Paying glowing tributes to J R D Tata, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday described him as the tallest and most daring titan amongst the galaxy of business pioneers of the last century.
Inaugurating the centenary celebrations of the late patriarch of the House of Tatas, the Prime Minister described him as one of the illustrious sons of India who played a vital role in transforming an agrarian, colonised country into a modern, industrial nation.
"'JRD', as we fondly remember him, was truly one of the titans of modern India," he said and recalled that the Congress government had conferred the Bharat Ratna on him in 1992, the first captain of industry to be so honoured.
The government was then motivated by considerations that went beyond the very substantial contributions of JRD to Indian business and enterprise, he added.
JRD was more than just a chairman of Tata Sons. He was a true patriot, who was cognizant of the wider social role of enterprise, he said.
"His emphasis on values, ethics, education, research, technology, healthcare and in improving the quality of life of our people was a forerunner of the more recent concepts of corporate social responsibility," Singh said.
Besides playing an important part in the growth of various Tata companies in the first two decades of his career, JRD also started India's first commercial airline company and Asia's first cancer hospital, Singh pointed out.
He said Tata found both time and the ability to help in setting up of Family Planning Association of India and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research thereby playing an important role in India's quest for nuclear capability.
