Like a child, every enterprise in its formative stage requires careful nurturing, which eventually forms the ethical foundations supporting the entire edifice in years to come. Sumant Moolgaonkar undoubtedly was the visionary, mentor, and guide who not only laid the foundations of Telco (now Tata Motors) but also steered the company to become what it is now, a self-propelling engine of growth, showcasing India's best engineering prowess.

Surprisingly, for a man who remained at the helm of the country's most respected companies for four decades (1949-89), nothing much is known outside the house of Tata. Few outside the group know about his vision, his views, and style of functioning. Fifteen years after his death, noted economist D. R. Pendse took on himself the task of writing about him. And his efforts have culminated in Giants by Any Measures: Sumant Moolgaonkar and J.R.D.

The name, however, is a misnomer. To a large extent it deals with Sumant Moolgaonkar and JRD figures only insofar as he relates to Moolgaonkar. The author plans to dedicate another book to JRD. The book may not go down as a great work of art. Not a great book but a book about a great man — that would be an apt description. The author candidly confesses that there is not enough of "rigorous structuring" and it has been written as "thoughts came to me". 

Nevertheless, for all its shortcomings, the book does manage to capture quite a lot about "SM", as he was fondly called, and the various vignettes provide rare insights into the life of the professional. Besides being an account by an insider - Pendse worked as chief economist of the Tata group for over two decades, - the book contains a rare collection of letters written to and from SM. Quoting from one written by J.R.D. Tata in 1974, 

"As I think of what you have achieved during this quarter of a century, I feel that if the only thing I had ever done for the Tatas was to inveigle you into the firm; I would have earned my salary for the whole of my career with them. You have done more for Indian industry than anyone I have known in the 50 years I have been in business!" Other letters from Naval Tata, N.A. Palkhiwala, Ratan Tata, and Rustom Choksi depict the esteem enjoyed by SM in Bombay House and outside. 

Written in a simple and lucid style, in sharp contrast to what one would normally expect from an economist, the 100-page work is neither a biographical sketch of SM nor a history of the company. For the records, however, Tata Locomotive and Engineering Company Ltd, as it was called when incorporated in September 1945, faced enormous teething troubles and "was in a mess, with a single manufacturing base in Jamshedpur and a single nagging customer in the Indian Railways".

The shifting of base to the 800 acres of land at Pune, along with the many changes along the tumultuous history of the company, were but some of the landmark events authored by SM. "There is a big difference between running a factory and leading an important industry." Growth from within, a principle followed to the letter, saw Telco spur many ancillary entrepreneurs to set up firms in and around Chinchwad in Pune. SM in fact actually encouraged employees to leave Telco employment and start out on their own.

There are enough interesting details in the book to enlighten readers about Telco and how the Tatas used to operate in a closed economy. In one letter written by a close associate, he points out that Moolgaonkar had no ideological hangups. He was an able doer and insisted that anyone who set out on a mission must be given enough scope to pursue it. "Add value to your men and value-addition to your product will take care of itself." While a Padma Bhushan bestowed posthumously in January 1990 was the Government of India's appreciation of the work done by SM, the little book on him is in a way the adulation of a doting colleague.