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Candida
Moraes
The radiance of his intellect overshadows
Dr Amit Chatterjee's impressive book-lined office in
Jamshedpur. An international authority on metallurgy
and adviser to the MD of Tata Steel, he is a true embodiment
of the qualities that define the company
As a young boy, Dr Amit Chatterjee
was mesmerised by the pink and orange brilliance visible
around the Tata Steel plant in Jamshedpur. Although
his father did not work there, his parents had many
friends who were either directly or indirectly connected
with the company. Steel is in my genes,” says Chatterjee
with a broad smile. “It would have been an anomaly
if I had taken up another profession.”
Dr Chatterjee studied metallurgy
at Banaras Hindu University and did
his PhD from the Imperial College, London in 1970. He
joined Thyssen in Germany, and would return to Jamshedpur
during his vacations. It was on one such holiday that
Dr Chatterjee went for an interview arranged by S Viswanathan,
general superintendent, who was also from Imperial College
and keen that a Jamshedpur boy stay on in Jamshedpur.
Dr Chatterjee made an impression on the then joint managing
director Russi Mody and the rest, as they say, is history.
It was the beginning of a fantastic journey.
A major part of his career at
Tata Steel has been in the R&D division. Dr Chatterjee
developed the first indigenous coal-based direct reduction
technology, and was the founder-managing director of
what is now called Tata Sponge Iron, a plant based on
his pioneering work during his tenure in the R&D
division.
In recognition of his outstanding
work on coal-based direct reduction and oxygen steel
making (with which he was associated during his PhD
work and at Thyssen) he was awarded the Doctor of Science
(Eng) degree by the London University in 1988. He is
one of the few recipients of this unique honour in India.
He was also awarded a fellowship from the prestigious
Imperial College, London, in 2005.
But these awards and honours
do not hold as great a place in his heart as his feelings
for Tata Steel. The company has always encouraged him,
taken pride in his achievements and been his support
system in his personal life. It was Tata Steel that
put the steel in him, he says.
He was diagnosed with multiple
sclerosis in the early 1980s, but was not aware of the
implications of the disease. It was only when Tata Steel
sent him to England for further treatment that he came
to know the depressing prognosis.
Not a man to be easily defeated,
he faced things head on, with immense courage and perseverance.
Over the next few years, his mobility gradually deteriorated.
But that did not slow him down. He is appreciative of
the help extended by the company.
“Tata Steel has done a lot
in terms of enabling me to live with my disability,”
he acknowledges. “I remember when I was being sent
to Brazil, I had to tell the company that I could not
go, because I needed to be accompanied by my wife and
could not afford her airfare,” he says candidly.
Dr JJ Irani, who was then managing director, immediately
made provisions for Dr Chatterjee’s wife to accompany
him wherever he travelled, all expenses of which were
borne by Tata Steel. Mr Muthuraman has ensured that
the arrangement continues even today.
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And it’s not just about
providing access to make his movement around the office
and plant easier, or the fact that he has been given
a big office space on the ground floor. Getting special
privileges is not what makes Chatterjee a passionate
Tata Steel man: “What I will always appreciate
is the fact that Tata Steel respects my knowledge and
treats me as an equal, not a disabled person who needs
‘special treatment’. If I make a mistake,
I get corrected. If I do well, I am praised, just like
any other employee.” He adds, with sincere gratitude:
“Mr Ratan Tata has personally expressed his empathy
in all his dealings with me.”
His love and respect for the
company is apparent in the way Dr Chatterjee talks about
his involvement with Tata Steel. “It is one of
the more democratic organisations. What is impressive
and noteworthy is that youngsters are included in decision-making.
The company is willing to listen if you have something
to say, irrespective of your designation or position.
You have to knock on the right door and keep knocking
till someone hears you; and believe me someone will.
And if what you say is in the right spirit, it shall
be done at Tata Steel.”
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There is perhaps only one rival
to his love for Tata Steel, and that is his passion
for Jamshedpur. “I was born here and except for
the few years that I went abroad to study and work,
have always lived here.” He is saddened by the
fact that most people in Tata Steel today are not true
Jamshedpurians. “There are very few of us today
who know the difference between life then and now. Very
few people who live here now know what a beautiful,
serene, small town it used to be, with everyone knowing
everyone else.”
Another fond memory revolves
around the Founder’s Day celebrations. As a child,
Dr Chatterjee would wear shorts and a half-sleeve shirt
and march with his classmates at dawn from Loyola school
to the Founder’s statue and back. At the end of
this hour-long walk, they would be rewarded with ten
sweets. “We used to yearn for those sweets,”
he laughs. They would also be delighted with the sight
of the fireworks, which were held regularly around the
Barakuda Lake (now a part of Jubilee Park).
Even after travelling all over
the world, Jamshedpur remains his favourite place, a
city which he is proud to call home. He has received
offers from other companies but says, “I’ll
never take them up because I can’t take Jamshedpur
along.”
Dr Chatterjee believes that only
Tata Steel offers what he calls ‘the-womb-to-tomb-care’.
“Where else can you get such care in India?”
he asks. “It’s not just Tata Steel’s
management and the union but also largely because of
Jamshedpur that Tata Steel has had a wonderful track
record in terms of profits, ability to retain professionals,
etc. It is not just the physical aspect of things that
have been done for me, but the very mindset that prevails
here. Having spent 35 years in this company, I can feel
the sensibility,” he declares proudly.
It’s hard to argue with
that sentiment. His attachment to Tata Steel and to
Jamshedpur is something rare in today’s world where
loyalty has given way to commercial interests.
Uploaded
in August, 2007
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