Tata Steel renews societal commitment in 100th year
August 26, 2007

Tata Steel, Asia's first integrated steel plant, which was registered on August 26, 1907, turned 100 years old on August 26, 2007. The day was marked with celebrations by the employees of the company and the citizens of Jamshedpur, the city named after its founder — JN Tata.

Following the company's founding philosophy of serving the community that it operates in, B Muthuraman, managing director, announced two major social initiatives on the occasion of the centenary celebrations. The first project is the land and water management programme in association with Sir Ratan Tata Trust in the three states of Orissa, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh targeting more that 400 villages. The company already runs upliftment and welfare programmes in 700 villages in Jharkhand and Orissa. The second major initiative is in the field of education where Tata Steel will open schools for the children of tribal communities and scheduled caste families to provide education and train them to become self-reliant.

To mark this momentous day, a commemorative function was organised inside Tata Steel Works to pay tribute to the founder, which was attended by senior executives of Tata Steel and associate companies, Oo Soon Hee, president — NatSteel, Phillipe Varin, CEO of Corus, employees, retired employees of Tata Steel and citizens of Jamshedpur. A prayer service and an enactment called 'Passage of Time', which chronologically captured Tata Steel's 100 years journey was presented. Amidst the august gathering, 'The Spirit of Steel', a special film on the centenary, directed by Zafar Hai, with a narrative by the acclaimed actor Victor Banerjee was screened.

Varin, who had specially come down to witness Tata Steel's Centenary celebrations, unveiled the book The Romance of Tata Steel authored by RM Lala, said, "I feel humbled and proud to be a part of a company which has completed 100 years. This celebration of existence is not just a heritage but it is a landmark for the future. I feel elated to say that the values propounded by the Founder have not only led to this achievement by Tata Steel, but they are also judiciously being passed on and carried forward by the future generation. I would like to extend my congratulations to Tata Steel for attaining heights that it has reached today." RM Lala, whose association with Jamshedpur is not new, recounted his interactions and memories with Tata Steel in the past and paid his respect to the founder. Raghunath Pandey, president — Tata Workers Union, while addressing the audience said, "Today we celebrate 100 years of a glorious company that has not only maintained, but also taken forward the ideals laid down by its founder. Tata Steel is one of the few companies which is also celebrating 79 years of industrial harmony. The co-operation of the workers, officers and management has made Tata Steel reach the high level it has attained today."

Mr Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Steel, in his message extended his congratulations to each and every employee of Tata Steel, and said, "Today is a historic moment in time, as Tata Steel celebrates the 100th year of existence. My congratulations therefore go out today to all of you, our company employees — every single one of you — wherever you are, for having worked together in harmony to make this company the great company that it is today."

Speaking on the occasion, Muthuraman said, "This is a very special day for Tata Steel. Any celebration or achievement has to be earned and as a 100-year-old company, Tata Steel's contribution to industrialisation in India has been acknowledged by all. As we celebrate the centenary year of our company dreamt by our founder, I hope the younger generation of Tata Steel carry this philosophy with equal zeal and enthusiasm as our forefathers."

The function was concluded by a special company anthem that has been penned down by Javed Akhtar, composed by music directors — Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy and sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Mahalaxmi Iyer. Earlier in the day, Muthuraman had launched the Tata Steel centenary micro-site www.tatasteel100.com. The interactive site and the anthem will communicate the rich heritage of Tata Steel in 24 different countries where the company has almost 84,000 employees. The anthem, originally in Hindi, which will be played on all occasions round the year, has been translated into English to act as a tool to bind together all employees of Tata Steel across all centres and remind them of the ideals of Tata Steel.

Earlier in the day, RM Lala cut the centenary cake along with Muthuraman. The MD inaugurated the re-designed Founder's Gallery at Tata Steel Archives which showcases the historical journey of the company and its founder.

In addition to all this, Muthuraman also announced two major projects for the city of Jamshedpur. Recalling Tata Steel's Golden Jubilee gift of the Jubilee Park — a 200 acres park in the heart of the city which was inaugurated by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1958, he announced a major city development project. The company will develop and maintain the River's-Meet area in Jamshedpur, which has always been a tourist attraction, into a promenade and park that will serve as a place to relax and recreate. The River's-Meet is the confluence of the two rivers Subarnrekha and Kharkai — one of the main reasons for setting up the steel plant in this area, almost 100 years ago. The second project for the citizens of Jamshedpur is the "Centenary City Centre", which will include malls and entertainment facilities.

A landmark event that took place on the special day was the launch of an Air Deccan commercial flight connecting Jamshedpur and Kolkata.

As the evening of August 26, 2007 has now become another page in the illustrious history of Tata Steel, it was a memorable day for all employees of the company and the citizens of Jamshedpur.