The Tata group is the only business conglomerate in India which has contributed several leaders of stature to public life. Their leadership and values have guided the destiny of the Group and built a heritage that has made the Tatas India's most respected corporate group.

The year 2004 is a special and momentous year for the Tata group. It marks the 100^th death anniversary of Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, the founder of the house of Tatas, as well as the 100^th birth anniversaries of JRD Tata and Naval Tata. All three have made significant contributions not only to the industrial development of the nation, but to its leading scientific, social and cultural institutions as well.

Over the past 100 years, the Tatas have invested in industries and worked in areas which have been of specific importance to nation building and industrial development. This has been done while upholding the values cherished by the group: innovation, leadership, trust and fair play. Therefore, this year has been designated by the group as the culmination of a Century of Trust.

In today's fiercely competitive times, the Tata group has shown that material goals can be achieved without abandoning belief in core values and principles. In a world where values such as commitment, integrity and nationalism are eroding, the Tata group is a sparkling example of how they continue to be the guiding principles of all its endeavours.

As part of the Century of Trust initiative, the Tata group has launched a host of initiatives:

• In December 2003, the Tata group released a special diary through group company Tata Steel, commemorating the founder of the group, Jamsetji Tata.
• In January 2004, it participated in an exhibition, organised by the Indian Science Congress in Chandigarh, where a special pavilion on JRD Tata and Homi Bhabha was set up.
• In February 2004, the Tata group conducted the Naval Tata Memorial hockey test series between India and Holland to focus public attention on Naval Tata's contribution to the development of the game.
• Following the event, individual purses of Rs1 lakh each were distributed to the 11 living captains of past Indian Olympic hockey teams, as well as three former employees of the Tata group who had played for India in those teams.
• A special issue of Tata Review, the group's house publication, was published. Titled Lasting Legacies, it memorably depicted the role of the three giants in building the group.
• A special commemorative advertisement marking the death anniversary of Jamsetji Tata was released on May 19, 2004.
• TR Doongaji, managing director, Tata Services, delivered an insightful and inspiring talk on the group – called 'Glimpses of the Tatas' – at a number of management institutions and engineering colleges across the country.
• The Tata group organised a function at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, an institution that was very close to Jamsetji Tata's heart, on July 23, 2004. The President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam, graced the occasion and delivered a keynote address to an invited audience of faculty, students and corporate / government leaders from the city of Bangalore. This was followed by the launch of a new book on Jamsetji Tata by RM Lala, titled For the Love of India.
• The Group set up a Century of Trust exhibition that narrated the story of the House of Tatas, in the context of the key events in Indian history over the last 120 years. The exhibition, which was inaugurated in Bangalore on July 23, 2004 by President Kalam, later travelled from Bangalore to Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata and Jamshedpur.
• Tata Crucible – The Business Quiz was conducted on two tracks: one for Tata group employees and the other for the corporate world at large. It was held in Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. The grand finale of the quiz was held in Mumbai on August 1, 2004.