Timeless inspiration

Imagine taking the last dig at your ice cream, scraping the bottom of the bowl, licking the spoon and peering intently to see if there is more. #Tata Stories by Harish Bhat is one such book that leaves you seeking more.

I finished the book in 3 hours flat but it left me in bewilderment on how a business powerhouse driven by few men and women has touched the soul of the country, in the true sense, by exemplary vision, sheer hard work and empathy, and continue to do so, even after a century.

One of the stories that gave me goosebumps was on the Empress Mills, with Tatas establishing a creche for children, setting up a welfare fund which eventually became the PF that we know of today, as early as 1921. Plus the way in which the community was built around the business, actively involving employees and their families.

The Bombay Plan was another one which seems incredible looking at today's perspective where working together with your rivals can seldom be imagined. The plan was so deep including food production with balanced nutrition, housing, education etc. which was drawn up with the Indian population in mind and not their balance sheets.

Being a former Tata employee I could relate to the commitment towards Design. Tata Elxsi was in the forefront of bringing design as an organized service in India, somewhere in the late nineties. One of the last bastions of outsourcing was design and there we were trying to secure projects out of the big names from the East and West. What helped was the brand name and the trust it carried to quell doubts of whether India could actually deliver world class design or not. We delivered and shaan se!

The story of Tatas need to be read and re-read by the new age entrepreneurs into building businesses with a sense of purpose to serve, not just themselves or their share holders, but the community, society and nation as well.

How and why did Lady Meherbai Tata give off her diamond, twice the size of the Kohinoor, to save a business and stop laying off employees?

Why did JRD Tata give spark plugs to his opponent in the Aga Khan race knowing very well that he is losing a "competitive advantage"?

How on earth could India build a sophisticated industry like watch making, beating the best in the world?

Continue to leave us in wonder, continue to inspire and lead!

#TataStories #HarishBhat