Dorabji Tata birth anniversary: Lesser-known facts about Jamsetji’s son
Son of Tata Group founder Jamsetji Tata, Dorabji Tata was born on August 27, 1859. Dorabji was the second chief of the Tata Group after his father. He took forward his father’s work and turned the group into an industrial giant. A philanthropist and sports enthusiast, Dorabji Tata was also knighted by the British queen and is referred to as Sir Dorabji Tata.
At the age of 38 years, he married Meherbai Bhabha, the daughter of nuclear physicist Homi Jehangir Bhabha. Dorabji died while sailing to visit his wife’s grave in England at the age of 73 years.
On his 163rd birth anniversary, here are some lesser-known facts about the industrialist:
Off to Blighty
Dorabji Tata was sent to a private tutor in Kent (England) at the age of 16 years. Two years later, he got through Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge.
Great at sports
During his Cambridge years, Sir Dorab won several honours for his cricketing and football skills. He also played tennis for his college, became an expert rower, won several sprint events, and was a good horseman
A fleeting journo
After returning to India, Sir Dorab obtained a bachelor’s degree in arts from St Xavier’s College in Bombay (now Mumbai). He also worked as a journalist for a short time.
In the Tata fold
He entered the family business after his father Jamsetji Tata gave him the independent charge of setting up a textile project in Pondicherry (now Puducherry). His business acumen helped him pull off a five-fold expansion programme in the post-World War I period.
When the business hit a rough patch due to an earthquake in Japan and subsequent tumbling of steel prices, and transport and labour difficulties in the West, Sir Dorab pledged his entire personal fortune (worth about Rs 1 crore then) and his wife’s jewellery to obtain a loan.
Olympian feat
Sir Dorabji urged Sir Lloyd George, the then governor of Bombay, to get affiliation for India with the International Olympic body. This helped the Indian contingent become part of the Olympics.
Sir Dorabji became the first president of the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) in 1927. A year later, the Indian men’s hockey team defeated eight European nations and won the first ever Olympic gold medal in The Netherlands.
Health trusts
In memory of her wife, Sir Dorab set up the Lady Tata Memorial Trust which funded research in leukaemia. Also, he set up another Lady Meherbai D. Tata Education Trust to spread awareness among women in areas like hygiene, health, and social welfare.
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