Jamshedpur, May 12: Residents of Jamshedpur today paid homage to the man who sniffed iron in the region to steer Tata Steel to success.

Rich floral tributes marked the 156th birth anniversary of geologist Pramatha Nath Bose (1855-1934) at Armoury Ground in Bistupur. A special function and a thematic exhibition on Bose were some of the major attractions.

“The pioneering discovery of iron ore in Mayurbhanj by PN Bose led to the establishment of India’s first steel plant close to the then village of Sakchi at the meeting point of two rivers. Perhaps Tata Steel is the only steel company, besides another one in Brazil, that is situated at a favourable site with abundant raw material,” said Partha Sengupta, vice-president (raw materials), the chief guest at the function.

The senior official added that just like the spirit of Bose and the vision of the company’s founder JN Tata led to the setting up of Jamshedpur, Tata Steel’s global footprint will lead to the establishment of many more such cities across the world.

The guest of honour and Tata Workers’ Union deputy president P.L. Sah and Tata Steel vice-presidents Anand Sen and A.M. Mishra garlanded the bust and spoke on Bose’s contributions.

Sah highlighted the geologist’s life and times and recreated the journey of a meritorious Indian student in 19th century London who joined the Geological Society of India and finally gave invaluable inputs to set up the steel plant that paved the way for Indian iron and steel industry.

Notably, Bose was the first Indian graded officer of Geological Survey of India.

He also had several firsts to his credit — he was the first Indian science graduate from a British university, first to discover petroleum in Assam and first to set up an Indian soap factory.

Bose also spearheaded the cause of technical education in India, which resulted in the first All-India Industrial Conference in 1905, followed by the second one in 1906 and the formation of Indian Industrial Association. His efforts also catalysed the foundation of Bengal Technical Institute in Calcutta, famed globally as Jadavpur University today.

A senior Tata Steel official said the company would owe a debt to this luminary for the historic letter he wrote to JN Tata on February 24, 1904, on the rich iron ore reserves in the region that changed the course of industrialisation in the country.