Tata Steel on Saturday organised various events such as an aeromodelling show, walkathon, quiz, and sports competitions to celebrate JRD Tata’s 119th birth anniversary at its locations in Jharkhand and Odisha.

The main attraction was the aeromodelling show at Gopal Maidan in Jamshedpur. There were interactive displays as well as an exhibition of remarkable model planes of various sizes and types, ranging from nitro engines, turbine engines and electric engines.

The teams from the aero-modelling clubs of Jamshedpur and Calcutta were part of the show. While static model planes were on display, some model planes such as Fun Cub, Slow Stick and Twin Electric were flown during the show as a tribute to JRD Tata who was India’s first licensed pilot.

In the morning, a walkathon was also organised on the premises of JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur.

Altogether there were around 400 participants in the walkathon which was graced by Mount Everest climber Asmita Dorjee, former Indian athletics coach Santosh Varghese and host of Tata Steel sports department officials.

Winners of the men, women and children category were awarded.

This year’s celebration was about JRD Tata’s dreams to build a digital India and how he was instrumental in laying the foundation for the birth of the digital era in the country. JRD Tata played a crucial role in setting up Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the country’s first IT company.

A quiz for school students was held at Michael John Auditorium in Jamshedpur which attracted 200 talented students from 20 prominent English-medium schools.

The questions covered aspects of life and times of JRD Tata, challenging the students to think critically and showcase their intellectual prowess. The winners and the first runners-up were taken for a helicopter ride around Jamshedpur on Saturday.

Tata Steel Foundation — the CSR wing of Tata Steel — organised an inter-centre bodybuilding championship at Baridih Community Centre and an inter-centre football tournament at Nandup Football Ground, Sundarnagar on Saturday. Around 300 players took part in the two events.

There were competitions in chess and athletics for transgender employees.

A cross-country race was also organised at the West Bokaro division of Tata Steel in Jharkhand.

In Kalinganagar, Odisha, the day was celebrated with the seventh edition of Tata Steel Kalinganagar Run-a-thon, a plantation drive, and a blood donation drive, reflecting JRD Tata’s commitment to community and environmental stewardship.

A cross-country race was also held at the Berhampur University ground in
Odisha.