Citizens of Jamshedpur will remember Ratan Tata as a visionary industrialist responsible for the expansion of Tata Steel’s production capacity and making it among the leading steel makers in the world.

Ratan became the chairperson of Tata Steel in 1993 and set the ball rolling for not only the expansion of production in Jamshedpur and in Odisha but also the high-profile overseas acquisitions of Corus Steel.

“It was Ratan Sir’s approval during the board meeting held in Jamshedpur that set the ball rolling for increasing the production capacity of the Tata Steel plant from 2.5 MTPA (metric ton per annum) to the existing 11 MTPA. It was his approval that led to the setting up of crucial Kalinga Nagar and Meramandali plants (both in Odisha),” said a retired Tata Steel corporate communication official.

Tata employees in Jamshedpur and elsewhere in the region still recall the words of this visionary.

“It is imperative to make the Tata Group a unified group with one common multi-national brand given fast-paced globalisation and reforms, simultaneously,” Tata had said during his visit to the Noamundi iron ore mines in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand in 1994-95.

“It was this bold vision that shaped the global Tata Brand we know today, spanning
industries from salt and steel to software,” said a Tata Steel senior executive.

Ratan started his career in Jamshedpur and undertook a six-month training at Tata
Engineering and Locomotive Company, now known as Tata Motors. After this, he worked with Tata Steel. In 1965, he was sent to the engineering department of Tata Steel (then Tisco) where he worked as a technical officer.

Former Tata Steel deputy managing director T. Mukherjee said Ratan considered Jamshedpur as his second home.

He visited Jamshedpur around 25 times with the last being in March 2021 during
the 182nd Founder’s Day celebration.

“He (Ratan Tata) was an architect with a degree from Cornell University, New York, and had used his architecture skill in designing the house in Circuit House Area in Jamshedpur,” Mukherjee said.

“I purchased my portion in 2007. I liked the design as it has open spaces, enough light, and places to sit out,” Mukherjee recalled.

Ratan was committed to enhancing health facilities for employees.

He consistently marked Founder’s Day with meaningful contributions to the community, such as inaugurating new facilities at the Meherbai Tata Memorial Hospital and the Naval Tata Hockey Academy (named after his father Naval Tata).

Additionally, he opened a new block at Meherbai Tata Memorial Hospital on March 13, 2019, equipped with advanced facilities, including Jharkhand’s first PET-CT machine.

The hospital was renovated at a cost of ₹65 crore.

Ratan laid the foundation stone for a cancer hospital in 2018 at Ranchi. The construction is underway and is expected to be completed soon.

“He was the chairperson of the Tata Trust and had inaugurated the Naval Tata Hockey Academy in Jamshedpur in March 2021,” said the chief of sports excellence centres, Tata Steel, Mukul Choudhary.

Ratan who was an ardent dog lover played a crucial role in setting up a stray dog shelter and an animal rehabilitation centre in Jamshedpur.

“We got in touch with Ratan Sir in August last year and it was at his request that Tata
Steel helped us in logistics and finance to set up the stray dog shelter house and animal rehabilitation centre at Dalma near Jamshedpur. We will remain indebted to him forever,” said Shilpa Mahapatra, co-founder of Stray Army.