led him to donate most of his art collection to the Prince of Wales Museum in Bombay. He was a soft-hearted businessman who never neglected to contribute to any cause. He donated generously to education, medical care and relief work done after natural disasters. He earned Rs. annually. Donated an amount of Rs. 10,000 and a sum of Rs.10,000 for ten years to the King George V Anti-Tuberculosis League. Rs 1 lakh to Salvation Army for the memorial.
Ratanji Tata and Mahatma Gandhi
Ratanji Tata was a patriot like his father and had supported Mahatma Gandhi in the non-cooperation movement in South Africa. Ratanji sent a check of Rs. Rs 25,000 was given to Gandhiji to help him run the non-cooperation movement to fight for the rights of Indians in South Africa. In response, Gandhi informed Gopal Krishna Gokhale in a cable and said,
Pray to thank Mr. Tata for his timely help. The suffering is great. The condition of prisoners is very difficult. Religious beliefs were disregarded. Ration is less. Prisoners carry slop-buckets; If refused, put on additional diet. Solitary confinement. Prominent Muslims, Hindus, Parsis are in jail.”
Gandhiji wrote in Indian Opinion published on 11 December 1909,
It is clear from the generous gifts of Shri Ratanji Jamsetji Tata that India has awakened. With his huge donation of Rs. 25,000 He has given a powerful impetus to our movement. Probably other Indians will also follow him.”
On 10 January 1910, Ratanji Tata wrote a letter to Gandhiji and sent another donation of Rs. 25,00o. In that letter he wrote,
I deeply appreciate the noble struggle being carried out by our countrymen and I am gratified to see that the initiative taken by me (donating Rs 25,000) is being followed up. I need not say that I will watch the progress of the struggle with great interest and sincerely hope that these brave efforts to vindicate and maintain the honor and dignity of the country will soon meet with the success they deserve. .
In Indian Opinion published on 17 December 1910, Gandhiji referred to Ratanji’s charity under the title Tata and Satyagrahi, writing,
By donating a further sum of Rs 25,000 to the Satyagraha campaign, Mr Ratan Tata has demonstrated that he has the utmost sympathy for us and fully appreciates its value. Including their earlier donations, a total of Rs 125,000 has been offered in India.”
Later on 10 August 1912, Gandhiji wrote about Ratanji’s third donation. Under the heading Generosity of Mr. Tata, Gandhiji wrote,
Mr. Ratan Tata has outdone himself. At the Sheriff’s meeting held in Bombay on August 31, 1912, it was announced that Mr. Tata had made a third contribution of Rs. 25,000 to the Transvaal Passive Resistance Fund. Therefore, the total amount given by Mr Tata is £5,000 – which in itself is a huge amount.”
Awards and Honors
- In 1916, Sir Ratanji Tata was knighted in England for his services to humanity.
Death
Sir Ratanji Tata went to England for his medical treatment in 1915. Two years later, on 5 September 1918, he died in St. Ives in Cornwall, England.
Facts/General Knowledge
- Sir Ratan Tata Trust, established by Ratanji Tata in 1919, is one of the oldest and most trusted grant-making organisations.
- Sir Ratan Tata and his wife loved art and collected many fine artworks for the new house they were building in Bombay.
- Sir Ratan Tata’s wife Nawazbai established an institute in the memory of Sir Ratanji Tata in 1926.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn