Corporate philanthropy is usually associated with social and community welfare; however, for the Tata Group, contributing to the development of sport in India is an integral part of their philanthropic activity. "Sport is an important segment as national pride is involved. The best way to build national pride is to promote sport," says Romit Chaterji, vice-president (corporate affairs), Tata Services Ltd.

The Tata Group's commitment to sport can be traced back to Jamsetji Tata's time. As far back as 1902, in a letter to his son regarding the establishment of his dream-town, Jamsetji clearly specified, 'be sure that there is plenty of space for lawns and gardens. Reserve large areas for football, hockey and parks'. This took a more concrete form in 1920, when Dorab Tata funded the Indian team that represented the country in the Antwerp Olympics, through his own personal resources.

Tata Group's dedication to the evolution of sport in India is reflected in several activities and projects. Moreover, over the years, the Tata's have promoted a wide range of sports, spanning the more popular such as cricket, hockey, football to tennis, volleyball, boxing, power-lifting, athletics, badminton, table-tennis, basketball and also less mainstream sports like judo, chess, bridge and archery.

The Tata Sports Club was established in Bombay in 1937 with the objective of helping India win honours by giving budding sportsmen a chance to flourish. In the earlier days a career in sports was not as remunerative as it is today and job security was imperative for any sportsman, this used to prevent them from realising their potential.

The Tata Sports Club has allowed several sportsmen to pursue their talent by rendering more than just financial support to them; it gives them the necessary encouragement, training and exposure, provides them with their kit and takes care of their dietary requirements. "The sports club has now become a brand in its own right.

Many Tata Sports personalities have excelled in several fields and have represented the country," says T.R. Doongaji, managing director, Tata Services Ltd, and chairman of the managing committee of Tata Sports Club. The Tata Group has helped over a hundred sportsmen in India to flourish. These include 35 Olympians, eight Commonwealth Games winners, 47 Asian Games winners, six world champions and 20 test cricketers, six Padma Shree awardees and 39 Arjuna Award winners.

Four Indian cricket captains have also been Tata Men. Nari Contractor was an employee of Tata Engineering, Dilip Vengsarkar of Tata Power, and Saurav Ganguly and Ravi Shastri of Tata Steel. Currently, Tata supports India's only Formula 1 hopeful - Narain Karthikeyan, who will be racing in the Telephonica Super Nissan World Series. According to Doongaji, there are four pillars on which the Tata Sports Club rests, commitment to the nation and society; commitment to unleashing individual potential; commitment to supporting the cause of sports and commitment to character.

The Tata Sports Club has an approximate annual budget of Rs30 lakh. However, this merely includes the cost of running it and promoting various games. The various companies - TISCO, Tata Power, Tata Engineering, etc, support the sportsmen on their respective payrolls. The establishment of The Tata Football Academy (TFA) in Jamshedpur in 1987 represented a new phase in Indian Football. Its infrastructure is geared for selecting and training potential football players from across India in the most scientific manner.

Selected candidates, between 14-15 years old, are trained to match international standards. TFA enrolls 25-30 candidates a year and provides them with a complete support system - fulfilling their education, housing, nutrition, health and coaching requirements. Currently, half of India's National Football Team are products of TFA.

Jamshedpur is the Tata Group's sports capital and they have equipped it with state-of-the-art infrastructure, including the JRD rata sports complex with a seating capacity of 40,000, as well as international standard football and hockey grounds and an eight-lane Tartan athletic track. It also has facilities for archery, basketball, tennis, boxing, golf and volleyball. These facilities for sport and recreation have played a pivotal role in raising the standard of living in this town.

Apart from TFA, Jamshedpur is also home to the Tata Archery Academy (TAA), which is run on similar lines as the Football Academy and was set up primarily to provide an opportunity for regional tribal people with archery skills. The Tata Group as a whole does not allocate a fixed amount to be spent on sport.

Each individual Tata -company determines its own budget for promoting sport. Tata Steel has a history of involvement with sport and it tends to have the most systematic and coordinated approach to facilitating the development of sport in India. In the last 10 years, the Tata Steel Sports Foundation has spent Rs 6.5 crore in supporting individuals and associations. Rs 5.5 crore of this has been spent on the Tata Football Academy. It renders support to even small and localised clubs such as the East Singhbhum district chess association.

TISCO has also set up the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, which conducts sport such as rock-climbing, river-rafting and para-sailing. The Adventure foundation was established mainly to encourage women to pursue outdoor sports, and Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to scale Mount Everest, is currently in charge of it. Tata Group's commitment to sport goes beyond supporting prominent sports personalities.

They firmly believe in creating opportunities and facilities for the average individual. As a result of this they have contributed towards several parks and stadiums. For example, Colaba Woods in Mumbai is a creation of Tata Power. Over the years the Tata Group has sponsored several tournaments and teams, with the aim of raising the standard of sport in the country. In 1984 Russi Mody, then chairman of Tata Steel, brought Super Soccer to India. In 2002, the Tata Group spent approximately Rs l crore in supporting the National Football League.

It also sponsored the National Judo finals and the inter-offices bridge tournament in the same year. The most recent sporting event to be sponsored by the Tata Group was the Tata Open, an ATP tennis tournament, which took place between 30 December 2002 and 5 Jan 2003. They sponsored this event in 2001 as well and are committed to it till 2004. It is the only ATP tournament in India and one of six of its kind in Asia.

"We want India's tennis enthusiasts to see the world's best tennis live," explains Chaterji. Though acclaimed Australian tennis star Mark Phillipousis was a favourite for winning the tournament, Paradorn Srichaphan from Thailand won and the first runner-up was Karol Kucera from Slovakia. The total prize money for the tournament was $400,000 and the Tata Group spent approximately Rs9 crore on this event.

In pursuance of its effort to contribute to the development of sport in India, the Tata Group is co-sponsoring an event with en on 21 January 2003. The theme is the role of corporates in promoting sports in India'. Case studies of companies that have contributed to sport will be presented at the event.

One example is the MRF pace Foundation, which has been set up to promote Indian fast bowlers. Australian pace bowler Dennis Lilly trains the members of this foundation every year. The event might include a panel discussion on the subject 'why only cricket?' Participants will discuss why cricket is the only sport where money is being pumped into by corporates. "Indians do have a great tradition of sports - billiards, chess, and football should be developed as well," says Chaterji.

To the Tata Group, sports isn't just a form of recreation, it is also a strong way to inculcate the core values of the company - energy, integrity, passion and teamwork. According to Doongaji, "In terms of variety, depth and magnitude there is no parallel to Tata in the area of sports promotion".