The aviator
Business World — March 21, 2005

Think JRD and the picture that comes to mind is of an industrialist with a large heart, a man of integrity and vision. JEH: A LIFE OF J.R.D. TATA by Bakhtiar K.Dadabhoy (publisher: Rupa) reinforces the image — without in the least being eulogistic. If anything, after reading the book, one more image gets indelibly etched in one's mind — that of JRD as an aviator par excellence.

A large chunk of this 165-page book is on JRD's love for flying and his foray into aviation. Though he got seriously hooked at the age of 15 when he went on a joyride on a Louis Bleriot flight, JRD claims that his craze for flying can be traced back to the time he was five and saw the World War I planes zipping about above Paris. The whole saga of how Tata Airlines (now Air- India) was born makes for fascinating reading. Initially, the Tatas had planned to have seaplanes between two ports, but high capital and operating costs ended those plans. After, dilly-dallying by the government, the Tatas finally got approval for an air-mail service. In 1932, the first Tata Airlines flight plied between Karachi and Madras — the pilot, a 28-year-old JRD.

Pictures are a strong point of the book . Sourced from the Tata Central Archives in Pune and from the personal collection of Air Vice Marshal Erach Lal, they capture evocative moments from JRD's life. The close bond he shared with sister Sylla, for instance, comes through strongly. There's also the picture of JRD looking at his watch after the Inaugural Delhi-Bombay flight, and apologising for landing a minute early ! Given JRD's inspiring personality and the way he strengthened the business empire founded by his father's cousin, Jamsetji Nusserwanji (current group chairman Ratan is the great grandson of the founder), it would have been tempting to write reams on him. This book's other strength, however, is its brevity.